20+ Service Industry Employees Share Their Strangest Requests From Customers: 'She asked for a pashmina...'

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Mar 22, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

When you go to a restaurant, be it a fine dining establishment or just a quick bite to each at a dive, there are things you expect and things you should not expect. For instance, you should expect a server to come up to your table and write down what you want from their menu. You should not expect them to have anything off-menu, like, why would they have a special pillow for you?… Why would they cook something they literal don't have the ingredients for? Have you ever even been out to a restaurant before?? Crazy, right? People surely don't do that! LOL People will always surprise you…

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  • Sure, if you are a regular at a super fancy establishment then, yes, they might have a spare blanket for you laying around if you're cold. But if you just pop into some mom & pop cafe and demand a blanket because 72-degrees is still too cold for you, then you are about to be let down because what?? Who does that?? The world should not be prepared for whatever you need. There are basic human needs and understood societal needs that certain establishments should have, but like, not every place should be stoked with your niche requests. Huh? What? Girl, get a grip. Welcome to society. 

  • Cheezburger Image 10483362048
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Super Strange Requests"

    Had an odd one Saturday night. A pregnant woman came in with her mom, as soon as she sat down she casually asked me to go get her a small pillow for her back. She acted as if this was an entirely normal request, like every restaurant just had small back pillows for
    via pleasantly-dumb
  • guests to use. She seemed slightly irritated when I told her we didn't have those. Just curious what off the wall non-food/drink related requests you've gotten at work.
    via pleasantly-dumb
  • tiffyb85 One time a lady tried to barter with me. She wanted to trade something for an apple
    via tiffyb85
  • 1250Sean I once worked in a restaurant that was located on the Delaware River across from the Philadelphia International Airport. Stunning sunset views, along with watching the airplanes
    via 1250Sean
  • land and take-off and the pleasure craft and ships along the river made a corner table surrounded by contiguous windows the most popular. Of course, while the sun is approaching the horizon the glare can be intense. I
    via 1250Sean
  • had a woman complaining that the table she reserved specifically for a sunset view had too much glare. I suggested she sit in a seat where her back was towards the sun, but she wanted the be able to watch the sun setting as
    via 1250Sean
  • she dined, and asked me to lower the blinds that didn't exist. When I informed her there were no blinds to close she demanded to know why. I told her because the sunset wouldn't be visible if we blocked the sun with
    via 1250Sean
  • blinds. She seemed dissatisfied with that explanation....
    via 1250Sean
  • whataboutjulian I had a lady ask me for a blanket one night. Like woman we are a casual fine dining establishment, not an airline.
    via whataboutjulian
  • chjett10 My coworker had a group request a booster seat for their tiny 90+ year old grandma because she was too short for our booths and they didn't want to move to a table.
    via chjett10
  • Cheezburger Image 10483374592
    via Unsplash+ (and Caroline Attwood)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • perupotato Grenadine and hot sauce into a corona at the same time
    via perupotato
  • Upbeat-Ground... Don't know if it's the strangest but the most recent was reading glasses. She acted like every restaurant has them just in case
    via Upbeat-Ground1845
  • dwyrm Not as a server, but I was once out to eat with one of those guys who insists on sitting in a booth at restaurants. There weren't any available, so the dude. asked the hostess to move somebody else.
    via dwyrm
  • I don't remember what she said, but the look on her face said something different.
    via dwyrm
  • YewSure Paula Abdul spilled on herself and stole the runner from the decorative table as a Shaw.
    via YewSure
  • Old-Efficiency-... I once served a woman who found an eyelash in her omelette. She wouldn't let me remake it or comp it since she'd eaten most of it, but just "wanted the cooks to know to be more careful."
    via Old-Efficiency-9556
  • Ok, sure. I served her again a couple weeks later and she flagged me down Her: You won't believe it! It happened again, I found a hair!
    via Old-Efficiency-9556
  • Me: I'm so sorry, let me get you a new entree. Her: No, the hair isn't on my food - it's on me! Me: Uhm... Ok?
    via Old-Efficiency-9556
  • Pinkunicornfart... Had a unhomed person ask if they could sleep there overnight and when I said no, asked if she could crash at anyone's place. Felt guilty for saying no, but who does that?
    via Pinkunicornfart420
  • Coach-Steves-... A guest came in 39 minutes prior to close on a Saturday night and asked for ribs. We were all out so I told him we couldn't do it and gave him a menu. He then said "come on can't you tell
    via Coach-Steves-BFF
  • the chef to make them?" Um no we don't cook ribs in 10 minutes we cook them for like 3 hours in the morning then heat them up. The guest then goes to 2 other servers
    via Coach-Steves-BFF
  • cleaning up and asks them for ribs. Dude thought I was gatekeeping ribs... 0$ tip and he left his cc too
    via Coach-Steves-BFF
  • bbeccarr My best friend used to work for a small law office (literally just her and 5 older women in their 50s) and they'd go out for lunch at random restaurants. She told me about one time when her
    via bbeccarr
  • boss was chilly and asked for a pashmina, and they actually brought a pashmina over. I had no idea that restaurants did this, nor did I know what a pashmina was before this story about 6 years ago.
    via bbeccarr

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