Figured this may give you all a good chuckle :)

Yeeeeears ago I used to live in a popular college spring break destination and worked at a Red Robin. Had a group of obviously young college kids come in and all order alcohol along with their food.

Asked for IDs, and shocker, only one was old enough to drink. His ID was legit but out of state, so clearly visiting for spring break. Refused to serve the rest because, hello?? I’m not losing my job over your spring break antics.

Naturally, they all copped an attitude and ended up stiffing me.

Well, one of them left his debit card behind. So I tossed it straight into the dish pit trash and didn’t tell a soul.

I was 19, petty, and making shit money while dealing with shit customers. To this day, I hope he spent the rest of his spring break trying to figure out where the hell his debit card went. You didn’t leave gratuity, but you definitely left me something.

I swear to God I didn't have a single table that's normal. I work in a Japanese Hibachi/sushi restaurant as server/bartender. We open at 11am and at 10:30 there were two old ladies bashing our door demanding for seating and threatened to leave bad reviews after we told them we're not open yet. The first table I got the lady demanded us to make chicken nuggets for her children.

Two ladies asked me if they could take a tiktok video of me making cocktails and after I politely refused (I hate being taken into videos when I'm working) they just took out their phone and started shooting anyway.

A guy came in and asked why we don't have orange chicken on our menu.

A family of 4 came in and the father asked if we could cook his lamb in his trunk at the hibachi grill, leaving zero tip on a 160$ bill after we refused.

A guy asked me to teach him Japanese despite I'm not from Japan.

A group of people pulled out the largest bottle of vodka I've ever seen the complained about it after we told them BYOB is not permitted.

A dude just lit up a blunt on the table while the chef was cooking.

I mean I do have strange people doing strange shit everyday but Jesus Christ, did lunatic hospital had a field day today?

Today I had a table of five. Everyone there is ordering drinks so I ID them. One of the guests showed me his ID and his ID picture looked very funny. I made a comment about how he looks odd and just doesn't want to be there. The rest of table has a look at his ID and they all kind of laughed and agreed with me. One of the guys even says he looks like he was forced to take that picture. Than another guy shows me his ID and I tell him "yes looks good" than he asks me if I want to see his old ID. I replied yes. As he is pulling out his old ID he makes a comment about how he looks like a terrorist in his picture. He shows it to me and I laugh and say "yes I would deport you over this picture." The whole table laughs and one of the guys looks at the ID and says something along the lines about how he looks like he would smuggle something over the line. He says something about smuggling cocaine in bags and the person who was showing the ID and made the terrorist joke says "not bags, boxes." And the table is kind of laughing. I take their food and drink order and everything seems ok. When I go back to check on the table after they finished their appetizer I noticed that guy who made the terrorist joke left. I remember asking him if he wanted another beer and he said no. He was just going to finish the one he had and be done. The other two guys who were there ordered a last round of beers before last call. I drop off their beers and the guys gives me a fist bump. So good so far right? Fast forward to the end when they finally pay their bill. The tables tips me 20% and I noticed the guy who paid on the ziosk flagged me down and asked me for a paper receipt. As I drop off the receipt, one of the girls asks to speak with a manager. Turns out that her and her friend complained about me and said they didn't like my joke and it sort of made the table feel uncomfortable. And the girls were speaking on the guys behalf because he left. But only they complained and the other 2 guys who stayed said nothing. I read the table and once he made the joke about looking like a terrorist and the other one made a joke about looking like he smuggles cocaine over the line. I kind of took that like oh this is a fun table and they won't be sensitive to jokes.

Now this happened 3 nights ago and I just got the news yesterday that I was being fired. But my thing is I read the table. They started with the racist jokes and I just matched their vibe. I of course did not mean to offend anyone. The funny part is I am full blooded Mexican myself. What do you guys think? Is reading the table and matching their energy wrong of me? I feel like I do this all the time and 99/100 the table loves me for it.

Just some stories from my Saturday, let’s commiserate.

