Although it is important not to compromise one’s standards—especially when paying for something—being picky can sometimes cross the line. These Redditors share their encounters with some ridiculously picky eaters that left them both laughing and fuming mad. No matter what these customers were asking for, what they really needed was a chill pill.
1. He Landed In The Thick Of It
A guy walked into Wendy's and bought a milkshake. Nothing too unusual, right? But he returned 10 minutes later with his girlfriend and nearly an empty milkshake cup. He complained that the milkshake was too thin, more like milk than a shake.
In his view, a milkshake should be a chilled flavored beverage, while a thick, creamier version should be listed as a "thickshake". But then things escalated surprisingly. The girlfriend, not saying a word to him, grabbed the milkshake cup and splashed it in the face of the employee.
The employee snapped back promptly and splashed caramel sauce in the woman's face from a nearby bottle, then for a finishing touch, sprinkled some candy sprinkles over the caramel sauce dripping from her forehead. This got him fired on the spot, yet some might argue it was a worthy retaliation, including yours truly.
2. Well Done
At the place I used to work, we often had customers asking to have their "undercooked" burgers re-done. It wasn't usually a big issue, but occasionally, we would have a customer that was a bit more difficult.
I remember this one instance where a customer came up to the counter, proclaiming their burger to be undercooked, and insisted we cook it again. The kicker was, they didn't say anything until they had already eaten three-fourths of the burger. My manager complied, cheerfully agreeing to redo their meal. Although, he had a clever trick in mind.
Once the burger was done cooking, he sliced it into quarters and gave the customer a fresh, well-done quarter of a burger to replace what they hadn't yet consumed. The expression on their face was the epitome of sweet justice.
3. Comparing Pineapples To Oranges
I once held a job in an Italian eatery, taking on the role of a server. A woman, probably in her mid-40s, requested a Hawaiian pizza then threw a minor tantrum, claiming we messed up her order. Wondering what went wrong, I asked her. She declared it not to be Hawaiian and blamed it on incorrect toppings. Upon the sight of the pizza, I could hardly keep myself from chuckling.
The toppings were precisely as listed on our menu: chopped tomatoes, chunks of pineapple, and ham. I pointed this fact out to her and her response was, "What are you referring to? These are yellow! Pineapples are supposed to be orange!"
Nonplussed, I brought my manager into the dialogue. He attempted to clarify that pineapples are definitely yellow, not orange—the opposite of what she was insisting. If she wasn't happy with the meal, we'd happily provide a complimentary one of her choosing. Instead of accepting, she continued to demand her Hawaiian pizza, only with correct pineapples.
As she proceeded to describe the appearance, I questioned, "You're talking about oranges, aren't you?" because the description reminded me more of an orange. She aggressively denied, still insisting these "pineapples" looked just like the oranges she was describing! So I pulled out my smartphone, googled images of oranges and pineapples, and showed her.
When her finger landed on the oranges, she hollered, "YES, THOSE! I want those!" At that, my manager calmly informed her that we didn't serve those and she could either choose an alternative or enjoy her current pizza. She decided to leave instead.
4. It Matters How You Slice It
A guy asked for a pizza with fresh jalapenos, sliced lengthwise. When I handed it to him, he completely lost it and accused us of putting bell peppers on it. I assured him they were jalapenos, but he wasn't convinced.
His reaction had my blood boiling. He daringly marched into our kitchen and reproached the chef for mixing up bell peppers and jalapenos. In response, our chef presented a whole jalapeno and asked, "This is a jalapeno, correct?" The customer agreed. The chef then sliced it like the ones on the pizza, asking, "And that's what's on your pizza, correct?"
The customer, taken aback, could only respond with a shocked, ".... Yeah." He left me a miserable tip.
5. Sizzling Mad
I remember a time when a customer ordered a premium, Grade 9 Wagyu scotch fillet, cooked medium rare. This steak was on our menu for a price tag of $63. Oddly enough, the gentleman decided to carve up the steak into tiny pieces—all because he believed it was slightly rarer than medium rare. This was frustrating! Typically, if a patron thinks their steak is undercooked, we would simply toss it back on the grill for a moment to reach their preferred level of doneness.
So, faced with a $63 steak cut into bits, we had no choice but to cook another one for him...and we did. But what he did next was astonishing. He repeated the exact same process, claiming that it was undercooked, thus wasting another $60 steak. Needless to say, our kitchen team was fuming.
Not satisfied, he went on to order a pasta dish. I prepared it and sent it out to him. He consumed the entire plate, only to criticise it as rubbish. But when it came time to settle the bill, he had the nerve to tell the waitress, "Just charge me for a bowl of chips. The boss and I are pals; he'll understand."
I'm unsure whether the waitress complied, or what the boss thought about it as he was off-duty that night. But even now, thinking about that guy makes my blood boil.
6. Bare Bones Diet
Three women ordered a pork sandwich and a couple of cheeseburgers, seeming like a pretty standard order; but it wasn't.
You see, they were sticking to the Atkins diet which meant no buns, no cheese, and no extras. So, I served up their food on three separate plates—two simply had burger patties, and one was filled with just shredded pork. But they looked at their plates and asked, "What is this? This is NOT what we asked for!"
My response was, “Well, ladies, this is a pork sandwich and two burgers without onions, coleslaw, cheese, bread, and fries.” To be honest, I have no idea what they were hoping to see.
7. They All Scream For Ice Cream
I once held a job at a zoo snack bar, where our team would wheel around ice cream carts to various parts of the park and settle at one spot for the whole day. One day, my spot was the "children's playground"—not the best location, honestly.
