Working as a server means dealing with all kinds of customers, from polite guests who make your shift easier to people who seem determined to test your patience.
However, some customers cross the line with inappropriate comments.
One TikTok creator shared some of the strangest things customers said to her while she worked at a restaurant.
Highlights
- A server took to social media to expose the worst customer behaviors she has encountered
- She recalled a customer asking if she was 16 before inappropriately commenting on her appearance.
- In another encounter, a customer repeatedly demanded cottage cheese with his burger, which was not on the restaurant's menu.
From a man making an uncomfortable remark about her appearance to diners complaining about canned soda, her stories have struck a nerve online.
“Being a woman is so exhausting. I'm so sorry this happened to you,” wrote one commenter.
A TikToker shared how a customer asked if she was 16 before making an inappropriate comment
Ellie, who posts ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) content on TikTok, shared her experiences in a video that received 2.1 million views and more than 1,300 comments.
ASMR refers to a calming, static-like tingling sensation that typically starts on the scalp and moves down the neck and spine.
Speaking in her usual whispering style, Ellie began with an interaction that made many viewers uncomfortable. In the clip, a customer asked whether she had to be 21 to serve him wine.
When Ellie explained that servers in her state could serve drinks from the age of 16, the man asked whether she was 16 herself. She told him that she was 18.
Ellie then recalled that the customer looked at her chest several times before commenting on her appearance.
“Well, if I were in high school I would be all over you, 'cause you're so cute,” he allegedly told her.
She also said that the same table described her as “very petite.”
The remark quickly became one of the most discussed parts of the video.
Instead of simply complimenting a server, the customer reportedly connected her age and appearance to his interest in her.
For many viewers, that crossed a line, especially because Ellie was at work and had to remain professional.
One commenter reacted, “This is why women are afraid of men ‘cause wdym he said he’d be all over you?”
Another person shared a similar experience, writing, “I’m a waitress and the amount of old men who dare to ask how old I am baffles me. Like, why do you look disappointed when I say I'm 16?”
However, another commenter offered a different perspective, writing, “Yeah, the first one is weird but to be fair if an old woman said this to a young boy there would be no issue.”
Ellie’s next story left viewers questioning what some diners expect from restaurant staff
Ellie recalled a group of customers who asked whether the restaurant served soda from a fountain machine. When she explained that it did not, she offered them canned soda instead.
However, the customers rejected the option and described canned soda as “tacky.”
For Ellie, the complaint made little sense. The restaurant offered a sealed can, but the customers appeared to prefer drinks poured from a machine.
She also pointed out that canned drinks could be a more sanitary option because fountain machines can be difficult to clean properly.
Her comments led the restaurant workers to share their own experiences with soda machines.
One person wrote, “Soda machines are disgusting, and I know 'cause I work at a restaurant! I prefer a can from a restaurant!”
Another commenter, who also said they used to work as a server, explained why they agreed with Ellie’s point.
“As an ex-server, 90 percent of the time soda machines are never cleaned properly or often enough and are NASTY!”
Her final story involved a customer who wanted a side dish that was not on the restaurant’s menu
Ellie’s final story explained that the restaurant had a small menu that changed every week. The side dishes, however, usually stayed the same, with choices such as fries or salad.
When a customer asked for cottage cheese with his burger, Ellie politely explained that it wasn't available.
Rather than choosing one of the options the restaurant offered, the customer reportedly kept insisting on getting what he wanted.
“I told you I want cottage cheese. Just get cottage cheese,” he said, according to Ellie.
The server found the demand unreasonable because the restaurant did not stock the requested side dish. She even joked that the customer could bring cottage cheese from home if he wanted it that badly.
The story left some viewers to question why anyone would expect a restaurant to provide food that was not on its menu.
One commenter wrote, “Never worked or been to a restaurant that offered cottage cheese.”
Another summed up the frustration, saying, “I take every bad thing I’ve ever said about my job back.”
“Server at a ramen spot, got asked if our ramen has noodles,” wrote one netizen
