Employees at fast-food chains often deal with rude customers. A viral TikTok video by @charlie_kincade shows a Subway employee handling an aggressive woman.
The woman, in a pink and white striped shirt, screamed, "Finish my sandwich!" The employee calmly responded, "No, I won't finish it because you need to respect me." The woman argued, "Well, you need to respect your customers. I'll tell them you don't respect your customers."
Another employee then ignored her and asked another customer for their order. The irate woman kept yelling, "Finish my sandwich!" but eventually left when no one listened. Servers usually stay calm and polite but stand firm on policies. This Subway employee’s indifference was effective. Teen Vogue reports a rise in rude customers since the COVID-19 pandemic.
@charlie_kincade I felt so bad for the server. She was doing her job and this woman started yelling at her. #KarenGoneWild #SheWasHangry #RespectYourServers #TheAudacityOfThisWoman #ThisIsSadAF ♬ original sound - Charlie
The video has over 4 million views. It’s captioned, "I felt so bad for the server. She was doing her job and this woman started yelling at her." People applauded the staff and other customers for handling the situation well. @latinoenigma commented, "I did customer service for 5 years and it's shocking how customers think they can treat employees." @aromatootherapy added, "Ignoring rude customers works every time. They eventually just leave."
Others praised the calm server. @ljackson2003 said, "Ms. Subway, that was the best ignore job I've ever seen!" @freeatlast791 shared, "That's how you handle it! Don't even respond to them. Let them go." @reahhagues noted, "Who thinks it's okay to treat someone like that and expect attention?"
A similar story was shared on Reddit by u/ZeroPenguinParty about Kate, a server at a steakhouse. A difficult group complained about their meal and ran out without paying. Months later, Kate encountered the same rude person, now a server. She mimicked their behavior and got a free meal while the cost was taken from the server's tips.