This location was teeming with kids in high spirits, rushing all around the park while their parents were busy engaging in idle chitchats or simply lackadaisical about their children's activities. It wasn't a surprise that countless kids would swarm around me every day, pleading for ice cream. Of course, I couldn't just hand it out for free.
Whenever a child approached, I would ask if they had any money and invariably, they didn’t. I would then tell the little ones to ask their parents for money if they wished for ice cream. On an extremely hot day, a mini-drama unfolded when a child threw a tantrum as I told him I couldn't have him have the ice cream for free.
He remained on the ground, sobbing and hollering, and I had to carry on serving others around his wailing figure sprawled across the ground. Eventually, the tearful kid went off to find his mother. After what felt like a quarter of an hour, they both returned to my cart.
With swollen eyes but a gleeful expression, the kid was pleased with himself for convincing his mom to buy him ice cream. We offered approximately 15 different types of ice cream and the kid chose the most premium one. His mom was carefree about it and let him pick 'anything you want, darling'.
She took the ice cream from me, unwrapped it, and handed it over to him, who instantly started making a mess with it in the summer heat. She then asked me the price for it. As I pointed to the prices listed on the sign, she lost it.
The mother raised a ruckus, berating me for the high price, but as he'd already begun eating, I could only shrug and say, "I'm sorry, but there's no alternative". She ended up paying, reluctantly, in change and then requested napkins.
Our park policy didn't permit us to distribute napkins—too many patrons discarded them casually, making daily clean-up a costly affair, as per the park's logic. I gently explained the policy to the woman and apologized for the inconvenience.
She turned ballistic. Ripping the melty ice cream from her kid's hand, who understandably started another tantrum, she flung it at me, snatched my tip money, and stormed off with her tearful son in tow.
I was left to clean the ice cream splatters off my shirt with nearby tree leaves and had to pass the rest of the day at my ice cream stand, unable to do anything about it.
8. She Was Left Crushed
While I was working at Dairy Queen, I used to whip up some top-notch Blizzards. One day, a woman came yelling through the drive-thru that she wanted a small Oreo Blizzard. I didn't think much of it. As I handed her the Blizzard, she threw me off-guard with her reaction. She poked at it with her spoon and frowned at it as if it were a dead mouse.
She complained, "The Oreos are far too crushed. I want another one." The Oreos are already crumbled when we receive them, but I let it slide. Since it only costs us about 25 cents to make one, I decided to make her a new one. I barely stirred it, leaving decent sized chunks of Oreo on top. She loved it when I handed it over.
The catch was that she was hoping to snag the "messed up" one for free. She asked, "What are you going to do with that first one? Can I have it since you can't serve it to another customer?" I couldn't help but grin. It was my turn to enjoy this interaction. I told her, "I'm sorry, the Oreos are too crushed," and dumped it in the trash right before her eyes.
9. She Lost Her Nuggets
Back when I was not yet a chef, there was a year I spent working at an "Orient Express" stall during a state fair. Here, a lady once bought a portion of sweet and sour chicken. Roughly ten minutes later, she returned with all chicken pieces cut open, the chicken eaten, and requested her money back. She insisted there wasn't any chicken within the fried coating.
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10. We Cooked The Cluck Out Of It
We had a customer who asked for grilled chicken, well done. We made sure to keep the chicken on the grill a tad longer than usual to meet the customer's request, and sent it out. To our surprise, it got sent back to us with a complaint that it was undercooked. We were baffled, but committed to getting it properly cooked this time.
We quickly microwaved the chicken for a minute before putting it back on the grill for a few more minutes, then sent it out again. The general feeling around the kitchen was that the customer might be seeking a free meal. However, it got sent back yet again, with the customer insisting it was still raw.
Frustration was setting in among the line cooks. It was clear that the chicken couldn't be cooked any further without risking it getting burnt. Yet, they were reluctant to let this woman simply walk away with a free meal. Following the manager's instructions, we cut the chicken into cubes and microwaved and grilled it again for extended periods.
Despite her ongoing complaints, the customer finally ate the chicken, which wasn't particularly appetizing at this point. It could only be likened to chewing on warm sawdust.
11. Left In A Stew
I used to run a restaurant. One day, a group of three came in and ordered our fish stew. It was a dish that took 45 minutes to prepare because we made it fresh each time—a point clearly stated on the menu. I would always emphasize to customers, "Just to let you know, the stew is going to need around 40 minutes to prepare. Are you okay with waiting that long?"
This group of three confirmed they wanted the fish stew despite the wait time. After sending their order to the kitchen, I offered them some bread and tuna paste to snack on while waiting, and got them their drinks. A little over 15 minutes later, one of the ladies flagged me down to ask about the delay with their main course.
I assured her they still had roughly 25 minutes to go before the stew would be ready. She inquired if there was any way to speed up the cooking process. Unfortunately, there wasn't. She compared our process to other renowned restaurants in Lisbon that supposedly served their fish stew faster.
I sympathized with her, but reminded her of our initial conversation regarding the wait time. She expressed her disappointment with our service and promptly ordered more wine. When the stew was finally ready to serve, I brought it to their table and asked if they needed anything else.
They said they were all set, and I left to take care of other customers. Shortly after, I swung by to check how they found the stew and if they needed anything else. They assured me all was fine. However, not long after that, they flagged me down again, complaining about two flies in their stew.
Shockingly, they were right. It was an unusual sight, given that my mother, who was meticulous about cleanliness, supervised the kitchen. Naturally, I apologized and asked if she'd prefer to make a formal complaint or order something else.
She opted for the complaint book and requested to speak with a manager. As the owner, I handled the situation by apologizing again and assuring her the meal was on us. After she filled out the complaint and went to the restroom, I started clearing the table. That's when I made a startling find—a small plastic bag containing three flies under her chair.
