Waiter Receives An Unexpected Reaction From Customers After He Informs Them That Another Table Offered To Pay For Their Meal
No good deed goes unpunished, as one waiter learned.
Stratford Productions / Rommel Canlas / Shutterstock After a group of customers offered to make a kind gesture for some fellow diners, a waiter was left perplexed by their harsh reaction.
The incident left him wondering if he should have just kept quiet and not allowed the privilege of someone else’s kindness to be extended to them.
After noticing that one of their fellow diners was a Veteran, a group of customers informed the waiter that they wanted to pay for a portion of their bill.
The waiter took to the subreddit, r/TalesFromYourServer, to share what should have been a heartwarming story that demonstrates the kindness of strangers. Instead, it depicted how cruel people can be sometimes, despite the courteous actions others have taken the time to extend to them.
The waiter began his post by revealing that one day during his shift, a couple entered the restaurant and seated themselves in his section. Although they did not see the restaurant host for seating, he decided to accommodate them anyway, noting that one of the customers was a visibly disabled veteran.
Photo: ThomasPhoto / Shutterstock
“I have a very soft spot for the military so bending the rules a bit is the least I could do,” he wrote. “I get their orders and get them situated the best I could as I had nearly a full section.”
While another one of the waiter’s tables was paying for their meal, they handed him extra cash to cover some of the Veteran and his wife’s bill to thank him for his service. “I figure, ‘what a very kind thing to do,’” the waiter shared.
Once the couple had finished their meal, the waiter dropped off their check and informed them that another customer had graciously put cash toward a portion of their tab, as he “profusely” thanked the man for his service.
While the waiter expected the couple to be grateful for the kind gesture, they had the complete opposite reaction.
The couple demanded that the money be applied a different way to their bill.
The woman inquired about the waiter's “method” of applying the cash to their check. “I simply inform them that I rang in their drinks and food and, prior to printing and handing them their check, applying the cash payment,” the waiter reported.
“This did not sit well with the lady, who promptly went all, ‘I know a better method’ and went on to propose her own method that I really didn't have 10 minutes to listen to as I had my other tables to attend to, and honestly everything she was saying was going in one ear and out the other and nothing was really making sense.”
The woman asked to speak with the restaurant manager, who dropped by the table while the waiter took care of his other parties. “After he gets done talking to them, he comes to me with the most worn down expression on his face and dumbs down what they said for me,” the waiter wrote.
“Basically, her ‘method’ involved taking the cash off of the subtotal, and manipulating the sales tax calculated after.” However, this method is illegal for restaurant staff to perform.
Although the manager explained this to the customers and informed them that the waiter had applied the extra cash correctly, they clearly disagreed and paid for their meal without leaving him a tip.
Photo: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock
The couple’s obnoxious charades did not end there. “As I go to get my new table's drinks, they get up to leave as she spews a bunch of nonsense about how she felt very disrespected by my manager and how she can't believe people like me and him work here,” the waiter wrote.
He simply told them to have a nice day and did not react to the woman’s criticism. However, as they were leaving the restaurant, she decided to antagonize the waiter one final time, which he claims resulted in him “losing his cool.”
“As I bring the new table's drinks and go on to take her order, I receive a nice aggressive tap on the shoulder, to which I promptly lose my cool and tell her not to touch me, in a not-so-kind manner,” he revealed. “I feel bad for cursing in front of my tables and I have pretty thick skin when it comes to dealing with rude customers but touching me in any way, especially like she just did, will always cross the line.”
The woman requested information about the managers and corporate so that she could make a report. After the waiter gave the information to her, she and her husband finally left.
After the incident, the waiter admitted that he would have pocketed the cash for himself had he known the couple would react incredibly rudely and ungrateful. “I suppose it's what I get for being in on a nice gesture,” he added.
People were disappointed by the couple’s reaction to what was supposed to be a kind gesture.
“I'm not a server but have plenty of experience dealing with a–holes. It's more annoying than anything, but when they actually manage to get under your skin and ruin your day, that's the worst,” one user commented.
“There was zero reason for that behavior, and making physical contact is completely out of line,” another user pointed out.
“Your intentions were good. Let this be a lesson for the next time a veteran seats themselves,” another added.
Others noted that, unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished.
It costs nothing extra to be kind and to show appreciation for any kindness that is directed your way. Instead of making a fuss over how an act of graciousness could have been interpreted, the couple could have made the waiter’s night by expressing gratitude for a stranger’s willingness to help them.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.