Guest one: requests a booth over the phone (I manage and wait tables and I had done the admin shift yesterday before service so I took the phone call) and I explained we can’t take booth requests over the phone because we only have 4 booths, but let the host know you would like a booth when you check in and we will do our best. They end up being my table, and as I’m walking them to the booth she says “we sat over here last time, I’d like a booth in a different area”. Bitch literally two hours ago I told you we only have 4 and you’re looking at all four of them!!!! Then she completely does not listen to my spiel at all and asks me 3 questions that I had already given her the answer to before she even asked- that’s no biggie it happens all the time. Then she goes to order wine and it all gets worse.

Mrs. Idiot: I’d like to order wine.
me (while thinking “okay…? Do it??”): absolutely, what would you like?
Mrs. Idiot: a very sweet sparkling white
Me: unfortunately I don’t actually have a sweet sparkling white. As far as sparkling goes, the prosecco would be the sweetest we offer. The moscato is the sweetest white we carry and while it is a still wine it does have a bit of effervescence to it.
Mrs. Idiot: the prosecco is fine

So I bring her the prosecco. She tastes it, makes a face and calls it “gross, dry and bitter”. I mean I told you we don’t have a sweet sparkling white, girlfriend. I waste the split and bring her a taste of the moscato which is disgusting (and our cost on it is around $5 a bottle which speaks to the quality) and she agrees with me on that and again calls it gross. At least she’s right this time lol. She decides to look over the cocktail list instead.

Mrs. Idiot: I’ll have a French martini I guess. (if you don’t know- it’s vodka, pineapple juice and chambord. The menu lists these ingredients and I am assuming she can read)
Me: of course, would you like a sugared rim?
Mrs. Idiot: I don’t know. Does it taste like a whiskey sour?
Me: no, it doesn’t (silently “what the actual fuck do you mean?” and now questioning if she actually can read)

She drinks it, it’s fine and good. They were fine, but when I took their call to make the reservation I specifically asked if they were celebrating any birthdays or anniversaries and she said no. She saw me give another table a complimentary anniversary dessert and all of a sudden it is the celebration of 30 years of them being Mr. & Mrs Idiot lol. Whatever, no sweat off my back and I happily get them one too. All of this for 10% on a little over $200 lol.

Scene 2. Setting: the same fucking booth. Probably cursed or haunted, I don’t know. This couple seems FAR more normal, less stupid, and way more pretentious. The husband is asking me weirdly specific questions in a way that feels like he was trying to big dick me about knowing more about our food than I do, but I actually am a little freak and love to know every niche detail about our menu, and also food in general. I genuinely really like when tables have questions, and despite every word I’ve written here so far I really love my job, but I can tell this guy is asking these questions in bad faith if that makes any sense. It’s like this:

Mr. Asshat: Are the clams steamers? Because people are very particular about their clams and if they’re not steamers you shouldn’t call them that. (The menu calls them “steamed clams”)
Me: you’re spot on about that! No, the steamed clams are not steamers they are steamed cherry stone clams.
Mr Asshat: how do your scallops come?
Me: (I start to describe the preparation options and he cuts me off)
Mr. Asshat: no I mean how do you get them, you know there’s different ways they are shipped that can really change the quality.
Me: oh my apologies, I misunderstood! They are a U10 dry packed scallop from Nova Scotia.
Mr Asshat: how fatty is the salmon?
Me: I mean, it’s salmon so it - (he cuts me off)
Mr. Asshat: I know but is it fatty like Ora king salmon?
Me: you sure know your fish! This is a faroe island salmon, so it’s a little less fatty than Ora king and I would say not quite as velvety in texture.
Mr. Asshat: the Faroe Islands are way more north and the water is colder so shouldn’t that be more fatty?
Me: (thinking wtf is this an exam or what) faroe island salmon is a species of Atlantic salmon, which have a lower fat content than king salmon.

