'[I'm] not going to waste my manager's time on a complaining Karen': Waiter stands up for solo diner who finds himself stuck in the middle of a classic Karen conundrum

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

Aug 4, 2023 7:00 PM EDT

When we say "Karen conundrum," we're being nice. Any situation that warrants the person to be called a Karen (and not because that is their actual name), means that the situation is one of the most annoying and tiresome situations. When you get deemed a Karen, it isn't because you look like your name might be Karen, it is because you are acting like an entitled grown child who is quite literally too old to be throwing this kind of toddler-aged tantrum.

Too often do people in the service industry have to deal with Karens. It's as if it comes with the territory. Karens tend to feel empowered with entitlement when they're in a restaurant, probably because they are being waited on. But just because you have someone serving you food and refreshments, does not mean you are entitled to any of it. So what do you do in these sorts of godawful annoying situations? There are many different approaches, but one man recently experienced one where the server came in to save the day!

He was dining alone and was sat a 2-top table. He set his stuff down on the table before ordering and ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came back, his table was gone and his stuff was on the floor. Confused, he looked up at the table next to the pile of his stuff on the floor, and sees that a woman had grabbed his table and extra chair to connect to their table of a large party. He approached the woman and said that he was using that table, he had just gone to wash his hands. She did not care. He tried to reason with her, but, as you know, Karens gonna Karen. So instead, a waiter came over to help with the situation.

The waiter was being non-bias and trying to see it from both POVs, but they quickly realized who the Karen was in this situation. The nail was really hit on the head when the Karen delivered the classic line, "I want to speak to your manager." The heroic server was doing being impartial, and confidently told the Karen that he wasn't going to waste his managers time with a "complaining Karen" and then told her she either give back the table and chair or she and her party can dine somewhere else. After a stare down between the two, the Karen conceded and was put in her place. The man got his table back and peace was once again restored. Read the entire story below.

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