When she returned from the restroom, I confronted her, "I found this near your chair. If you choose to dine here again, we will not serve you. In fact, I'll share this incident with other restaurants nearby, and I guarantee you won't be fooled again. Now, please leave."
She left, denying the flies were hers and threatening to report us to the health department. However, I managed to snap her photo from our security footage and shared it with other restaurant owners around.
12. A Tuna Travesty
I used to work as a chef at a relatively high-end seafood diner. One frantic Saturday evening, an order for ahi tuna tartare came in. The preparation of this dish was usually quite elaborate, taking a solid seven minutes. It was my task that evening to prepare it. I thought I did a pretty good job—the dish looked amazing when I sent it out.
It was adorned with wasabi and sriracha aioli patterns around cucumber slices, along with seaweed salad and ginger arranged around the meticulously stacked raw tuna that had been soaked in ponzu and eel sauce.
I was quite proud of it when I handed it over to the waiter. But then came a huge surprise—it was returned nearly as quickly as it had left. The customer's reason for returning it rattled me. Apparently, the woman who ordered it said, "I don't eat raw fish" and had it sent back. She wanted the fish sautéed and the entire dish redone, but with a heap of overcooked tuna chunks messily dumped in the middle this time.
Freepik, stockking
13. Stuff It Lady
Once upon a time, I worked at a place where we cooked up a delicious two-pound grilled lobster that cost $60. It was a hefty meal indeed, but for an extra $10, you could add some tasty crabmeat and breadcrumbs stuffing. One evening, a lady at one of my tables asked about the extra charge and said, "I would've loved the stuffing, but I'm not about to increase my bill."
I understood her point, smiled, and just went with the regular grilled lobster. But, as luck would have it, our kitchen slipped up and prepared the lobster with the stuffing anyway. With no additional charge and a smile on my face, I served it to her, explaining that the kitchen made a mistake. That turned out to be a huge misstep.
She ate the entire lobster, then called me over and said, "I appreciate the stuffing, but I didn't order that. I'm not feeling satisfied as it was mostly breadcrumbs."
Politely, I told her that the size of the lobster was unchanged, we just added breadcrumbs and crab mea. However, she countered by suggesting that we took out some of the lobster to fit in the breadcrumbs. My manager stepped in at this point, reaffirming what I said. But she remained adamant and insisted that we cook another one for her.
She kicked up quite the storm writing off what had happened as "this wasn't what I ordered," and how the improved dish left her feeling hungry. Our kitchen crew was understandably irate. We complied, however, cooked up another lobster, did not charge her for it, and even made an attempt to offer her free dessert to smooth things over. But the worst was yet to come.
In spite of all our efforts, she left me out of pocket on a bill of $140 and had the audacity to write "the service was HORRIBLE" on the payment slip. I believe she sensed our disapproval of her ill-mannered behavior.
14. Mussel Madness
A rather unpleasant lady walked in and requested mussels for her meal. After my buddy served her dish, she was convinced that the kitchen somehow removed all the meat from the shells. When my friend attempted to clarify that live mussels were used, making it impossible for there to be more shells than meat, she didn't accept the explanation.
To try to prove her point, the lady scattered the shells and meat across the tablecloth. Upon realizing her error, she stormed out of the restaurant. The cringeworthy part was that she was not dining alone but was at a table with three of her friends. They looked utterly embarrassed, settled the bill for the meal, leaving behind a considerably sizable tip.
15. A Few Sandwiches Short Of A Picnic
I once worked at a sandwich shop where customers wrote their orders and names on paper bags. After the sandwich was ready, we would call the customer's name for pick-up. The entire process usually took five minutes, giving them time to get drinks and find a seat.
However, some customers wouldn't follow this informal system. They'd order, go straight to the end of the prep line, and snatch up any ready sandwiches, completely ignoring whose name was on the bag. They'd sit down and start eating, only to realize that the sandwich wasn't what they ordered.
These sandwich-snatchers would then storm to the front of the line, complain loudly and demand a new one. This caused the folks whose sandwiches had been taken to also raise concerns.
All in all, we had to prepare a lot of extra sandwiches as a result of few customers who couldn't grasp the simple rule: If your name isn't on the bag, it's not your sandwich.
16. Trim The Fat
One gentleman finished his 14-ounce prime rib dinner, leaving only the fatty bits. But that's not the odd part—he neatly arranged all the discarded fat on his plate, and then asked me to weigh it, hoping for a partial refund proportional to the weight of the leftovers. Prime rib typically comes with a strip of fat in the center and is usually served with a bit more fat at the end.
Most people find the combination of fat and meat quite tasty. The discarded fat, alone, probably didn't weigh much. However, once the dinner guest had thoroughly picked through the dish, the stack of leftover fat looked surprisingly like a well-organized pile of organic waste.
17. Burrito Bust
I held a position as assistant manager at a burrito joint. When our town did its yearly festival, our place would be bursting at the seams. Although we only had seating for 30, we would easily have double that number lining up for food, often spilling out onto the street.
On one particularly hectic day, we resorted to shouting out names for orders, swiftly dishing out meals and politely reminding our clientele that we were breaching fire safety regulations. They were kindly asked to take their food to the festival tables set up outside. One customer wasn't happy with the wait time, so our cashier assured him we were doing our best to fulfill orders swiftly.
When he finally received his order, he demanded for an immediate remake. His justification? The food must be cold due to the long wait. Not wanting to disappoint any customer, we put his needs first and served his order with lightning speed. Next thing we knew, he was at our storefront window, relishing his food. I was genuinely irritated when he decided to make another trip to our cash register.
His new complaint? His burrito was not up to the mark. He couldn't or wouldn't explain what exactly was wrong—it was simply not satisfactory according to him. Seeing this, the owner darted out from the kitchen, yanked open the cash register, and pulled out a $20 bill.
