The Shift From Hell: Restaurant Horror Stories

Restaurant work is a path heavily traveled, with many working part-time to make it through school or fund a future career move, others making it their entire livelihood. No matter the reason, every restaurant worker has, at one point or another, discovered what it feels like to enter the fiery depths of hell and make it out alive. Every survivor has at least one good story to tell, and they are nothing short of hilariously terrifying. 

Told (anonymously) by college students, I present to you a collection of spooky stories that could very well be read as a list of reasons why you should stay the f*ck out of the restaurant industry. 

Back of the House Fight Club 

“We started a fight club in the dumpster corral, and I made $200. It was crazy; I don’t know how someone came up with it, but between 9:30 and 10:15, you’d hear screaming and shouting coming from the dumpster corral, and they were THUMPING. I will never regret betting on my manager. He laid this guy OUT, and I made $50.” 

I know we’re all looking for a little more excitement at work, but a literal fight club at the dumpsters? With managers involved?! This has to reach another level of what the f*ck. But hey, at least they’re making some extra cash.  

Crime Scene in the Bathroom

“I walked into the bathroom at my job, and it smelt so bad, but I didn’t think much of it until I walked into the handicap stall and there was sh*t literally everywhere. Like on the walls, the sink, the toilet itself, literally everywhere.” 

And this is where I would quit. As someone who has had to clean up some weird sh*it in the bathroom, I pray that there will never be a day that I have to deal with something as horrific as this. I truly feel for whoever had to deal with this, and I hope the nightmares have ceased. 

GET A ROOM 

“One time, while I was working the bar, one of my managers came over and let some servers know that a booth near the bar was having some problems… we realized a woman was giving a man a blowjob from under a booth that had full bottle service, so it was a bit of a conundrum because they had a very high tab. The manager politely closed them out and told them they needed to leave because it wasn’t appropriate for a public place. The guy proceeded to have a dramatic adult temper tantrum about how much money he spent and how he deserved to be there. Eventually, my manager had the cops escort him out, and everyone cheered. While he was getting escorted out, he was so drunk he fell on his face, and it was beautiful karma. He left a pretty bad review on Yelp after.”

I don’t think there has ever been a better moment to use the phrase, “get a room!” I mean, seriously? You’re a fully grown adult; if you’re that desperate for head, pay the tab and leave! On top of that, having an adult temper tantrum after being caught is just so embarrassing. 

“You’re Ruining Being Straight For Me” 

“One time while I was working at Hooters, I had this table of two guys that sat at my table for 5 HOURS. Every time I went to the table, one guy was giving me relationship advice and telling me he’d give me the world, give me everything, and pay for everything, and blah blah blah. This went on for HOURS. Finally, he was leaving and asked for my number, and I said no. He then proceeded to tell me how mad he was, how he gave me his time and his promises, and that he used to be gay and I was ruining being straight for him. He also told me he was a cook at a bar that didn’t even have a kitchen.” 

Harassment at work is unfortunately not a very original experience, but ruining being straight for you? Just go home and leave the Hooters girls alone. No one wants you, gay or straight. 

The Sky is Falling!

“One time I was working as a hostess, and I had to call the cops on this guy because he and his girlfriend knocked a water glass off the table and said that it fell from the ceiling (for context, they were OUTSIDE) and they started screaming saying they were going to sue?? They were definitely on drugs or something. When my manager told them to leave, the guy started to get violent, and he had to lock them out of the restaurant. The guy started punching the door, and my manager was like, ‘Call the f*cking cops,’ so I did. That was unfortunately not the only time I have had to dial 911 at my job.”  

I think that drugs would definitely have to be involved to come to this conclusion. Either that, or they were looking for a very far-fetched lawsuit. Beware of glass falling from the sky, I guess? 

Unfortunately, This is NOT a Nude Bar 

“One night, I had two naked people walk into the hotel I was working at. At the time, I was working at the bar. We called the cops, and they came and took them out. They managed to make it all the way to the pool, but it didn’t last long.” 

Imagine you’re on vacation, sipping a margarita at the hotel bar, when two nude people just casually walk through. I don’t even know what I would do, but I do know I’m not jumping at the chance to speak to strange naked people. Ah, Florida at its finest. 

What if We Didn’t Degrade Restaurant Employees?

“Once I had a lady come in with her two kids, and they were rude from the beginning, asking prices and demanding I didn’t charge her for extra items and stuff, then she proceeds to degrade me and tell me I’m incompetent for having to charge her for sides and stuff SHE ORDERED! Then she goes on to tell me she has a coupon. I could tell she just wanted food for free and would  say or do whatever she could to get it. Her pizza comes out, and she asks the food runner, ‘Okay, what did you do? Stick your slimy fingers in my pizza?’ The sweet 16-year-old food runner was like ‘Um, no, it’s a pizza. The cheese kinda bubbles in the oven.’ The lady proceeded to be rude and condescending to the food runner. I then had to step in and explain to her how cooking pizza works. She and her kids ate half of it, and then she said she wanted a refund because it was ‘ice cold.’ She complained about all the food, even though she ate most of it. We ended up only charging her for a side of red sauce and two lemonades, which she still told me was absolutely ridiculous for the experience she had. She screamed at me and told me I was an idiot and called me every name in the book just for her to then ASK FOR A BOX FOR THE PIZZA SHE DIDN’T LIKE THAT WAS TAKEN OFF HER BILL.” 

I’ll say it here, and I’ll say it a million times again: STOP DEGRADING RESTAURANT WORKERS!! Understand that we’re simply scraping to survive financially, and the last thing we need is you calling us incompetent. I cried before my shift, and I’ll probably cry after. Please refrain from making me cry during this. P.S. If you don’t want to pay for your food, DON’T GO OUT TO EAT!!

I don’t know about you, but I’m having nightmares tonight. To my fellow restaurant workers, I wish you Godspeed as we head to the inevitable trainwreck that is the busy season. To those looking for a job in the restaurant industry, for the sake of your sanity, I genuinely hope we scared you away. Stay safe, hold back the tears, and just get your f*cking manager. 

Strike Out, 

Morgan Harms 

Boca Raton

Morgan Harms is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. She is a Pisces mermaid with a love for the ocean. She spends her free time daydreaming, wave-watching and blasting whatever music she’s into that day. You can reach her by email at morganjharms@gmail.com or on Instagram @morganjharms.