‘This isn’t petty revenge, this is just petty ignorance': Take-out manager gets chewed out by other service industry workers for withholding food orders to punish delivery drivers

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
May 30, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

"It's very fun and I'm not gonna stop lol."

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  • When you work in the service industry then you know how to treat other service industry workers. That's why there are places known as “industry” hangout spots because they know how to treat each other. So when a service industry employee disrespects another service industry employee, it's extra insulting. But when it comes to delivery guy vs to-go orders manager, who would you side with?

    In this instant, the to-go manager of a restaurant decided to take out her pettiness on the cranky delivery guys. She said when the delivery person is in any sort of way rushing her, or pushing their way to the front of the line, etc., she hides their order. She thinks this is getting revenge on the delivery driver, but other service industry workers do not agree. Most are commenting that this is a horrible way of dealing with this and she is going to lose all her customers that way. But sometimes the delivery person is really impolite. What would you do? 

  • 01
    "You should share your restaurant. Just so I know where NOT to eat."
    via Alpha via Flickr
  • 02
    Refused to give delivery guy his food I do this quite a lot lol. I work in hospo. If some Uber/menulog/any alternative rocks. up and disrespects me or my staff I will purposely make them wait longer even if the food is ready. Disrespecting might be in the form of rushing up to the kitchen and grabbing the first bag - it is always wrong, it could be screaming at my staff or giving them a hard time, sometimes drivers can be by interfering with customers just trying to eat or just being and annoyin
    via pinkpenguinsocks
  • 03
    I always make sure that the food stays above our grill so it doesn't get cold and I always write a "sorry the driver didn't show up/sorry it was slow" little letter in each delivery food that I do this too but yea I'm petty and sometimes they deserve it. It's very fun and I'm not gonna stop lol. Edit 1; to everyone who is saying that I'm being unfair let me tell you the experiences I have to experience EVERY day for minimal wage:
    via pinkpenguinsocks
  • 04
    -I've had some drivers push and shove some of my workers out of the way to try to get to the kitchen. -Had lots of drivers attempt to talk to the head chef as they assume he is in charge (I am female) which can be quite irritating as he never knows what's going on on the floor it is really just quite sexist. -Some drivers will just go right up to the bench and take the wrong orders.
    via pinkpenguinsocks
  • 05
    -Had drivers attempt to steal drinks out of the fridges. -Had drivers knock into customers who are eating and try to interrupt conversations between guests, sometimes even between guests and myself. -Had drivers scream across the restaurant a LOT to try to get some attention. -Also one time a driver dragged a homeless person into the shop (the homeless person did not consent to this and was very much on some crazy drugs) and then threatened to kill the guys if we didn't give him his order in 2 m
    via pinkpenguinsocks
  • 06
    -Had drivers push and shove me a lot but idc I just tell them to move out the way, I have my job and they have their job and their job relies on if I do my job well and I will actually say this to them. There's no BS with me in general. -If a driver is being particularly annoying e.g had a driver call for his order every 15 seconds, so I told him to cancel the order because it wasn't going to be ready I hid that order for 30 minutes lol because he had just done so many of these things above as w
    via pinkpenguinsocks
  • 07
    ParshKnuckler 1d ago • You know you can just block specific “not employees" after they complete the order. I love killing the person with kindness and then blocking them so they can never deliver through us again. 831 ☐ Reply pinkpenguinsocks OP. 1d ago That is the best news I've heard all day! 396 Reply
    via ParshKnuckler
  • 08
    cashrchek . 1d ago You could opt out of using delivery services and hire someone to do it, rather than punishing your customers with slow deliveries. 160 (+ More replies Reply FigForsaken5419 23h ago You should share your restaurant. Just so I know where not to eat. ↑ 60 Reply
    via cashrchek
  • 09
    legprestiges • 1d ago As a business owner, I don't really get it. I feel like the best game plan is to get the product out/money in asap. And remaking anything is a complete waste of money in terms of material and labor. Gotta look for a different route. I'm all about being petty, but not when it actually hurts my business/customers. Good luck! 80 Reply
    via legprestiges
  • 10