The owner approached him, grabbed his half-eaten $7 burrito from his hands, shoved the $20 bill towards him, and asked him to leave. It was quite a spectacular sight. So, that's how I learned a crucial lesson. If you're a troublesome enough customer, my boss is prepared to open his wallet just to bid you goodbye.
18. An Adult Behaving Like A Child
I once dined with a wacky family friend who flat-out refused to eat anything that was served. We were at a rustic, homestyle restaurant where the rule was simple: you eat what's set before you. But our friend was adamant about having specially-made portions of the usual fare, cooked exactly to her preferences.
Next, she went into the kitchen to personally ensure they were following her exacting directives. With a touch of arrogance, she shared that she made them redo her veggies thrice. I, just a 12-year-old then, was celebrating my birthday and felt utterly embarrassed. At one point, I asked the waiter to show me around their kitchen.
I made up a story for my parents, saying that after she went in, I was curious to see their huge kitchen. What I genuinely did, though, was apologise to all the kitchen crew and wait staff for the behavior of our dinner companion.
19. Get Out Of My Hair!
Back in my younger days, I used to whip up meals at a popular Denny's restaurant—the hotspot in town. I was pretty easy to spot with my vibrant pink hair. There was this one day, during a brief lull before the post-bar crowd surged in, when my fellow chef went on break. It was just me holding down the fort.
Out of the blue, a waitress approached me. She explained that a customer claimed to have found a hair in her French toast. I took a gander at the plate: nearly everything was gone except for a couple bits of toast with a long black hair nestled in between. I promptly cooked up a fresh serving of French toast, bacon, and hash browns and personally delivered it to the culprit's table.
As I set the dish down, I couldn't resist a little payback. I calmly said, "Here's your fresh order. Might I take a moment to remind you that our server has a short blond haircut." Then, removing my hat and revealing my flashy pink locks, I added, "And my hair is pink. Notably, your own hair is long and black—remarkably similar to the stray hair on your plate. If you're looking for free meals, perhaps you should consider trying a soup kitchen next time."
I retreated to my cooking station, chuckling at the audacity. My evening shift manager and head manager, both notorious for their laid-back, pothead personalities, also found the whole situation pretty laugh-worthy.
20. Salad Swindlers
I once put together quite a sizable takeaway order for a family; it cost somewhere between $65 and $75. They didn't leave a tip, which was a bit of a downer, but hey, it was just takeaway. But then they show up after four days with just the salad left—likely the least costly item in their order—and started to grumble about it not being fresh. The salad seemed as though it had been kept on the dashboard of their car all this time.
The bartender, nice as pie but without the necessary tough streak to handle such scam attempts, called me out from the kitchen. They were demanding a complete refund and even handed me the receipt. But there was a big red flag—it seemed they had conveniently cropped out the time and date of their order.
So I cast a look over the receipt, and I couldn't help but question where the rest of the order had evaporated to if they were seeking a full refund. I didn't even wait for their reply before telling them that I remembered cooking their order myself four days back, and that they had even tried similar hoaxes previously. They denied this, of course, but I just suggested that they should consider dining elsewhere if they weren't fans of my food.
21. Hiding Out Hooligans
I was formerly employed at The Outback restaurant. A certain family used to visit often, and their antics were notoriously bad among the staff. On at least two previous occasions, they played this sly trick where they’d place their orders, eat up, then strategically retreat to the restroom just after their meal, making it appear as though they had left.
Then, they would demand a refund, claiming they hadn't finished their meal because they ALL coincidentally needed the restroom urgently at the same time. The first time I encountered this family, the other servers and the manager explained their sneaky routine to me, showing me their table, and insisting that I shouldn’t clear it until a manager gave express permission.
I was tasked with monitoring their table. I saw them eat, then stand up and vanish. As the minutes ticked by, I noticed the father and his son sneak out of the bathroom, only for the father to quickly usher the son back inside. They holed up in there for at least half an hour.
In the end, we didn’t clear their table as instructed, and the serving staff told me the father looked displeased while paying the bill that evening. After that incident, we never saw the conniving family again during my tenure there.
22. A Warm Send-Off
One evening, we had a group of four sat in our restaurant, declaring they were a difficult bunch to satisfy. One of the customers, quite particular with her demands, asked for a room-temperature salad composed of assorted greens, avocado, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a blend of Tabasco sauce and olive oil.
It was an unusual order, but I proceeded anyway. I had the guy in charge of the pantry fetch the leafy greens from the fridge to let them sit out. I put together the Tabasco dressing, selected the finest avocado we had, and assembled the salad.
Our food runner swiftly scooped it up, placed it on his serving tray, and off he went. Shortly after, a complaint resonated from the seated area. Our server returned with the almost untouched salad dish.
Apparently, the serving was still too chilled according to the customer, who had suggested we "pop it in the microwave for a minute to let it soften." I verified with the server, just to make sure that was indeed what the customer had asked for. She, maintaining a serious expression, nodded in affirmation.
I tossed the salad dish into the heavy-duty microwave and fired it up for a quick 10-second burst. When I retrieved it, the dish was practically dissolving right before my eyes. Wasting no time, I got it onto the tray and the server rushed it back to the customer.
The server returned a couple of minutes later to tell me, "She claimed it's the best salad she's ever tasted and wishes we'd include it in our menu." Once my shift was over, I headed home and, out of disbelief, drank until I could barely remember the situation.
23. A Journey For Some General Tso’s
I used to deliver Chinese food and one wild evening, I catered to a couple of fellows who appeared to be hallucinating. The one who opened the door had incredibly dilated pupils, while his companion had constructed a makeshift fortress out of what seemed like pillows and trash bags. The delivery went pretty smooth to go, though.
