Servers Describe The Worst Valentine's Day Disasters They've Ever Witnessed
Valentine's Day is perhaps one of the busiest times for restaurants, with couples forgoing take-out to share their romantic evening together in public.
Many establishments are festooned with red balloons and heart-shaped decor and illuminated by plenty of candles to set the perfect mood.
With so much love in the air, what could go wrong?
Apparently, Cupid's aim is not always on target at restaurants on the popular holiday.
Redditor Sindagen asked:
"Waiters what Valentines day disasters have you witnessed?"
"Hell Of A Show"
"Used to be a professional musician and the four piece band I was in got booked for a Valentines event in a local bar."
"Guitarist invited his girlfriend down so they could be together on the night."
"What he hadn't counted on was his wife getting the night off work and coming to the show too as a Valentines surprise."
"Everything was ok for the first set of the night. The problems began when both Gf and Wife met in the band room backstage. Most of the band escaped the obvious row that was coming and waited by the bar for the 2nd set."
"We all then watched as the wife stormed onstage and began trashing the Fender Telecaster , Stratocaster and all his pedals, leads, amp etc. No one had the courage to stop her . She was rightly pissed."
"Shortly after she left the stage, the gf had her turn, destroying whatever was left of his gear. Between both cheated women, they caused around ยฃ2k worth of damage to his set up."
"Needless to say we played the 2nd set as a three piece."
"But it was a hell of a show lol."
โ TheBoyDoneGood
Ring With Dessert
"At the beginning of the evening, this man gave me a ring to bring with dessert."
"The couple began arguing before they even ordered and ended up screaming at each other in the restaurant. My manager made me ask the guy - as discreetly as I could - if he still wanted the ring with the dessert. It was that bad. I really didn't want to, but I asked. He then started to scream at me that OF COURSE he still wanted the ring. He was right after all, it wasn't my business at all. So I brought out the ring."
"She said 'Are you f*cking serious?' and left."
"Then the man screamed at me again when I wouldn't let him chase after her / leave without paying. In the end he just threw the money on the table - huge tip, but I think he just gave what he had - and left."
"He had made such a scene we had to give free desserts to the tables next to them to make up for it."
"After the service I told my manager I was never questioning a client's request again."
โ lulastark
The Proposal
"Not a waiter, but there was a couple seated a few places away from us. They sat far enough away so that we couldn't hear the conversation, but it was obvious that they were arguing."
"Waiter did his spiel on the set tasting menu, handed out a wine list. Guy orders wine for both of them and she interrupts with 'I'm good I'll just have a water.'"
"They continued over a very uncomfortable meal, during which he kept asking stuff. She'd respond with increasingly annoyed no's."
"Waiter returns, notices that appetizers hadn't even been touched yet. Tops off her water and his wine, then asks if everything was tasting alright. He finishes with a 'I'll give you guys some more time to enjoy.'"
"She (now loud enough to be clearly understood) 'I can't keep doing this with you.'"
"Angrily forks into her appetizer and finishes. just in time for the entree to arrive. Arguing continues, and guy is looking increasingly nervous. Suddenly, he gets down on one knee."
"She 'oh God no.'"
"He takes her hand to put the ring on it I guess. She snatches her hand away like he's lava."
"He (still not reading the signals) 'will you do . . . '"
"She, bursts into tears."
"Entire restaurant audibly 'awww.'"
"She 'I can't believe you would even ASK after what you did. I told you I needed space. I don't even know if I CAN trust you anymore.'"
"After that, things were kind of a blur. I think she threw a couple of $20s on the table, then ran out. He stayed on the ground, still holding up the ring like he wasn't done proposing yet."
"Waiter returned with one of those sweet@ss lava cakes topped with a little 'she said yes' thing."
Asked To Leave
"Saw a couple have a full on argument at a restaurant. I wasn't their server but the table was directly in the center of the restaurant and they were certainly loud enough for everyone to hear. My manager kindly asked them to leave and the guys response was to yell 'I've been wanting to do that sh*t for 2 years now' and stormed out."