    Optimisticatlover 18h ago This is management issues If you cannot handle delivery then there's a button for y'all to push stop delivery By interfering you are making problem for yourself and everyone else In the end customer will be neglected and bad for business Any sane manger or owner would fire you if you did this 12 Reply
    via Optimisticatlover
  • 11
    Key_Slid... 23h ago Edited 22h ago • This isn't petty revenge. This is just petty ignorance. I don't fall in the category of the people you're describing. I am as much of a wallflower as possible in their restaurants to avoid disrupting people from their jobs. They know I'm there, I know they're busy working on the order I'm there to pick up. But when I see the signs of being ignored when I'm looking at the order I need sitting on the heating rack, you can bet your have already sent the notifica
    via Key_Slide_7302
  • 12
    contract company about what's happening. If it's to the point of what you're describing, I'll even send a picture as a CYA. I get the higher tip, I get the high rating, the restaurant gets thrashed on Google and the contract company notes the issue and keeps a record of complaints against the restaurant.
    via Key_Slide_7302
  • 13
    Tell me now, who has the upper hand? You being petty and making your customers angry, or those of us who have been throwing you under the bus the entire time? P.S.- the customers can see our location at all times on their order. They know when we are sitting there waiting, even without us telling them so. ↑ 58 Reply
    via Key_Slide_7302
  • 14
    eyeroll611 1d ago • So, you're punishing the customers who are paying your salary because you don't like the delivery drivers? Makes sense. 116 Reply Suzuki_Foster 22h ago • Pretty hitty of you to punish the customers because you're annoyed with the driver. Grow up. 61 Reply
    via eyeroll611
  • 15
    Ok_Ranger_1796 • 19h ago Just report the drivers who are bad instead of punishing the paying customers by messing with their food?? ↑ 9 9 ↓ Reply ... Rough Direction8875 • 1d ago So ultimately your customers are being ucked because you're making them wait? That is petty but it's also stupid ↑ 47 B Reply
    via Ok_Ranger_1796
  • 16
    copamarigold . 1d ago So you are actually punishing your customer, the one who may be trying your restaurant for the first time or the one who was on the fence because their food wasn't great last time. You are guaranteeing that they won't be a customer again. Huh. Great plan. ↑ 34 Reply
    via copamarigold
  • 17
    silent observer130 19h ago • I drive for Uber Eats at night (can't sleep usually). It's not that they are "bored" they make money with each delivery. You get paid hourly so it doesn't make a difference to you. I am always nice and respectful until I stand there and watch them clear out the store and drive thru before handing me the order I'm waiting on. Usually it's because they've had a bad day and that's the only way to get their toddler frustration out.
    via silent_observer130
  • 18
    What if it's not "ready" when I get there is immediately text the customer and tell them. I also give them constant updates. If I have problems with the staff, I immediately call our customer service to have it reported when I leave so if there is a bad review from restraunt they already have the story. Most of us do it this way. Hope you remember this when your looking for your next job! 12 Reply •••
    via silent_observer130
  • 19
    . flintlockfay 1d ago I always knew it was people like you who slow the food down. Petty, yes, but it's the customer at the end who gets messed around. And all drivers get tracked, so the customer knows the reason the food is late or cold. They will notice that the driver is waiting at the restaurant for the food then comes straight to the customer. So they know it's the people who don't have to face the customer. That makes you a crappy person. 10 Reply ...
    via flintlockfay
  • 20
    • Pyanfars 23h ago Just remember that the disrespect goes both ways, as well as making the restaurant pay for it. As a driver, I've been treated like by people in restaurants, that for some reason, don't think that their customers ordering takeout/delivery are as good as the customers that walk in the door. When someone acts like you, I just say cool, cancel the delivery, leave your restaurant to go to my next delivery. I also black list your restaurant, and encourage other drivers I talk to to
    via Pyanfars
  • 21
    chain restaurant here got so bad, that corporate had to take over operations for almost 3 months, because very few of us would pick up their orders. I still don't go to that restaurant, and I also don't go to 5 out 8 of their restaurants in my city. It's hilarious to keep getting pings to go back to the same restaurant over and over for the same order, because no one will go there. There's always another order somewhere else for us to go pick up. ↑ 8 ⇓ Reply
    via Pyanfars

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