I kept my cool so as not to alarm them. However, they phoned in later with a complaint. My boss, whose understanding of English was limited, engaged in a heated telephone argument with them. They insisted their food was subpar and demanded a refund, and my boss agreed to refund, provided the food was returned.
So, I reluctantly headed back to their place, wishing I'd brought some safety equipment for my delivery job in such a rough neighborhood. On reaching, Mr Dilated Pupil was less cordial. He questioned, "What's going on, dude, is this some kind of wicked prank?"
Brushing it off with a laugh, I informed him, "No, dude, they truly need the food returned". His irritation, though, wasn't due to this. He referred to his fortune cookie and presented me with the paper inside, which had a message so insignificant that I barely recall it now.
I tried to pacify him saying, "That's just some Buddhist thought, encouraging one to see things differently, right?" I was mistaken, apparently. He was convinced it was a Chinese threat and that his food was poisoned. He stubbornly insisted on holding onto his partially devoured General Tso's chicken for reporting it to the FDA.
I wasn't keen on taking back the eaten food, but my boss was generous and always accommodated my university timings. So, I assured him he could report it and said that I needed to inform my boss that I was unable to recover the food. I stepped out and he abruptly shut the door.
My boss advised me not to fuss over it and I ought to have just left. But as they were hallucinating, I felt an urge to reassure them. On knocking again, the door opened and he subsequently splashed his General Tso's chicken all over me. I stood there in shock, exchanging glances with this rude fellow. He finally muttered, "Enjoy your illness, traitor," and slammed the door shut.
24. His Theory Went Up In Flames
At our eatery, we only served a plain Margherita pizza. One customer requested a meat lovers/combo pizza with white sauce, something we didn't normally offer. So, I whipped up some reduced Alfredo sauce to accommodate his order. This took about 15–20 minutes to prepare. Unfortunately, the customer sent the pizza back because he found the base too brown for his liking.
That was annoying enough—but his reasoning was what really ticked me off. He claimed I had baked it too near to the flames, resulting in a more charred flavor than he preferred. The problem with his argument was that we only used a triple-deck conventional oven, where there are no visible flames.
25. What A Piece Of Trash
Back in high school, I had a job at a family-run Tex-Mex restaurant in Cincinnati, serving delicious, affordable meals. Let me tell you, I had some interesting experiences there.
One hot summer day, a customer placed a carry-out order for a taco salad—classic fare for us. The salad had all the usual ingredients: a bed of lettuce, meat, onions, beans, tomatoes, dressing, and cheese. You could customize it with extra toppings if you wanted. It was a perfectly ordinary order at the start of my shift.
However, toward the end of the shift, I was taken aback by a complaint. Puzzled, since I didn't recall any missteps, I listened as the manager invited the customer back in. We'd review his issue, and if we had indeed made a mistake, we promised to refund his money.
Upon arrival, the man presented a taco salad that had been stewing in his car for nearly four hours—the time-stamped receipt attested to that. Predictably, the lettuce was wilted, the cheese had melted, and the container was swampy—a clear consequence of leaving it in a heated car for so long.
Despite his own carelessness, he wanted a refund and a fresh, replacement salad on the house. We disagreed, asserting that if he'd eaten it within an hour or so like most take-out food, it would have been perfectly good. He responded with quite the tantrum.
Eventually, he reluctantly agreed we weren't going to provide free food. With his spoiled salad in hand, he strode towards the exit, loudly announcing to the entire dining room, "Trash can’s full". With that, he flung open his salad container, let it splatter all over the floor, and stormed out, arguably considering that his payback.
Freepik, jcomp
26. Time To Make The Pizzas
When my elder brother was still in high school, he worked at a Domino's outlet. I was around 12-13 years old then, staying put at his workplace, waiting for him to drop me home. This one time, a woman stormed in, complaining about the delay in her pizza order that she had placed about half an hour ago, when, in reality, only 20 minutes had passed.
Upon reaching, she lost her cool as her pizzas were not ready and only about half of them were done. She started creating a scene, yelling and swearing, "Where are my pizzas? I've been waiting for twenty minutes!"
Immediately, the manager stepped in, tendered an apology, and requested her to show some patience. He also explained that baking 20 pizzas certainly needs more than 20 minutes. However, the woman was pretty heated, so to pacify her and to manage the situation, the manager handed her a pair of medium pizzas that were initially meant for other customers who'd just placed their orders.
Gratefully accepting the discounted pizzas, she left. Subsequently, when the customer who had originally ordered those pizzas arrived, the manager apologized for the inconvenience, stating that they had a heavy order prior to his arrival. The man completely understood the situation and comfortingly said, "Oh, that's no problem man. You guys take your time". The variety in human behavior is truly incredible.
27. Too Hot To Handle
Back when I was working in a pizza joint that was popular around lunchtime for its single slices, it was always bustling. I had just sliced up a fresh pizza and placed it in our heated display at the front. Before long, a man walked in, asked for a slice, and then requested it be reheated. I assured him that the pizza was fresh out of the oven and still quite hot.
His response? "That's what they always say". He clearly didn't trust me, perhaps suspecting that I was just trying to get out of doing the extra work. So, I put the already searing-hot piece of pizza back in the oven to reheat. Once the typical one minute reheat time was up, I served it back to him. Wouldn't you know it, five minutes later, our service bell was going crazy.
The man told me, "I've been sitting here for five minutes, and the pizza is still dangerously hot. I demand a refund!"
28. A Little Bit Of Heat Went A Long Way
I once worked as a cook at a tennis club for some extra money. During that time, I dealt with the same customer on two separate occasions.
