Making Nightmare Restaurant Orders
YouTube · k2agWgSc0Iw
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖A fake TikTok about a '$5.75 complicated order charge' for a custom burger went viral, highlighting public sentiment around excessive customization.
- ❖Real restaurant fees exist for exclusions (e.g., 9 cents for 'no veggies') and even a '$5 female dogging fee' for correcting a beer order.
- ❖A Subway customer regularly ordered a foot-long with 47-49 slices of cheese and four lines of mustard, with no other ingredients.
- ❖Parents brought blue food coloring to a restaurant, demanding all their son's food (mashed potatoes, mac and cheese) be dyed blue.
- ❖A customer requested blended fettuccine alfredo due to dental work, forcing a bartender to use a blender for a solid meal.
- ❖A Bloomin' Onion customer asked for a cup of the fryer grease from the bottom of the plate, then seasoned and consumed it.
- ❖A Starbucks customer ordered an iced venti vanilla latte with 22 Sweet'N Lows, intending to take the packets home for personal use, not for the drink itself.
- ❖A woman consistently ordered a 'double deluxe pizza with no crust,' which involved sautéing toppings, mixing with sauce, and baking with cheese.
- ❖Rhett & Link propose 'annoyance fees' for these extreme orders, ranging from $6 for the cheese sandwich to $25 for the blue food coloring (due to liability) and even a -$1 'discount' for taking fryer grease.
Insights
1The 'Complicated Order Charge' Debate
A viral TikTok (later revealed as satire) featuring a '$5.75 complicated order charge' for a heavily customized burger ignited widespread debate. The hosts note that while the specific example was fake, it resonated because it highlighted a real tension between customer desire for customization and the operational burden on restaurants.
Discussion of TikTok user's 'complicated order charge' for a double wagyu burger with multiple substitutions and additions. []
2Real-World Egregious Fees and Customer Behavior
Beyond satire, real instances of unusual charges exist, such as a restaurant charging 9 cents for each excluded ingredient (e.g., 'no tomatoes') on a DoorDash order. More shockingly, a woman was charged a '$5 female dogging fee' for pointing out she received the wrong beer, demonstrating punitive measures for customer corrections.
Reddit example of a restaurant charging 9 cents for exclusions on a DoorDash order. Viral example of a woman charged a '$5 female dogging fee' for correcting a beer order. []
3The 47-Slice Cheese & Mustard Subway Sandwich
A former Subway employee reported a regular customer who ordered a foot-long white bread sandwich with exactly 47 (or 49) slices of cheese and four lines of mustard, nothing else. The hosts recreated this, emphasizing the labor of counting and the sheer volume of cheese. They proposed a $6 'annoyance fee' ($4 for doubled cheese cost + $2 'shame fee').
BuzzFeed story from 'ArcticUrsula' about a Subway customer ordering 47-49 slices of cheese and four lines of mustard. Hosts recreate the sandwich. []
4Blue Food Coloring Request and Liability
Parents brought blue food coloring to a restaurant, demanding all their son's food (mashed potatoes, mac and cheese) be dyed blue. The hosts recreated this, highlighting the operational inconvenience and, more critically, the significant liability risk for a restaurant using customer-provided, untraceable ingredients. They proposed a $25 'inconvenience fee' or even a hypothetical $5,000 'legal problem' fee.
BuzzFeed story from 'SparklyWizard31' about parents bringing blue food coloring for their son's food. Hosts recreate blue mac and cheese and discuss liability. []
5Blended Fettuccine Alfredo for Dental Work
A bartender recounted blending fettuccine alfredo for a customer who had recent dental work. The hosts attempted to blend it, finding it a difficult and messy process that resulted in an unappetizing 'glue-like' consistency. They argued this is a task for a friend or family member, not restaurant staff, proposing a $23 'annoyance fee' for the excessive labor and inappropriate request.
Facebook story from Dana Bloom about blending fettuccine alfredo for a customer with dental work. Hosts recreate blended alfredo. []
6The 'No Crust' Keto Pizza
A customer regularly ordered a 'double deluxe pizza with no crust,' which required sautéing toppings, mixing with sauce, and baking with cheese in a container. The hosts found this 'keto pizza' surprisingly good but recognized the extra effort involved. They proposed a $4.99 surcharge, acknowledging it was a good idea but still required additional labor.
BuzzFeed story from 'Wandering Storm' about a 'double deluxe pizza with no crust' order. Hosts taste the 'keto pizza.' []
Bottom Line
The perceived 'doctor' status of various professions (vets, dentists, chiropractors) is a source of humorous debate, with Rhett initially downplaying vets and dentists, then retracting and elevating chiropractors as 'the best doctors.'
This highlights how public perception and personal biases can influence the perceived value and difficulty of different professional fields, even in a lighthearted context. It also shows how quickly opinions can shift under scrutiny.
Content creators could explore the 'hierarchy' of professions based on public perception, creating engaging discussions or comedic skits around common misconceptions or stereotypes.
Key Concepts
Shame Fee
The concept that customers making excessively unusual or socially deviant requests should be charged an additional fee, not just for material or labor, but to 'shame' them back into conforming with reasonable social norms and expectations within a service environment.
Lessons
- Before making an unusual request at a restaurant, consider the extra labor, material cost, and potential liability it might create for the staff.
- If you have dietary restrictions or medical needs requiring highly customized food (e.g., blended meals), consider preparing it yourself or asking a personal acquaintance rather than burdening restaurant staff.
- Be mindful of 'rage bait' content online; verify information before reacting strongly, especially regarding service industry practices.
Notable Moments
Rhett's initial dismissal of vets as 'not really doctors' and subsequent, humorous retraction and overcorrection, including elevating chiropractors.
This segment provides comedic relief and a meta-commentary on public perception of different professions, showing how easily opinions can be swayed or exaggerated for entertainment.
The hosts' visceral reaction to tasting the fryer grease, describing it as 'horrible' and 'nasty,' despite the customer's enjoyment.
This highlights the extreme and often unappetizing nature of some customer requests, underscoring the challenge for service workers to fulfill them without judgment.
Quotes
"If you get too crazy and you start being too different than everybody else, we have to bring you back into line. We're, we're, there, you know, you have to flow a little bit in the same direction, okay? So if you're a person that gets 49 pieces of cheese, we gotta, we gotta shame you a little bit and bring you back into the fold."
"Getting your fettuccine Alfredo blended so that you can eat it after dental work is something you get your friend, your roommate, your partner, or your parents to do. This isn't something that you get the people at the restaurant to do. Th- this is, this is offensive."
"Ma'am, that is actually fryer grease, not a sauce.' She looked at him and said, 'I don't care what it is, just get me a cup of it.'"
"She wanted us to hand her 22 packs of Sweet'N Low in the drive-through so she could take them home. Ooh. Oh, no. What? She just was low on Sweet'N Low. Are you serious? That is so tacky."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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