There’s a rule about stars that tends to be true: the bigger the celebrity, the nicer they usually are. The exact opposite tends to be true, as well, as most rude celebrities are usually new to their stardom, might not be very well known, and have a desire to prove to everyone just how very important they are.
This is exactly that type of situation that redditor u/tamiraisredditing, who works as a server at a restaurant, ran into recently. The eatery is a local celebrity hotspot and the redditor kept missing out on meeting the stars that come over for a bite and a drink. However, she did meet an incredibly entitled influencer from her college who got her 15 minutes of fame (though in reality, it was more like 3 minutes on TV) and thought she was the most important person on Earth.
The server explained exactly what happened when the arrogant ‘celeb’ came over for a meal at their restaurant. From ordering her waiter around to leaving without paying the bill, she seems more like a cartoon character than a real person with empathy. Have a read about exactly what happened below, Pandas, and you’ll find out the kind of revenge the restaurant staff cooked up for the woman.
Bored Panda reached out to celebrity and pop culture expert Mike Sington, from LA, to learn more about how staff should act if they ever meet a rude celebrity and what fans visiting the restaurant should (not) do. Scroll down to read what Mike said! The author of the post, redditor u/tamiraisredditing, also went in-depth with Bored Panda about how she feels about the rude 'celebrity's' behavior now that more time has passed, as well as about the main challenges she has had to deal with at work before and during the pandemic. As it turns out, it's not just 'celebrities,' but regular customers as well that can cause quite a lot of trouble for restaurant servers. You'll find the full interview below.
A server working at a local celebrity hotspot restaurant shared what happened when a fresh new 'star' from her college came in for a meal
Image credits: littlegreeneyes (not the actual photo)
The server began by explaining what the restaurant's policy is when it comes to celebs paying for their food
She shared exactly how the troublesome 'celeb,' a girl she knows, became 'famous' and how the locals reacted to her
The woman was an absolute nightmare from the very first moment she stepped through the doors of the restaurant
There was simply no end to her demands
The cherry on top was the 'celebrity's' reaction to hearing that she'll need to pay the bill
However, the staff weren't having any of it
The restaurant employees followed up on their threat and got their sweet revenge
As it turns out, it's not the first time the 'star' did something illegal
Image credits: tamiraisredditing
Celebrity expert Mike told Bored Panda that staying professional at work is key while interacting with any customer, whether they're a star or not. However, on the off chance that you do run into any major issues, you should talk to your manager about it.
"It’s always best to stay professional at work, of course, and that includes trying to be pleasant. Having said that, no one deserves to be mistreated. If a celebrity, or anyone, is being especially rude, as a server I would step away and let my manager know," he said. "Any professional manager would intervene, to the point of even possibly asking the celebrity to leave. The celebrity knows everyone has a camera, and they probably don’t want that sort of scene recorded and posted."
Mike also had some spot-on advice about what the etiquette is for approaching your beloved stars if they're dining at the same place as you are. "Never interact with a star while they’re actually dining at a restaurant. The worst thing you can do is interrupt their meal," he stressed to Bored Panda.
Instead, Mike urged fans to approach the star once they've left their table and started heading to their car. "An especially good time is if they’re just standing around waiting for the valet. Then, they’re likely to actually appreciate a fan encounter because it’s flattering and helps fill the time. A simple, 'I really admire your work. Could I get a picture with you, please?' is all you need. Keep it short, simple, and polite," he suggested.
The author of the post told Bored Panda that now that some time has passed since the incident with the rude celeb, she feels "pretty amused by the girl's display, in a sympathetic way." According to u/tamiraisredditing, she can't find it in her to hold any hard feelings towards her.
"In the immediate aftermath, I was put off by it, because who wouldn’t be when someone comes to where you work and tries to steal. But in hindsight, the mentality driving her decisions was so poignantly sad that I can’t bring myself to carry any hard feelings. I had to deal with the fallout for all of twenty minutes. She’ll be carrying this reputation until she graduates, maybe longer," she said.
The hype surrounding the celeb's behavior quickly died down at the start of the fall term. "I haven’t heard from or about her since. Occasionally, when someone is being overdramatic or self-obsessed someone says, 'Ok [her name,]' jokingly, but even that is already happening less and less. Though, of course, whenever her name comes up this is the first and only thing that comes to mind, as most of us didn’t know her before this."
The redditor revealed to Bored Panda that she had met an actual celebrity while at work before. Luckily, the experience was very positive. "That huge musician Seal was in our restaurant once and he could not have been nicer. Tipped well, made friendly, genuine, conversation with the staff, just radiated kindness. It was really an encounter I’ll remember for the rest of my life. This fake celebrity could’ve taken a few notes from Seal’s grace and class," she shared.