On her first visit, she claimed her bacon was "too salty", so I simply reheated the same bacon and gave it back to her. Suddenly, it was "much better". It was so annoying to deal with her—but her second visit was even worse.
She returned the following weekend and complained that her fruit crepes were "too sweet". So, I warmed them up once more and served her again. This time, she commented that it was "perfect".
29. She Fried My Nerves
After Sunday service, a lady placed an order for fries for herself and her friend. I promptly served the fries, and she complained, "Oh, these fries are just too chilly. Can we get a new batch?" So, I headed back to the kitchen, took charge, and made the fries. I kept them in the fryer a bit longer than usual to ensure they were piping hot, then swiftly brought them out while they were still sizzling.
She examined them, lightly touching one fry, and declared, "Oh, these are frozen solid." At that point, I had to call in the manager to handle the situation.
Flickr, Marco Verch Professional Photographer
30. Sundae Funday
When I was younger, I used to run shifts at a Hӓagen-Dazs store located on one of the busiest streets in town. In the summer and during peak tourist season, we were always bustling with customers lined out the door, which meant we weren't overly concerned about repeat clientele.
One day, a gentleman walked in and asked for a very complex banana split with four scoops and smothered in toppings. As requested, I created what I can only describe as the ultimate banana split—with whipped cream towers dusted with sprinkles, generously doused in hot fudge and caramel.
It was loaded with Oreo crumbles, brownie bits, and chunks of Heath bar—it was truly a masterpiece! Yet when it was time to pay, the customer balked at the near $15 price tag, despite our clearly displayed pricing.
I tried reason, pointing out our posted costs and explaining that I wasn't at liberty to offer more than a modest 10% discount. However, he flat-out refused to pay.
So, right in the middle of a sweltering summer's day, in front of a packed shop full of gawking tourists and their families, I decided to take a stand. Holding aloft this glorious concoction, I announced it was now up for grabs for a mere three dollars.
As you can imagine, a nearby customer instantly snatched it up, delighting his family with the unexpected treat. The initial customer was furious. I explained that he had a sundae built to HIS specifications, whereas I sold it as a pre-made dessert, which may not have been to the liking of the second customer.
At the end of the day, the minimal cost to the business was entirely worth the satisfaction of seeing the priceless expression of surprise on that difficult customer's face.
31. Picture-Perfect Pizza
This one customer returned his pizza because it didn't resemble the photo of a pizza on his phone. The image didn't match any dishes that are served in our restaurant.
He brought it to the kitchen himself, claiming it was overcooked—though in our view, it was slightly undercooked—and showed us the image on his phone. We did our best to recreate the pizza according to his wishes, but honestly, if he hadn't been so rude, we would have been more open to fulfilling his request.
32. Three Strikes And She Was Out
I used to frequent this local Mexican restaurant, and I decided it would be the perfect spot for a first date with a girl who'd told me she loved Mexican food. I figured, "Great! I know the staff and they'll make us feel right at home. What could possibly go wrong?" Well, those sure backfired.
Over a couple of rounds of drinks, she meticulously scrutinized the menu, asking either me or the waitress about different dishes. She finally picked enchiladas. But after a few bites, she made a rude declaration: "Yuck, this is not what I wanted."
She sent the dish back and ordered a chicken burrito instead, only to have the same response. As she picked up the menu again, I slowly shifted from finding her indecisiveness endearing to being shocked that she was actually going for a third dish!
Eventually, she settled on tacos, then promptly declared that Taco Bell was superior, and began badmouthing the restaurant and staff, which I found quite disrespectful. They'd genuinely worked hard to accommodate her demands. The evening concluded with her complaining about being charged for the two dishes she barely touched.
She snatched up the bill, brandished a coupon, and insisted, "You should use this!" But I stood my ground—I rejected the coupon, and left a substantial $20 tip on the $60 bill. I felt that our server deserved something extra for dealing with everything that night.
My date accused me of being 'passive-aggressive,' implying I was taking the restaurant's side and leaving her high and dry. I simply let the accusation pass. The drive back to her place was the most silent one I've ever experienced.
33. Burger Beast
A woman once ordered a quarter-pound burger but instead got a half-pound one. She got it after about two minutes but came back right away, upset that she had waited longer than five minutes for an incorrect order.
When I inquired about her order and what she had received, she clarified that she got a half-pound burger and couldn't take the extra calories. She relentlessly aired her grievances, not giving me a chance to talk. So, I left her there, still upset, and summoned my manager for help.
My manager succeeded in soothing her enough to take the extra-loaded burger from her and gave it to the cook. He simply took off the extra patty and served it back to her. She wasn't too happy about it, hurriedly ate it, left her trash all over the table before she dashed out.
As she left, she shouted about never returning and promised to inform everyone about our "terrible service". Ironically, she showed up the following day with her family and friends, and couldn't stop singing praises about our service and food while she queued for her order.
34. The Color Of Meat
I used to serve customers at a Food Lion grocery store. One day, a lady walked in holding a packet of 80/20 ground beef her husband had purchased two days earlier. She appeared unhappy with her purchase. Upon inquiring about the nature of her complaint, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the meat. She believed that the meat had gone "bad." When I probed if the meat was rotten or had any other issue, she mentioned that the beef was pink.
That's the day I ended up getting a formal reprimand for uncontrollably laughing in front of a customer.
35. Know Your Onions
Somebody returned a sandwich to me because they found a green onion in it. We didn't even have green onions in our kitchen. In fact, we've never stocked them, so her claim stumped me. After inspecting the sandwich, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Turns out, what she referred to as a green onion was a tiny, practically invisible sliver of spinach stem. She'd specifically requested her spinach to be chopped instead of being laid whole in the sandwich like most people prefer. To add salt to the wound, she only realized this after finishing nearly three-quarters of the sandwich.
