‘I dropped a full pizza onto a man’s lap': 20+ funniest stories from servers about cringy mistakes they made on the job 

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 3, 2024 2:00 PM EST

Every server out there has thousands of stories from the job, some funny, some infuriating, and some so cringy that they keep them up at night. I'm talking about times when a server embarrassed themselves so much in front of customers, that no one is ever going to forget it. But even if a story is not forgotten, if you wait long enough, it might just turn into a funny anecdote you will be able to laugh about with your friends and family. 

Which is sort of what happens on this Reddit thread. A request was posed on the subreddit r/TalesFromYourServer for servers to share their most cringe-worthy mistakes they made while working. The responses, both hilarious and cringy, formed a support group for servers to feel better about the mistakes they made. 

Scroll down to read the funny responses. When you finish with those, for more funny content, click here for a collection of iconic Friends memes.

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  • 01
    Tell me about your worst most cringe worthy mistakes while serving.
    via u/Cyanidechrist____
  • 02
    waconaty4eva 2 days ago Spilled a bottled beer down the back of a guests shirt. It got caught in the collar and glugged.
    via u/waconaty4eva
  • 03
    2 EmployTypical4898. 2 days ago I slid a hot pizza right off the metal tray into a mans lap. and then did it again with even hotter nachos.
    via u/EmployTypical4898
  • 04
    JO djmcfuzzyduck . 1 day ago Was this the same man?
    via u/djmcfuzzyduck
  • 05
    EmployTypical4898. 1 day ago honestly wouldnt know because i couldn't look either in the face but hopefully not
    via u/EmployTypical4898
  • 06
    13goseinarow 2 days ago Audible fart while greeting a table.
    via u/13goseinarow
  • 07
    throwawayseventy8. 2 days ago I handed a dude with no hands the debit machine....
    via u/throwawayseventy8
  • 08
    irish_mom. 2 days ago I was passing a shrimp fry across the top of a baby in their carrier. The cocktail sauce slipped off the plate and landed upside down on the infants head.
    via u/irish_mom
  • 09
    sparchee 2 days ago I once wacked a lady in the the head with a ladle full of ranch dressing.
    via u/sparchee
  • 10
    dkisanxious 2 days ago Haha! I have to know why a ladle of ranch was anywhere near a customer, unless this was a fellow employee?!
    via u/dkisanxious
  • 11
    sparchee 22 hr. ago It was a customer. I was refilling the ranch at the salad bar. I was headed to the bar from the kitchen to replace the empty. Someone stopped me to ask a
    via u/sparchee
  • 12
    question and when I turned I just got a little too loose with the ladle and bonked a lady on the side of the head. Traumatizing for both of us haha.
    via u/sparchee
  • 13
    athena-maeve. 2 days ago Mistake by both me and my boss. I was carrying a full tray of martinis, he was trying to be helpful and took a few off the tray I was holding. The
    via u/athena-maeve
  • 14
    whole tray toppled and all of the martinis poured down a woman's back, even in her open purse that was sitting next to her. Do not take drinks off of a tray someone else is holding, especially if they're carrying stemmed glasses.
    via u/athena-maeve
  • 15
    FLOWBEE SeniorCrab5923 · 2 days ago Taking drink orders at a 12-top. Couldn't hear the older gentleman at the other end of the table. "Rather than making you shout, why don't I walk over to you, sir? My legs work just fine." Yup. He was in a wheelchair.
    via u/SeniorCrab5923
  • 16
    Booji-Boy 2 days ago I had a person shove the patio door closed into a full tray of drinks as I was on my way out, soaking me, the entryway and making a big pile of broken glass in my first 5
    via u/Booji-Boy
  • 17
    minutes after clocking on.I reflexively THIS IS SPARTA kicked the heavy door as soon as it hit me... Right into the 10ish year old kid who had pushed it shut, launching him quite a ways across the patio.
    via u/Booji-Boy
  • 18
    Yeah, there were tears, angry parents, a comp, and a gift card involved. I uh, was the manager on duty.
    via u/Booji-Boy
  • 19
    Rosequartzsurfboardt. 2 days ago Took a to go box to a table I had just taken the order for. Like literally on valentines the auto pilot was ON. They were so confused and asked if I
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 20
    wanted them to leave. I had to tell them that this was my server nightmare and it finally happened.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 21
    BurntCoffeePot - 2 days ago Server Turned a corner too fast and spilled a to-go tea on a guys pants, and no matter what we did he just kept saying "Well they're STILL WET." as if I
    via u/BurntCoffeePot
  • 22
    could do anything at the moment along with 5 other tables. My manager did bring towels and I personally cleaned it up with napkins on the table itself.
    via u/BurntCoffeePot
  • 23
    NL0606 2 days ago During my first shift I tipped some chicken wings into a kids lap luckily they had the sauce on the side and the parents were chill.
    via u/NL0606
  • 24
    js4873 2 days ago I was CERTAIN this customer was a semi famous actor, so I gave him free shots and talked him up. Then at closer glance I realized I was
    via u/js4873
  • 25
    wrong, not the same guy at all. And what's worse he called me out (in a friendly way) "I could tell you thought I was somebody. Thanks for the free drinks tho!"
    via u/js4873
  • 26
    coffeeandtheoffice. 2 days ago Last week I was opening a bottle of sparkling water at the table when apparently it was shaken too much, and sprayed all over the table and my face
    via u/coffeeandtheoffice
  • 27
    not_falling_down - 2 days ago It was my first job, and due to my extremely limited culinary upbringing, I had no idea what an English Muffin was.
    via u/not_falling_down
  • 28
    An a coworker, when I asked where the English muffins were, told me to use a hamburger bun, and me, being young, naive and trusting, did so.
    via u/not_falling_down
  • 29
    jiiiveturkay. 2 days ago Server/bartender 9 + years I just started working at Steak n Shake and I was passing out some drinks to a family. I proceeded to drop a shake directly on a kid's Gameboy (or whatever handheld). I didn't know what to do, so I turned and ran.
    via u/jiiiveturkay

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FAILS reddit stories workplace-stories servers waiter customers cringe restaurant workplace reddit thread Reddit tales from your server mistake funny
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