We gotta take this time to show our appreciation for all the line cooks out there who work tirelessly to prepare our delicious food with little to no gratitude. Like, damn you guys are badass and most of the time you don't even get tips or health insurance! Our hats are off to you!
(And honestly we wouldn't really blame you for spitting in a rude customer's food.)
While we appreciate how wonderfully world-opening the internet is, there are some serious drawbacks to everyone feeling they have a soapbox. There's no greater example of this than restaurant reviews from rude and entitled people. Yelp gives obnoxious people another outlet for, well, being obnoxious. Fortunately, some business owners refuse to let the aggression stand, and opt to bite right back.
During more "normal times" we relish seeing restaurant owners call out unreasonable customers for bullshit reviews. Now, while restaurant workers and bartenders are risking their lives to cater to entitled people, we find that we relish the takedowns even more. Today we come to you with a classic Karen tale from Hucknall in the UK. This Karen, whose real name is Jo, took to Facebook to express her dismay at being kicked out of a restaurant after spending £700 on a birthday celebration at the venue.
The restaurant quickly responds - correcting her lies (the party spent about a quarter of that) and calling her group out for their drunken and entitled behavior. It's an expert takedown that requires only facts to make the Karen (and her entire family) seem out of line. And we think you'll find it pretty entertaining.
Picture this: It's several months into the global pandemic and the governor has decided to allow indoor dining again. You're considered one of the 'lucky ones' because you got to keep your minimum wage job as a server in a restaurant, and although taking to-go orders only has been pretty chill, the mountain of bills that looms over you everyday has you really missing those tips. Strangely, customers don't feel the need to tip if it's take-out, but they'll call you a hero as if you volunteer to be an 'essential worker' and don't actually have rent to pay. Although you've got a lot of qualms about serving customers again, you feel like you don't really have a choice. You reassure yourself that your customers will be respectful and follow social distancing rules. Maybe they'll even leave a decent tip—you're working in the middle of a health crisis, after all. You don't have the benefit of working safely from home, and any decent person will understand the risk you're taking, right? Oh how naive you are.
Your first customers arrive on the day of reopening and to your dismay, it's a group of ten and they're already drunk, masks hanging down under their noses. They immediately ignore the social distancing policy notices posted on every surface of the restaurant and start pushing tables together. They ignore your pleas to respect your coworkers and other patrons. Your manager doesn't help you. You're pissed off. After hours of rudeness and belligerence, finally the assh*le table asks for the bill. They spend another half hour drunkenly squabbling over the check before demanding that you split it ten ways. You somehow muster up the last bit of civility deep within you and smile through the rage. Finally, they leave. It's the moment you've been dreading. Again, you try and reassure yourself—surely they tipped at least 15%. They ordered bottomless margaritas. They stayed for five hours. Surely they tipped...You pick up the pile of checks and examine the first one. Nothing. Then the next. Nope. Your stomach drops as you get to the last check and read the word 'zero' scrawled onto the tip line. Dejected and exhausted, you look at the clock. Five more hours of your shift to go. The next group walks in.
Whether this scenario feels familiar or not, it's important for everyone to understand just how shitty it is to be a server sometimes, especially during a plague. Not only does treating service industry workers like literal garbage make their lives a living hell, it poisons the soul of the evil-doer. Treat workers with respect and don't forget to tip—it's not that damn hard. Alternatively, if being a jerk is the only thing you know how to do and you truly believe that treating people like dirt is a valid personality trait, you can simply stay at home. The restaurant industry doesn't need mean customers in order to thrive. We've collected some frustrating experiences that servers shared on r/TalesFromYourServer. Hopefully these stories will either humble people who frequently dine out or give solace to those who hate their jobs.
It's true that you can sometimes make bank while being a server. Unfortunately, it's also true that you'll be abused by customers, deal with MIA managers, and spend hours of your precious time doing inane side work like polishing silverware. These server memes are for anyone in the struggle. We hear you, and we see you.
If you've ever worked in a customer service position, then you've guaranteed encountered your fair share of Karens and other horrible, entitled customers who make your job a lot harder than it needs to be. We're not going to stereotype generations here, but as proven by the memes you're about to see it's the Baby Boomers who are always the worst. Sorry, not sorry.
Working in service has a tendency to be hellish, even without the whole deadly pandemic thing looming over our shoulders and filling up hospitals. Now? Only the most entitled Karens (who probably don't want to wear masks) are filling up restaurants in covid-ravaged states, making lives hell and tipping less than 10%. These memes go out to all the people who have had to deal with such people, and in some cases, continue to do so throughout the madness. You deserve a lot of respect.
Congratulations are in order. You've made it through the torture of Monday - and you're still trucking along through the absolute horror-show that is 2020. As a reward (and to lift your spirits) we've put together this mixed bag of amusing memes. Just sit back, flex those scrolling muscles, and enjoy the humor.
Whether you're a server, bartender, or line cook, we're betting that you'll find these memes very relatable. Restaurant work is tough, and anyone who claims it's easy has obviously never had to work a busy shift with 500 Karen-type patrons.
And you're in luck, cause we have even more service industry content here!
Anyone who works in or who has worked in the customer service industry will know the horrors of...The Karen. Doesn't matter if you're a waiter, bartender, call center rep, or you work at an Urban Outfitters - Karens are everywhere and they don't discriminate when it comes to speaking to the manager.
Now scroll through some memes that might give you PTSD and click here for even more!
Cooking isn't for everyone, and that's okay. But for those who like to nerd out over what you're going to make for dinner every night - these memes are for you! So whether you cook for a living or just enjoy it in your free time, we think you'll find some amusement here. Bon appetit!
Most of us have had to or will have to work in the customer service industry at some point in our lives. Whether that be bartending, serving, or working at a grocery store, all of these jobs have one thing in common: virtually no opportunity for paid sick days, which can lead to employees infecting others and even ridicule from management if one dares to take a day off.
Writer Lauren Hough took to Twitter to highlight these problems, and we have to say that it's very informative and 100% worth the read.
And once again, here's a link to some hilarious (yet ultimately depressing) memes about our "wonderful" healthcare system!