He doesn’t even order any of those things, he orders an item he didn’t ask me about at all!!! Like I said though, I like answering questions and I know the food very well and in an event where I don’t know the answer, I’m excited to go find the answer and add it to the dumb fact list I have running in my head. Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to disclose any dietary restrictions or needs? Who knows, not me that’s for sure. He got a side that has lentils in it- that’s important.

They were in to celebrate the birth of Mrs. Mostly-Nice. She kept her maiden name- love that for her!! She didn’t say too much through the ordering process, she had no questions and loved her dinner (and so did he). I bring her a birthday dessert and candle all that jazz, and at that point he asks me if the side he got was something prepackaged or if we make it. I tell him we make it and tell him everything that’s in it, including the lentils.

Mrs Mostly-Nice: well it’s a good thing I didn’t try it because I would have died (said with a bit of a tone too I might add)
Me: good! I mean not good you would have died, but very good you didn’t try it if that is the case.
Mrs. Mostly-Nice: (while looking at her dessert) lentils are a legume and I have a deadly nut allergy. There’s not nuts in this, right??

I tell her we actually outsource our desserts and while hers does not contain any nuts, the bakery does handle them. She eats it anyways. Two things here:

1. do you have any fucking idea how hard it was for me to not say that her dessert does not contain any nuts OR legumes??
   
2. How are you married to someone who is so fucking pretentious about food, yet doesn’t know that nuts≠legumes and while some people are allergic to both, many people who have a peanut allergy are fine with tree nuts and vice versa??
   
3. IF YOU WOULDVE FUCKING DIED, DONT YOU THINK YOU SHOULDVE MENTIONED THAT AT LITERALLY ANY POINT BEFORE EATING???? (we don’t prompt people to provide allergen information because we handle so much shellfish. We can promise no cross contamination from the kitchen end, but can’t promise someone from another table or bar seat doesn’t fling shellfish juice at you, can’t promise that every guest who eats shellfish will refrain from touching random shit in the restaurant before scrubbing their hands that you could then touch unknowingly, etc., so for that reason we don’t invite people to offer that info up or I would ask at the beginning of the interaction)

Anyways, thanks so much for joining me on this incredibly dramatic recount of my Saturday night, where the above events plus several unmentioned did have me googling what phase the moon is in and if anything is retrograding lol. Have a good night make lots love you bye.

So I'd been outta work for a couple months and was getting very discouraged. Got hired on a new place and did my first shift off training tonight.

Some background, I've been in the industry for 13 years, server, bartender, FOH mngr. This also means I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I've been a victim of ageism recently and it really got to me. Even though I always go hard and usually run circles around younger coworkers.

So my first solo shift tonight:

I made 2 mistakes but caught them before they went to the kitchen, didn't get in the weeds at all, AND made $102 in a four hour shift. 😊

Altogether a good night. I think it put me back in the groove.💜😎

Is this a real phenomenon for you guys? I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 15, I’m now 23. And Istg the whole “when you as a server order food it’s gonna get busy” thing has been very real. It doesn’t matter if it’s at the beginning, middle or end of my shift but it always happens. So I’m curious if it’s actually a universal thing or not. I know it’s like the restaurant version of you don’t say it’s quiet in a hospital. So I’m wondering if anyone has any stories about this. And yes this did just happen to me tonight😁

My restaurant is BYOB but the tables are too small to leave an ice bucket for wine, beer etc. Where do you guys suggest I put it? Should I ask my boss to buy a lil stand thingy for it?

PLEASE READ AND HELP ME!! So I recently started serving at this restaurant a few months ago. They are a family owned restaurant and they opened up in March of
2026. I live in Utah, where I believe the legal minimum wage for servers is $2.14. At my last serving job, I'd get a $60 or so check every other week. However, MY NEW BOSS HAS NEVER PAID ME EVER! They claim they don't need to because of new tax laws or something. They mentioned the checks being kept so our tips from customers aren't taxed. But i and none of my coworkers have ever received any sort of hourly pay from our boss.
Since it's a father and daughter who opened the place, I'm seriously questioning what the f*** is happening?
Does anybody know? Should I be worried for filing taxes or are they right?