The author of the post opened up to Bored Panda that before the pandemic, the biggest challenge was working hard for little pay. Even working full-time wasn't enough to support a single young adult. "If standard wages do not begin to catch up to inflation, we will be unable to maintain a place in the developed world." However, since the Covid-19 pandemic started, the problems at work have changed and become "significantly worse."
Customers have been physically threatening and attacking the restaurant's staff members. "Not just over masks and other safety requirements, either. It’s as though the stress of the last year has amped societal entitlement up to a new degree. I spend more time now soothing tantruming adults than I do running food. Just last night a customer followed me out to the parking lot and tried to take down my license plate because I charged him for extra ketchup, (as per our business policy, written on the menu)," the redditor explained to Bored Panda just how far some customers are taking things.
"So, the biggest problem with being a server right now is, in short, that many people treat us as sub-human trash. Say hello, look us in the eye when you order, leave a tip, and don’t call us names or threaten us. Is it so much to ask?" she said that servers simply want to be treated as human beings.
"The essence of being a good server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a nice time. The essence of being a great server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a memorable time. I’m always on the lookout for anything extra I can do to make the night special for our guests. If I overhear a birthday mentioned, we bring out a piece of cake. If someone comes in wearing a Dolphins jersey, we’ll turn on that game if they’re playing. We take pride in our work," the redditor went into detail how some servers go the extra mile. All for the sake of their customers.
Reddit user u/tamiraisredditing also urged customers to consider stepping in or saying something if they see a server at another table being mistreated, especially if they're young. "The server may look unbothered, but that’s because it’s their job. 'The customer is always right,' is one of the only pieces of training many of us get. It is literally our job to be sure tables leave happy. We cannot argue with you. So, just because they’re smiling on the outside doesn’t mean they’re not offended, or even feeling unsafe, on the inside."
She continued: "If you’re not comfortable saying something to the abusive customer directly, just find a manager and quietly inform them of what’s going on, they’ll take it from there. A lot of servers are students who are too nervous about losing the job or looking unprofessional to ask for help. And, as someone eating in the restaurant rather than working there, your words will carry far more weight with the harasser than ours would anyways."
The redditor added that she wanted to share a warm 'thank-you' with everyone who's supporting their local restaurants and eateries as the pandemic drags on. "Finally, thank you for coming to eat in our restaurants. I know times have been tight for everybody recently, and that you have infinite choices (including cooking and delivery), so it means the world when you choose to spend a meal with us. You nice customers (who we see and appreciate!) make this job worthwhile and we can’t wait to serve you."
Here's how some internet users reacted to the bizarre encounter with the local 'celebrity'
Redditor u/tamiraisredditing shared in her online post how nothing was good enough for the local ‘celebrity’ from the moment that she walked through the restaurant door. My personal favorite was the fact that she demanded that her mixed salad be ‘unmixed’ by hand. Now that’s a scene that you could take and plop right into any comedy movie. Hollywood screenwriters, take note!
However, her biggest faux pas was leaving the restaurant without paying. The server pointed out that the business has a rule about not letting any celebrity leave without paying (ironically, the biggest names were all more than happy to pay their bills), so naturally, she followed her to remind her of this.
They both knew that the influencer was trying to get out of paying even a cent, using her newfound ‘popularity’ as cover. One of the biggest kicks in the gut was when the server pretended not to know her and asked who she was. Later, the restaurant staff ended up calling the police about the woman refusing the bill. As it turns out, this isn’t the first eatery that she’s run out of without paying. And it all started with getting to be on TV for a few minutes… Oh, how the ‘mighty’ fall!
Previously, celebrity expert Mike Sington told Bored Panda that the vast majority of the hundreds of stars that he’s met during his decades-long career in Hollywood have been kind, gracious, and friendly.
“In my experience, the one constant I’ve noticed is the bigger the star, the nicer the celebrity. The established stars have it down and understand the importance of the celebrity/fan relationship. You usually only have a problem with the newer, up-and-coming stars. They at times don’t get it and may think they’re too good to interact with you. This attitude often backfires, and they realize if they want longevity, it’s actually not that hard to be nice.”
He urged fans to not be afraid to meet a celebrity. “The majority are smart business people, and they realize their fans who watch their TV shows, stream their music, and buy tickets to movies and concerts, are paying their salaries. They want to be nice to you!” he said that it’s in any star’s best interest to be nice to their adoring fans and to everyone they meet.
“For some celebrities, in fact, I’d say most celebrities, being nice comes naturally. It doesn’t take any special effort, because it’s who they are as a person,” Mike noted that most celebs are, in fact, genuinely nice.