A TikTok video from creator @notenoughfreckles, which amassed over 2 million views and 1,772 comments as of the date of publication, described an encounter with a family of eight that she said was one of the worst groups of customers she had ever dealt with as a server. From their initial interaction, she noticed their behavior and suspected they would be a difficult group to serve.
The server, whose name is Madeleine, said that before she got a chance to serve the family their complimentary water, the mother of the group said, “And we’re just gonna go and order right now!” Madeleine said she didn’t receive a thank you for the drinks, which added to her frustration with the interaction.
Because the woman was eager to order, Madeleine assumed she was already familiar with the menu. The first order was a cheeseburger for one of her children. The woman then asked if the burger came with a side of fries. Madeleine replied that the restaurant didn’t have fries.
The woman disregarded the response and repeated, “Fries?!”
Madeleine said she politely repeated, “We don’t have fries, sorry.”
Instead of looking at the menu, the woman then asked sharply, “Then what do you have?” Madeleine said she began listing the available sides she could remember while reiterating that fries were not an option.
The customer then asked for an Arnold Palmer, which is a combination of iced tea and lemonade. Madeleine asked whether she wanted the tea sweetened, and the woman said she wanted it unsweetened.
Madeleine Says She Continued Serving the Family Despite the Difficult Interactions
After bringing the woman her unsweetened beverage, Madeleine said the customer complained that it was still too sweet. The woman then asked for another unsweetened tea, which Madeleine said she was happy to bring her.
When it was time to serve the appetizers, the woman ordered a dip and chips. When Madeleine placed the appetizer in front of her, the woman pushed it away and said, “It’s not all for me!”
After all the appetizers were served, Madeleine asked whether the family needed anything else. The woman immediately asked for the children’s main courses, which had been ordered less than 10 minutes earlier.
When Madeleine delivered the children’s food, the family chose to get the condiments themselves rather than allowing her to bring them to the table.
Madeleine said the icing on the cake came when the woman’s husband joined the family. Instead of sitting at their table, he pulled a chair from a different table and sat on the outside of the main table, blocking Madeleine’s pathway.
She said she was forced to squeeze past him. Instead of moving out of the way, he simply stared at her and smiled.
Reactions to the video focused on the customers’ interactions with Madeleine. Many commenters said they had experienced similar situations while working as servers themselves.
“This is such a hard story to believe if you’re a normal human… very believable if you’ve ever worked customer service. I literally can’t believe how people behave! And they think it’s normal?!” one commenter wrote.
Another commenter agreed that the customers were rude, writing, “That’s so rude. I don’t like when people expect the server to list all the drinks and the sides… look at the menu!”
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in @notenoughfreckles’ TikTok video. The details in this article are based on Madeleine’s account of the interaction and the reactions shared by viewers in the comments.