โ JoyGordillo
Stalker, Party Of One & The Divorce Papers
"Man comes in in a full suit, a bouquet of flowers, a large box of chocolate, and some expensive jewelry."
"He sits at a table and happily tells me he's waiting for his beloved, an hour passes by and the guy went from sweet and smiling to sweating and muttering angrily."
"He then gets up and walks over to a girl sitting with her family and starts yelling at her. He yelled how she betrayed him and how she'd treat her right and she had to be with witm him all the while the girl's male relatives were sheileding her from him."
"Police arrived and it turns out the guy had a restraining against him from the girl and he had been stalking and harassing her."
"What made it even creepier was that he was in his 40s while the girl was barely 20 years old."
"Another is when a man walked up to a woman and her date and just slammed a large and heavy envelope in front of her and walked away."
"The woman went from amorous octopus with her date to treating him as if he was the most disgusting man in the planet to running after the man. Woman was his wife and he had caught her with her side piece and he had served her the divorce papers along with the evidence of her infelidity. What made it worse was that the date had no money and we had to contact the woman to pay us."
The Greedy B
"Working restaurants for 14 years. I had a guy asked me to help him bring the ring and champagne after the dinner and I did that. Being a woman and wanting to witness the romance, I hid around the corner so I could kind of peek at them."
"They were lovey-dovey all through dinner everything seemed good and I fully expected yes. The woman did not react well at all. She told him no and that she was planning on breaking up with him. She added the only reason she was on this date with him is because he said he bought her something special for Valentine's Day. She thought he was going to buy her the car she asked him for, and she was going to dump him next week. Then she said since you didn't get the car, she's dumping him now and she left!"
"The guy was absolutely devastated! I felt so bad for him. I will remember her for the rest of my life because how could I not! What a greedy b****"
โ fromhelley
Topped With Dessert
"We had a classic of a couple coming in all dressed up and out for their romantic dinner, but as the meal went on they gradually got more and more tense and their muttered argument slowly became very loud. Walking back over to refill drinks or take plates seemed to make it even worse, but I couldn't just leave their (very small) table covered in stuff. By dessert they were basically waging war on each other, and the evening ended with the guy getting a bowl of chocolate cake and ice cream emptied over his head."
"I still have no idea what they were arguing about, but the poor guy just sort of shoved a loads of notes on the table and ran out of there after his partner."
โ missingthemiddle
Fired On A Date
"I was a waiter at The Pasta House and another server was pregnant and trying to cover as many shifts as possible before she had the baby so she asked if she could work Valentine's Day for me and I said sure. Dinner reservations fell through for my date and I so we decided to see if I could get a table at the restaurant where I worked. I walk in the door and they are very busy and my manager said, 'Thank god you got my message. So and so went into labor and we need you to take tables...' I told them I was on a date and they said it was my responsibility, so I got fired on the date and we just went to a bar and grill."
โ icunicu
Trips To The Bathroom
"Woman was 8 months pregnant. Guy brings her in for Valentine's and has the mariachi band sing their love song."
"He pulls out the expected ring and she says yes. Things looked perfect... Only spicy Mexican food is perhaps not the best choice when 8 months pregnant."
"She hurriedly shuffled to the restroom 5 times. The 5th... She didnt make it."
"Its a very small community so I met them years later at a wedding party. I walked up and introduced myself. I mentioned I had met them before years ago. 'In fact I was there years ago when y'all got engaged. The emotions were just... Flowing that night?' The husband laughed the wife covered her face in shame and I was invited to their DnD group."
Table For One
"With my girlfriend in a restaurant, we saw a young man alone at a table. A bunch of flowers and box of chocolates sorta-hidden behind his chair."
"He had so obviously been stood up by his Valentine's Day date..."
"Poor bastard."