36. She Tried To Out Pizza The Hut
There was a time when I was employed at Pizza Hut. I recall a customer coming in and requesting a Meat Lover's pizza, but without any meat. In the circumstances, this would simply mean she wanted a pizza with only cheese and sauce. There was a catch, though—it would be more expensive. We prepared it and handed it over saying, "Here is your cheese pizza, ma'am".
But she objected, "I didn't ask for a cheese pizza! I wanted a Meat Lover's pizza!" She repeated this statement several times.
Freepik, ASphotofamily
37. Say Cheese, Please!
I used to be part of a team at a pretty fancy restaurant. Once, a young girl asked me about our cheese platter offerings. I brought the cheese cart over to her table showcasing a beautiful glass-covered cheese board. I showed her all the unique cheese types we had, explaining each of their distinct flavors.
She decided to pick the variety plate, and I carved several slices from different cheeses right in front of her before continuing my round. But soon after, another waiter informed me she'd sent the plate back to the kitchen, saying she was "tired of just cheese".
This "young girl" was a charming 11-year-old full of grace and politeness, a trait not seen in many people I had encountered. Striving to emulate her parents and their adult friends, she even had me serve her grape juice in a wine glass.
Knowing well there's no wastage when it came to a cheese plate, I dashed back to the kitchen and found the returned dish set aside for the staff to enjoy post-shift. I then went on a food hunt in the kitchen, gathering fruits, berries, jellies, chocolate, crackers, and anything that children typically enjoy. I put together a whole new cheese platter and the little girl absolutely loved it.
She was initially worried she might get in trouble for not eating her previous order. But when I cleared the table later, not a single crumb was left.
38. She Got A Raw Deal
I used to work in the seafood section of Central Market, a high-end grocery store similar to the likes of Whole Foods, located in a posh suburban neighborhood. Due to the store's 'customer is always right' policy, most of the customers had grown quite demanding.
One day, a middle-aged woman with a flashy exterior and driving a fancy SUV came to my section. She was dressed in startling pink tennis attire. She bought two pounds of the naturally vibrant Key West pink shrimp, caught wild in Florida, which cost a hefty $17.99 per pound.
This variety of shrimp often confuses customers as they bear a bright pinkish-orange color like cooked shrimp, although they're raw. They're sold with shells intact, needing peeling and deveining before cooking. The raw shrimp section of the market is also placed far away from the cooked shrimp section in order to avoid confusion. Yet, this lady surprised me with what unfolded next.
Four hours later, she returned only the shrimp tails, complaining about the taste. They later called to report that the entire family had fallen sick after eating the shrimp. The reason was that they found the shrimp texture unsatisfactory and the taste uncooked. They had consumed all two pounds of the shrimp raw. As they explained this over the phone, I couldn't help but chuckle at their innocent ignorance.
39. Regular Pain In The Necks
My mother runs a restaurant. There's this family—four adults and three kids—that would come by twice weekly for dinner. Each visit, they found something wrong with their meals.
They would voice their issues, and my mom, to keep the peace, would give them a discounted bill. One day, when mom was away, I was the one managing things. They asked for three lemons, sliced into wedges, for their soup.
Usually, we wouldn't bill for extra lemon slices. But this time, they were really testing my patience, continually grumbling about the food being cold, among other issues. So, I decided to charge them $.75 for the lemons. To put it into perspective, we usually get three lemons for a dollar. But suddenly, they were upset, accusing me of overpricing, and even demanded a meal on the house.
I told them, "Every week you're here, ordering the same meals, finding every little fault, and your kids are running around like we're a playground. I'm done tolerating it. If you decide to walk out without paying, I'll have no choice but to call the cops".
They retorted that they were acquainted with the restaurant's owner and threatened that I would lose my job. I replied, "Sure, let's call her now. She's my mom". They quickly quieted down, paid their bill, and left. The following week they returned, much nicer and with no complaints about the food. Yes, my mom did scold me, but standing up to them was worth it.
40. Kosher Crackpot
In my time working at a diner, a customer once ordered a cheeseburger cooked medium-rare, without any additional directions. After the burger was served, they began to fuss about the presence of cheese and the violation of kosher regulations that forbid combining meat and dairy.
I clarified that our cheeseburger, as the name suggests, comes with cheese. If they had desired a cheese-free option, they should've requested a hamburger, which I proposed as an alternative. I confirmed with the upset customer, "So, am I correct in understanding that you ordered the cheeseburger, not the hamburger?"
"Yes," was their immediate response, "Is a kosher cheeseburger so difficult to come by? This is blatant religious prejudice! I'll be reporting this to the Anti-Defamation League and let them know about your behaviour! I insist on speaking with the manager!" Just as I was about to summon the manager to handle this, a mature gentleman from the adjacent booth stood up. He ended up saving the day.
He walked over and addressed the lady, "Madam, I have witnessed considerable anti-Semitism in my lifetime. Born and raised a Jew in Poland, enduring Auschwitz, and witnessing countless lives lost, I state that it's you, not this man, tarnishing the reputation of Jews."
The lady blushed a deep shade of crimson, dropped a $20 bill on the table, and exited the diner, even before the manager could intervene.
41. She Wanted Her Proper Piece Of The Pie
Once, a customer of mine waved me down to express her dissatisfaction with the sugar pie I'd served her. She said it didn't look like the picture in our dessert menu, claiming false advertising. I asked her to explain what was amiss with her pie slice.
She took the menu and started counting the small designs on the pie in the photo. There were 13 in total. On her slice, however, there were only 12. She suggested that I had intentionally served her a smaller slice. But the reality was, all our desserts arrived in the restaurant already sliced.
