In the mysterious "Before Times," when it was possible to go out without putting the whole of the planet in jeopardy, there was a time when we could go to "restaurants." It was at these long lost places where you could order food and, here's the crazy part, people would bring them to you at the table. They wouldn't just drop them off at your door, they would take the food directly to you. However, not all restaurants are created equal, and sometimes you would have to know when to just say "Nope."
Reddit user, u/baddestBlTCH, wanted to know about:
People who have walked out of a restaurant, what was your reason?
You Can Only Take So Much Negligence
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I'm fairly easy going. So I'll put up with a lot. Especially when there's a less than half assed apology.
But this night both my husband and I weren't in the mood. After 45 minutes, all that was accomplished was getting a drink. Our order wasn't taken. I had a water, he had a Dr. Pepper probably. Our waitress literally spent at least the last 15 minutes of us being there, helping another table go through and pick merch that's located at the hostess stand (it was a local bar/restaurant, and at the hostess stand they sold t-shirts and insulated travel cups.) I try not to complain about service with my husband because he was a former server and worked other jobs in the food industry, so he can take it personally. But even he was getting pissed.
After 40 minutes of our waitress not coming to check on us for our order (or even a quick "hey sorry, we are busier than expected and backed up, I'll be over to get your order as soon as possible"), 15 of which was spent with her walking different t-shirt designs back and forth to their table (from the hostess stand, where the hostess wasn't doing anything, and was free to handle the transaction... which is where you're supposed to do it at... the hostess stand... where the shirts are for sale at...), we dropped $2 for the soda and bounced. She wasn't even done helping with the shirts at the time so who only knows how much longer that took.
That bar has insanely good cheesesteaks but it's a bit of a drive so we haven't made the trip after. We've heard the service hasn't gotten any better.
Creepy Creep Creeper
Does an ice cream parlor count?
In I think 2011, the guy I was out on a first date with asked me in an oddly sexual/creepy way if he was making me nervous. This was because he was so boring I found it really hard to make any conversation with him and I was being kinda silent, which he misconstrued as me being intimidated by just how attracted to him I was, or something. I got up and put the money for my milkshake on the table and left.
Seems Reasonable
I was dating black girl, and I heard the server say he wasn't going to wait on an interracial couple. So I told the manager, got their corporate number, ordered a bunch of food. Waiting until they started cooking it, then left.
What Have You Got Going On In The Back?
If I get seated and the restaurant is not busy, and the server does not at least come by to say "hi, I'll be right with you" in the first 15 minutes, I will get up and leave.
This has happened like 2-3 times, so not often, but that's my rule. I do stop by the host and let them know that I'm leaving though so they know. AITA?
Hate Bees. That's All They Are.
Wasp nest in a Popeyes
It was in between some seats so yeah that was fun
Slow Service
Walked out because my small town hometown opened a fancy high class restaurant in what used to be a diner and afterwards became a cafe. We were four of twelve customers and we ordered and then waited for forty five minutes. We were planning to pick up the mail after we ate. I got so tired of waiting that I walked out, went the five blocks to the post office, grabbed our mail, walked back into the restaurant where my sister and parents were still waiting. We flipped through the mail and waited another fifteen minutes before our food finally arrived.
A Back Room Deal Would Have Been Fun
This happened pre-Covid. Made reservations at a decent Chinese restaurant for a table of 12. Our entire ensemble arrived and we noticed the restaurant was jam packed. The hostess reassured us that we have a table reserved and were shown back outside around the building to a hidden walkway with stairs leading back inside. The stairs were dirt stained and the room she lead us to looked like a covert, illegal gambling space where back room deals were made.
The dim lighting didn't hide the layer of dust coating every surface while the room itself smelled like stale cigarettes. There were mismatched chairs that have obviously seen better days. We looked at each other and noped out of there quick.
How Would Mentioning It Be Helpful?
Went out with a group of friends late one night. We had a friend with an eye condition with us, and the waitress asked him what was wrong with his face and if he was stupid. She thought she was funny, but we definitely didn't.