โ LozNewman
Having It Your Way
"I had a friend he used to work the drive through at Burger King and he told me overheard this conversation on Valentine's day while taking a car's order."
"Girl: Get me a #3..."
"Guy: It's Valentine's Day baby, you can super size it!"
โ MarcOfDeath
The Sexist
"Had a brief stint as a waiter in high school."
"This one couple look very sweet and loving, no apparent problems. The girl got down on her knee and asked him to marry her."
"He started laughing hysterically and explained to her that proposing is a man's job, not a woman's."
"She was furious. She started screaming about how sexist that was, then got her stuff and stormed out. He looked completely bewildered."
โ jacobr1020
Screaming
"I was working in a very quiet bar a couple of years ago, there was one couple sat in a corner booth having a screaming argument. Very very awkward."
Women Are Texting Their Crushes For Valentine's Day With An Annual Viral Challenge, And The Results Are Very Entertaining
Nobody should be alone on Valentine's Day and pondering "what if?"
When it comes to love, the opportunities are out there for the taking as long as you've got the guts to grab them. Cupid's aim is unreliable, ladies.
No one knows this better than sex and relationships expert @Ooloni.
So she encouraged women to participate in the annual Valentine's Day challenge, where single ladies text message their crushes in the hopes of nabbing themselves a date on February 14.
"Ladies..who's ready for the Valentine's Day challenge this year?" @Ooloni tweeted on Tuesday to her army of female followers.
"Message your crush 'I've had a crush on you for some time. Would you like to go on a date with me this Valentine's Day?'"
Ladies..whoโs ready for the Valentineโs Day challenge this year? Message your crush โIโve had a crush on you forโฆ https://t.co/U8KnWN14ktโ #TheBigOBook (@#TheBigOBook) 1549996747.0
Many answered the call, or rather, sent out their declarations of love.
It's not romantic, but it's an unexpected response.
@Oloni surprised. https://t.co/cnqDTOjW5hโ anaise๐ฌ๐ถ๐จ๐ฆ (@anaise๐ฌ๐ถ๐จ๐ฆ) 1550008241.0
@frenchcocoa/Twitter
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
@empresshlw/Twitter
@shayberry16/Twitter
Now that the hard part is out of the way, what's next?
@Oloni Soooooooo Iโm terrified now.. https://t.co/51yDPyXcedโ Bonnie ๐๐ (@Bonnie ๐๐) 1549999786.0
@SiSi-Simply/Twitter
Thanks for playing.
@Oloni Oloni why do I feed into your games?! ๐๐๐๐๐ https://t.co/wD5IgciYsTโ ๐ฅ7Deadly Sins Combo๐ฅ (@๐ฅ7Deadly Sins Combo๐ฅ) 1550018758.0
This dude deflected the question with a question.
@Oloni ๐๐ https://t.co/M3Y1Zabdpuโ YT: PINKBABYSHEY (@YT: PINKBABYSHEY) 1549998031.0
@Pinkbabyshey/Twitter
Some hit love purgatory. Man, the suspense kills!
@Oloni I've given up on all things love ๐ซ https://t.co/6dHxx8Hf04โ Yaa Yaa (@Yaa Yaa) 1550005421.0
@Yaa_Yaa_x/Twitter
This woman played a joke on her hubby, and it backfired.
@Oloni I txt my husband ๐. https://t.co/Q2hZrlDmf8โ JinSouls Umbrella ๐ฆ (@JinSouls Umbrella ๐ฆ) 1550062161.0
@SparkyAndSad/Twitter
Mission accomplished.
@Oloni And she scores once again ๐๐ฝ https://t.co/QkAZGMXGEBโ ItsBabyzay (@ItsBabyzay) 1550016730.0
@babyzay3/Twitter
@Oloni For once @Oloni it worked https://t.co/adJ4kuMzqbโ Seรฑora Fuego (@Seรฑora Fuego) 1550013608.0
@MsRxchards/Twitter
Just answer the question.