42. Bleu For You
When I worked as a server, I once had a customer order his steak "bleu". After serving the steak, the guy flagged me down about three minutes in, declaring the steak wasn't rare enough. To clarify, "bleu" signifies a steak so lightly cooked that it's still cold inside. If it were any less cooked, it'd be totally raw.
43. A Tricky Tuna Situation
So, a customer once returned a tuna steak, claiming it was deep-fried. It was, in fact, grilled to perfection, just as tuna typically looks—we don't even fry tuna at our place. Still, she demanded a replacement.
Deemed the first tuna steak surreptitiously deep-fried—despite its clear appearance and the menu description specifying it as grilled—she accused us of cooking up some strange plot. Accord to her, we decided the best course of action was to fry yet another perfectly good tuna steak to somehow pull the wool over her eyes.
44. Hold The Bacon, Please!
Back in my restaurant days, a customer once requested a "bacon chicken ranch quesadilla." After delivering his order, I left him to savor his food. However, moments later, he pulls my attention. He peels back a piece of the quesadilla, revealing the bacon and says, "There's bacon in here."
I responded, saying, "Absolutely, because you asked for the bacon chicken ranch quesadilla." He then expresses, "Oh, I see, but I can't eat bacon." In turn, I proposed, "Would you prefer a different dish then? Maybe choose an option that doesn't explicitly state 'bacon' in its name?"
45. Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Once, while I was working at a bakery, we had a situation involving a piece of chocolate bark. The customer had purchased it one day and brought it back the next, asking for a replacement.
After buying it, they stored it in their refrigerator overnight. When they examined it the next day, they noticed some lighter patches near the thinner sections of the chocolate. These were simply minor fat blooms—a phenomenon in which fat crystals react to a cool, damp atmosphere, like in this case, their fridge. The customer mistook these for mold.
Even though I clarified that these were fat blooms and assured them the chocolate was still perfectly good to eat, they insisted on getting a new piece. I guess they wanted double the chocolate at a single price all because of a misunderstanding.
46. Sushi Psycho
A customer once griped that the rice from our Nigiri sushi disintegrates after they soak it in an array of soy sauce blends intended to cover up the flavor of the fish. They hoped for their sushi rice to be served in perfect form, just like the ones at the familiar sushi conveyor belt restaurant, and wanted it chilled.
This incident occurred at an esteemed sushi joint that spares no expense when it comes to sourcing ingredients—one where the fish is flown in overnight via FedEx, and diners don't mind splurging for high-quality seafood.
47. On The Edge
When I was younger, my family ran a few pizza restaurants. I wasn't there much since I was quite young, but my elder sisters used to work at the largest one, serving and taking orders.
One of her stories goes, there was an evening when an elegantly dressed man, the father of a big family who'd ordered a bunch of large pizzas, refused to pay because the toppings hadn't extended to the "edge" of the pizza. His family had devoured the entire pizza, save for the crust. My sister stood her ground, refusing to refund his money, which caused him to make an enormous fuss until she was in tears. He was causing a commotion, insisting on talking to the owner, who happened to be our dad.
When Dad arrived, he found my sister in tears and learned about what had happened from one of the cooks. He stayed silent. In response, he ended up knocking the man's head through the wall and right into the next store. The customers needed to be evacuated on a stretcher. Both the employees and a few customers covered for my dad when the authorities showed up, stating that the customer had tried to hit my sister so that my dad wouldn't get arrested. Dad was not typically a violent person, but he knew how to hold his own when necessary.
48. She Didn’t Know Jack About Cocktails
I used to mix drinks as a bartender. On one occasion, a lady returned a Jack and Coke she had ordered, expressing her dislike for it. I queried what her original order was and she responded, "Jack and Coke". In the gentlest way, I advised her that we won't provide a refund or replacement, and she should consider ordering a drink she'll enjoy next time. I didn't expect her next move.
Nevertheless, she kept returning to the bar, intentionally addressing different bartenders each time, attempting to swap her drink. Each one of my colleagues gave her a bewildered look and declined her request.
49. They Were Allergic To Paying
Someone asked for half of their meal's ingredients, which they claimed they were allergic to, to be swapped out. After tasting the revised dish, they didn't like it. We were instructed to serve them a new dish entirely free of charge—one that didn't contain any of the foods they claimed to be allergic to.
They happily enjoyed the dish until they realized that their "issue" wasn't going to translate into free meals for their whole group. Suddenly, the meal was deemed undercooked, though about 75% of it was already eaten.
My boss may be a tough cookie, but he upheld fairness that night. He was quick to notify them that they wouldn't be getting another free meal and they still had to foot the bill for the other four dishes. To make sure they didn't sneak out, the kitchen crew and I had to position ourselves between their table and the exit, wearing stern faces.
50. Environmentally Unfriendly
I used to earn a living as a barista. One day, a customer insisted that we remake her order for what seemed like an unreasonable reason. This specific blend of coffee required us to use the pour-over method. We would typically utilize plastic utensils, measurements cups, filters and so forth.
As she watched us preparing her drink, she started to panic, accusing us of "poisoning" her. She vehemently exclaimed, "Hold on! You can't use plastic equipment! It's lethal to me!" We were quite taken aback, as such an outburst was unprecedented.
In response to our concern, she claimed that our plastic tools probably contained BPA and other harmful components. Drinking this coffee, according to her, could prove fatal. We then had to improvise, creatively using alternative stainless steel instruments to satisfy her coffee demands.
Despite the extra mile we went to appease her fears, she never extended her gratitude. Instead, she maintained a skeptical gaze and gave us contemptuous looks throughout our endeavour.
.Sources: Reddit, .