This One Sounds On You
Many years ago: 2 friends & I went into a Chinese resteraunt late at night. Being young (and probably not entirely sober), we were not concerned if it was close to closing time. However, the hostess greeted us with a smile, showed us to a table, and brought us water. We waited for menus....and waited....and waited. Then, the lights started turning off in the dining area, while we heard 3-4 people, argueing in Chinese in the back somewhere.....we just slinked out the front door quietly.
That's "Snot" My Plate...
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It had an open kitchen where you could watch the chef work. She had a runny nose and would wipe the snot with the back of her hand. She did this while she was putting food on the plates.
Who Ordered Their Steak White?
I ordered a steak. A beef steak. Which is typically red or brown, at least it had been every other time I had a steak in my life. We waited nearly an hour and finally get our food.
My steak is white. I stare at it. It looks like it could be chicken but the striations of the meat don't look like chicken at all. I poke it. It's cold. I'm temporarily transfixed by my confusion.
My husband says, "My meatloaf has a hair on it." I say, "My steak is white." He looks at it, prodding it with his fork. "...Why?" I'm still staring at it. Everything on my plate is completely cold, there's even a little frozen spot on my supposedly steamed vegetables. I push my plate away. "Yeah, I don't wanna know."
The manager apologized but explained nothing. He said he'd take the food off our checks and we left and never went back.
Excuse Me, We're Teenagers?
This was both pretty cool but also pretty disappointing.
When my friends and I were about to graduate high school, we and my one friend's mother all pulled funds together to go on a trip to Japan. While we were there, I had my 18th birthday. To celebrate, we walked around Tokyo looking for a restaurant to eat in.
We found a teppanyaki-style restaurant and were really excited to sit down until we looked through the menu. It was very limited, but the prices were unreal. One option was a steak meal that was 10,000 yen (~$100 USD). Way too expensive, so we kindly apologized, then gathered ourselves up and left.
What's Better Than A Whole Cockroach In Your Food?
Roach in the salad. At least it was whole. This was a highly recommended Italian place. After I told my friend who'd recommended it what happened he said, "oh yeah, I did hear they were under new management"...thanks.
Butter On Everything
everything either had butter or onions or milk in it... or all of the above
So I ordered a hand-made BLT with no butter, just bacon, lettuce, tomato and bread.
It showed up toasted with butter and a sprinkling of cheese.
I made a scene. A big one. I yelled at the cooking staff then went out back and turned the lock-out on their natgas.
The butter on the toasted bun... plausible stupidity like cheese appearing on regular whoppers because the hands do that.
BLT don't have sprinklings of cheese.
This Is The Kind Of Thing You Imagine Happening
Went to Denny's for breakfast in the San Antonio, TX area circa 2003. Ordered my food. Waited for about 45 minutes before manager stands in middle of restaurant apologizes and announces that the entire kitchen staff have quit on the spot and there are no replacement morning cooks. If we wish to still have our meals it would be at least another hour wait since the manager would have to cook everything himself. About 90% of the customers left. It was an interesting experience.
When Someone Gets Stabbed Then It's Time To Go
The table next to me had a party of ten people. An argument started between them and a couple seated next to them. One guy at the table of ten picked up a knife and stabbed the man at the other table about five times. Figured it was time to go.
Escaping Before They Pour The Water
The menu didn't have any prices listed. It was my birthday, and my friend had insisted on picking up the tab. I knew it was kinda swanky, but I saw her face and knew how I'd feel in the same boat. I just said the place felt a little too stuffy and sterile and asked if we could go somewhere else. We slipped out before the waiter got back and ended up having a great night without embarrassing or possibly bankrupting my friend.
Want To Learn Something Awful
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I was with a group of friends and when we walked in one of them said "Idk about this place, it smells like roaches" we all looked at her funny and kind of chuckled because we didnt think she was serious-none of us have ever SMELLED roaches before.
She explained that her family owned a terminix type business and that SMELLING roaches was definitely a thing but we agreed to give it a shot.
We were seated, got our drinks and were looking over the menu when a roach appeared on the wall behind me. Without hesitation I told them I couldn't do it, she was right and I would politely wait outside for them to finish their meal. Instead, everyone quickly followed and we found another place to go as a group.
And that was the day I learned roaches had a smell. I will NEVER question someone again if they tell me a place smells like roaches. I was so grossed out.
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...