@Oloni had me in the first round ngl https://t.co/a2Nth8kCIiโ cat (@cat) 1550001593.0
@catlovesldh/Twitter
Did you take a chance on love this Valentine's Day?
There Won't Be Any 'Sweethearts' Candies This Valentine's DayโBut Don't Worry, Krispy Kreme Is Offering A Substitute
Absolutely devastating news for Valentine's Day fans.
The Sweethearts conversation heart candy will be unavailable this year.
It is truly a devastating blow for those who enjoy chalk flavored candy.
Joking aside, the Sweethearts candy is the most popular Valentine's Day candy to give. A poll from Candystore.com found they ranked higher than even chocolate for the holiday.
I suppose that's why some people are devastated at the news.
Always loved those Necco wafers (especially the chocolate ones!) as a kid! https://t.co/oTEcWy2Dlwโ Marty Rabinowitz (@Marty Rabinowitz) 1548427414.0
https://t.co/xL25fPYO8f FORGET the govt shutdown, THIS REALLY SUCKS!โ Americo Zeccardi (@Americo Zeccardi) 1548365612.0
Good Bye ๐ค My childhood is ruined! Again! https://t.co/QfeguT2Yb0โ Amber (@Amber) 1548355528.0
What the actual heck are we going to do, guys. https://t.co/AkSfAXNFFoโ ๐ฅHaley Stewart๐ฅ (@๐ฅHaley Stewart๐ฅ) 1548361651.0
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sweethearts, the conversation heart candy, is missing from shelves this Valentine's season afterโฆ https://t.co/3hlVYelj3bโ WCR Morning Show (@WCR Morning Show) 1548419605.0
If the candy is so popular why isn't it coming back this year?
The company that makes it, New England Confectionary Company, better known as Necco, shut down its plant and sold off its brands.
The Spangler Candy Company, which purchased the rights to Sweethearts and Necco Wafers, has said they won't be ready to make the conversational hearts this year, but should be in production by 2020.
And they seem enthused about the prospect.
"We are particularly excited about the Sweethearts brand. Many people have memories of sorting through their box of Sweethearts to find just the right message to share,"
Said Kirk Vashaw, CEO of Spangler.
Though it would appear some are happy to avoid the antacids disguised as candy for once.
oh thank god https://t.co/ibTNR1Qw2Aโ Caitlin H. (@Caitlin H.) 1548278685.0
Tip: If you can't find Sweethearts to give this Valentine's Day, dry out some blobs of toothpaste instead. https://t.co/YngAzj2vUwโ Mededitor (@Mededitor) 1548332962.0
strongly believe Sweethearts are only good for gluing onto cards, never for eating https://t.co/QAIg2tnVGiโ Megan Hess (@Megan Hess) 1548298489.0
Good. These are trash candy. They are the candy corn of Valentineโs Day. Letโs hope theyโre gone forever. https://t.co/jd0wQNzieQโ โ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ โ (@โ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ โ) 1548289300.0
I'm really going to miss the taste of chalk. #ValentinesDay https://t.co/QUQHgFGrszโ Reggie Aqui (@Reggie Aqui) 1548337933.0
If you really need a heart-shaped sweet with writing on it, an unexpected savior may be here. Krispy Kreme Donuts have announced their own conversational hearts product.
The mega sized hearts are colored in the familiar pastel of the small chalky candy, and have similar phrases printed on the icing. They can be filled with cake batter, strawberries and kreme, raspberry or chocolate.
In a statement announcing the product, Dave Skena, the chief marketing officer for Krispy Kreme stated:
"Finding the right word can be like, I don't knowโฆ hard. But eating a doughnut is easy. So, we printed the right words on the doughnuts for you so you can't mess this up."
