A Canadian Server Slammed 'Entitled Parents' For Demanding Free Food But Not Everyone Agrees
The server said they work at a "relatively well known restaurant in Canada."
A glass of beer at a restaurant.
A Canadian server has slammed a family online for demanding free food and smashing plates, but not everyone agrees that the customers were totally in the wrong.
In a post in the Reddit community r/entitledparents, a user, whose account has since been deleted, shared a story about "possibly the worst customer" they said they've ever had to deal with.
The server, who said they work in a "relatively well known restaurant in Canada," was serving a family who appeared to be regular customers.
The server explained that the husband had ordered a beer, so they asked him if he would be driving that night.
"I usually do this just so that I know whether or not I need to remove the alcohol from the order as to prevent them [from] driving under the influence with a child," the post says.
The server explained that while most people don't seem to have a problem with this question, the family appeared to take issue with it.
"Him and his wife began scolding me, telling me that I should mind my own business and that I need to back off before they call my manager down to their table," the post reads.
"I explained to them that I was only asking so that I knew they wouldn't be driving under influence for the safety of their child as well as themselves."
When the man declined to answer the question of whether he'd be driving, the server said they removed the alcohol from the family's order "just in case."
According to the server, the rest of the interaction went on without incident until it was time to pay the bill.
The post explains that when the server asked how the family would be paying, they said they should get a free meal as it was their 9-year-old son's birthday.
"I told them that we don't do that and that the closest we do for that is giving the birthday kid a free bowl of gelato," the post says.
"They declined and said they'd like to trade the free gelato out for a free meal, as if their meal was equal to the small bowl of gelato that we gave out."
The server said that their refusal to accommodate the request resulted in the wife getting so mad that she "felt it was appropriate to take the dirty plates on their table and smash them on the ground and curse at me."
"Eventually I just got fed up with the BS back and forth and got my manager down to the table. My manager eventually got them to pay for the meal and rightfully kicked them out. Worst entitled customer I've ever had to deal with," the user concludes.
Many of the replies on the post, which has been upvoted 754 times and has 118 comments, seemed not to focus on the apparent tantrum thrown by the customers, and instead called out the server for refusing to serve the family alcohol.
"I don’t really get why you wouldn’t serve them a beer with their meal just bc they were driving. Is that a Canadian thing? I’ve never been asked that question after ordering one drink with my dinner. Did they already seem intoxicated?" asked one comment.
Others said they would also be offended if they were asked the same question.
"If I had a server that thought I was too stupid to moderate my own behaviour, I would never go back to that restaurant, and if it was a well known chain restaurant, I wouldn’t go back period," said one person.
"It’s incredibly insulting. If they’re not intoxicated when seated, and they’re not intoxicated during their visit, OP has no right to monitor another adults' alcohol."
Alcohol laws in Canada
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, organizations are responsible for their patrons when liquor is served, including servers, who "are responsible if they serve alcoholic beverages to people past the point of intoxication," and could be held liable for the actions of the customer.
Smart Serve, an alcohol training program approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, also suggests reminding guests not to drink and drive and of the other options available to them as a form of risk management when it comes to liquor liability.
While the server may not have been wrong to ask the question, most Reddit users commenting on the post believed the server didn't need to ask when the man had only ordered one beer.
"If you were bringing him his 4th beer then sure, but do you interrogate every customer that orders a beer?" said one person.
"I stopped reading after you refused to serve one beer to the guy. Really? Whatever happened next, YTA," commented another.
Many seemed to agree, at least, that the post was probably in the wrong subreddit.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
