Eating out at a restaurant can be an absolutely divine experience. Great food, the perfect ambiance, that sinfully good dessert that you might regret later but who cares ... you know what I mean. Then there are times that eating out is utter disasterpiece theater.
It doesn't always take a major motion picture level screw-up to ruin a meal. Sometimes it's the little things that ruin a restaurant experience.
Reddit user Juaninazio asked:
What absolutely wrecks a meal for you at a restaurant?
And here's what we learned diners really want: keep the volume down, keep your kids in check, it would be lovely if the place wasn't sticky and basic hygiene is much appreciated. You'd be surprised how hard that combination is to find, apparently...
Not Here To Make New Friends
I wouldn't say it ruins the meal, but I don't like it when they have tables seated so close to each other that everyone can hear everyone else's conversations. Totally ruins the experience for me.
I hate places where they have long benches and tables about 2 feet from the next. I don't want to be almost sitting with another party of people. I hate it!
Forget Me Not
Being held hostage. I understand that working in a restaurant can be unpredictable, but I've been to a few places where it feels like the server straight up forgets you exist. The worst is when you are done and ready to leave, but they take another 15-20 minutes to return to your table just to give you the check, and then another 10 minutes to actually process your payment.
- Forman98
I waited tables for a few years. One time I straight up forgot I had a table. Got in my car and drove 20mins... Then it hit me. "Oh no!" I returned for my evening shift, and found out that they just left without paying (can't say I blame them).
- Coscojo
The Sink Is There For A Reason
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My wife's story: Goes to the restaurant, gets seated, gives her order, goes to the restroom to wash up. While in restroom someone in the stall is vomiting. The person comes out, obviously in server uniform, bypasses the sink and goes out the door. My wife turns to other person in the restroom, also obviously a server, and asks if vomiting person is a worker. The answer is yes. Wife finishes washing up goes out and sees vomiting person behind the bar, washing dishes and serving drinks.
Wife left after explaining to manager what happened.
Floor For Sure
Filthy floors. Like, crushed crackers, chunks of food, etc. Sure, maybe the table looks clean and wiped down, but if the floor is noticeably nasty that ruins it for me.
Same here. If the floors are dirty in areas visible to the customers (doesn't have to be perfect, but not disgusting) then what do you think that kitchen, where the floor isn't visible to customers, looks like?
Floor For Sure - The Rebuttal
As a manager at a high end restaurant I will say that if you have carpeted floors, most restaurants do, the vitriol from customers if you were to vacuum far outweighs the complaints of a dirty floor.
No kidding. Well after close one night, we were doing the last of our work while a table of campers continued to not take the repeated hints that we wanted them to finish up and roll out. So my manager had me vacuum the one small strip of carpet like we normally do at the very end of the night so that maybe they'd get it. Nope! One of the women came over to me and started scolding me for being rude.
Sorry lady, you're in the restaurant over an hour after we've closed and it's been longer than that since you finished your food, and everyone on the staff clearly wants to go home. It's not me that's being rude. We're not a bar, we closed at 9. Go somewhere else that's still open if you want to continue your social hour.
I can't imagine the reactions if you started vacuuming during service.
Sticky
When things are weirdly sticky. The tables, the chair, the menus, whatever. I worked as a waitress for a while and made a point to clean things really really well because it's such a pet peeve of mine.
Live Like The Locals
High strung people complaining about little things in a dive the locals love. Especially if it gets famous.
I get it if you're expecting fine dining; but if you're joining a giant line behind a bunch of drunks to grab the best whatever ever then get over it and do it like the locals do. Nobody wants to hear (or cares) about your issue with paper plates, or not getting enough mustard or whatever.
My Aunt and cousin were out visiting from out of town a few years back, and my wife and I took them to a local pizza joint around the corner that we frequent a lot. You know the type of place, owner knows you by name, will come up to the bar and have a beer with you, etc.
They proceeded to just dump all over every single thing about the joint. They're from San Francisco, and of course that was all we and everyone in earshot heard about the whole time we were there.
This was several years ago and I haven't seen them since and do not plan to.
My Own Fault
When the restaurant is too cold and I've forgotten to bring a sweater. To be clear, this is my own fault, I don't expect them to cater to my personal temperature preferences ... but it totally ruins a meal if I'm trying to eat while shivering.
Children - Or More Accurately - Their Parents
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Children running around, oblivious parents, and a wait staff that is too chicken to do anything about it.
So we were out for dinner with the family and the table behind us had two children aged around 5 or 6. These two kids were running up and down the restaurant screaming, the parents clearly didn't give a damn as they didn't even look up from their meals. The poor servers were having to dodge treading on these little crotch gremlins as they crawled from one persons table to another.
Anyway I'm sitting there tutting profusely and becoming more irritated by the minute and my older sister tells me to stop whining and kicks me under the table. Obviously I booted her back as hard as I could only to hear a scream come from under our table.
My sister hadn't kicked me at all. it was one of the crotch gremlins hiding under our table that had just taken the full force of my boot. Both sprogs scurried off back to mummy and daddy and didn't move from their table the rest of their meal.
Not at a restaurant, but I was at a brewery where some parents let their kids raise hell while they drank. One of them bumped into a guy and made him break his glass on a table where people were eating. Mom was making sure that the kid was okay while dad told the guy he should be careful where he's walking.
Everyone hated that couple with a burning passion and the victim got another beer on the house by a bartender. I think the couple either got asked to leave or left shortly after.
Screaming or misbehaving kids. I get that people with kids need to get out sometimes and that "kids will be kids", but sometimes the kid is just a total jerkbag who wasn't brought up right. A screaming infant gets a pass. A 5 or 6 year old kid yelling, freaking out or generally being a nuisance is a pain in the ass.
- BeachCop
Worst restaurant experience I ever had was delicious food but the table across from us decided to change their toddler's diaper on the booth. So it was full view and smell of poopy diaper. Disgusting.
Obnoxious And Loud
Went to a teppanyaki grill where you usually share the grill/table with one or two other parties. This big group of obnoxious loudmouth older men (one or two had a wife there but it was 80% men) got seated at the grill next to ours, facing us. They definitely pre-gamed before going to dinner and just generally acted incredibly classless the entire time—calling the waitress "beer lady", making comments about us and the diners at our table, and telling stories about how one of them got some gross nickname, all at top volume. If I was the owner I would have kicked them out. Such an awkward dinner trying to ignore those idiots.
- Pogs1717
Obnoxious, loud, or otherwise intrusive diners at other tables. No, I don't want to hear about that time you... uh, anything, and telling the story at 95 decibels doesn't make it any better.
A couple days ago me and my SO were at a restaurant for a quick dessert before they closed and we spotted this group of 60 year old men who looked like they came from a golf/yacht club. Anyways, they were drunk and they were loud but the biggest problem was what we heard out of their mouths.
We heard "handies and holies", "freshmen orientation" and a bunch of other sexual stuff that you'd expect out of drunk frat boys. They were SO obnoxious - they were a disaster. Just too much information all the way. Like no we don't need to hear about your nights in bed getting some for the whole restaurant to hear, so thank you for coming my TED talk.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.