Now THESE sweet heart conversations are more my speed. ๐๐๐๐โฅ๏ธ https://t.co/n0Dp0qlcgFโ Trenice (@Trenice) 1548409402.0
@foodandwine OMGoodness! Gotta have one. Or two.... ๐โ p hall (@p hall) 1548425590.0
@foodandwine Omg I want one!โ TwoWeeksPaidVacation (Travel Blog) (@TwoWeeksPaidVacation (Travel Blog)) 1548388176.0
@WNEP If it was only chocolate frosted Krispy Cream, I would say โyesโ no matter what the ? Was.โ Patricia James (@Patricia James) 1548452802.0
I'm not a donut fan but I'll need a box of these Krispy Kremes to fill the void of conversation hearts not being soโฆ https://t.co/HABFWi78btโ Wendy Adams (@Wendy Adams) 1548418529.0
The new donut hearts will go on sale at the end of January.
If you're a Krispy Kreme Rewards Member, keep February 6th in mind, as the donut chain will be giving away a free heart donut with any purchase that day.
The hearts will be available until Feb 14th.
It's hard out there for a criminal. You have to swift and stealthy and not get caught. But if they do get caught they need to be prepared. Now most perps are none of those things but every once and a blue police will tell you they run across a fiend or two they even admire because of their clever capability. They are masterminds out there, hopefully we never personally know them.
Redditor u/sourcreamus wondered if any law enforcement members had a few certain types of perps they would never forget by asking... Law Enforcement Officers we hear a lot about dumb criminals but what are some times you encountered a clever criminal or crime?
Boyfriend Catches GF Worsening Her Injuries For Sympathy, And Seeks Advice
Millions of people struggle with self-harm every single day. Their reasons are as varied and unique as they are. it's a dangerous tendency that people absolutely can overcome, but it requires a lot of work and support. Having said that, the self-harming person has to be willing to accept that help.
What do you do when you catch a loved one hurting themselves but they refuse to acknowledge it?
That's the position one Reddit found himself in when he posted asking for advice:
My girlfriend Lacy and I have been dating 2 years. She's a lovely person and we make a great couple.
Two weeks ago Lacy and I went downhill skiing. I'm an experienced skier and she had only been once before. I admit I pushed her abilities and lo and behold, she wiped out pretty hard. She wasn't seriously hurt or anything and got right back up with a smile on her face.
Her legs got pretty bruised up from the fall (she was wearing only thin workout leggings since it was quite warm out). It looks like someone splashed green paint on her, if that makes sense. And she has a particularly nasty big purple one on her thigh.
Lacy has always been the type to show off injuries. For as long as I've known her she has always showed me even the tiniest of bruises either for sympathy or attention (like she would say it was shaped as Texas or something). She has some body image issues and I know that she really likes the attention so I will usually give it to her no problem.
Yesterday though I came home from work early (power went out at my building). I walked in pretty quietly as I usually do and went straight to our bedroom. I could hear music coming from it and wanted to greet her.
I basically opened the door and saw her with a hammer in her hands mid hit. The hammer hit her bruised leg the moment I walked in. It was absolutely surreal and I admit - I freaked out a bit. I went to her and took the hammer and started asking her what she was doing?
She freaked out right back and told me that she was rubbing the blood vessels or something to make the bruises go away faster. I knew this was bullshit right away since you don't "rub" by smacking yourself with a fricken hammer.
She left after I told her I didn't believe her and texted me shortly after to say she was going home for a few days.
I sat down on the bed with that hammer in my hands for like an hour completely floored. I know it sounds crazy but she hit herself hard. I've seen those bruises every day and now that I've seen her do this I am thinking that it was weird that they haven't gotten even the slightest bit lighter despite it being two weeks now.
I know she has some issues but I would never have thought she would hurt herself.
Reddit, I'm freaked out. She will be back tomorrow. How do I talk to her about this?
Users were surprisingly open with their responses. People gave advice and even shared stories of their own self-harming experiences. If that sort of thing is difficult or triggering for you to read, you may want to move on to another article. For the rest of you, here are some of the top responses. Some have been edited for content or clarity.
H/T: Reddit