'Aha! See! I told you it was cheaper': Money-grubbing Karen tries to save $2 with a 'menu hack,' ends up spending the same and wasting everyone's time because she can't do math

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Apr 30, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Servers put up with a lot of nonsense. At the restaurant, the customer is king, and oftentimes, they let the weight of that crown get to them, becoming the most insufferable version of themselves just in time for dinner. 

This server in our next story reports a tale so classic and so relatable that waiters and waitresses everywhere cringe with second-hand embarrassment, while revelling in the tiny victories from behind the counter. 

Deals make Karens turn feral. Catching up on their coupons, disparaging a minimum wage worker for a managerial special, or bothering a service industry employee until they get something for free is a Karen's favorite hobby, giving them feelings of power in a soul-sucking way. 

The woman in this next story thought she was being clever when she cornered her server into analyzing the menu, pointing out tedious details for add-ons in an attempt to cheat the pricing, but despite her lack of mathematical skills, she never once realized she was even saving $2—but not before wasting everyone's time at the table. 

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  • "Congrats, you played yourself"
    via Ivan Moreno

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

  • Insisted until she "found a price hack!" "I want the veggie (broccoli) fried rice, but I also want to add shrimp"
    via anonymousahhhh
  • Sure! there will be a $4 up- charge "Would it be cheaper if you charged me for a shrimp fried rice and added the vegetables?"
    via anonymousahhhh
  • Unfortunately no, the shrimp fried rice costs $4 more to begin with. "Oh.. frowns but if you charge me
    via anonymousahhhh
  • $4 for shrimp am I going to get the same amount as if I ordered shrimp fried rice to begin with?" Yes! the $4 up-charge is for a set amount of shrimp. It would be 5 of them.
    via anonymousahhhh
  • "But at other places if you pay for extra shrimp they add more, do you get what I am saying?"
    via anonymousahhhh
  • Sigh. Ma'am. You're not paying for extra shrimp. You're paying to add shrimp to a vegetable dish.
    via anonymousahhhh
  • "I just feel like if I order it shrimp to begin with, and add vegetables, it would be cheaper that way. Do you know what I mean? Can you atleast check?"
    via anonymousahhhh
  • Walks to POS. Actually verifies for my own eyes that yes. Adding shrimp is $4. An OG shrimp fried rice is $4 more. In fact, to add broccoli it would be $2 more. Relays information.
    via anonymousahhhh
  • "So what if I get the shrimp fried rice, and add veggies?" $2 upcharge "Aha! See! I told you it was cheaper to do it vice versa!"
    via anonymousahhhh
  • I join her enthusiasm and say "WOW, I guess you're right! You avoided the $4 upcharge because it is already included in the price of the shrimp fried rice! I'll go ring that in for you!" And I ran away.
    via anonymousahhhh
  • No_Boysenberry2167 These people killed the 1/3lb burger because they thought it was smaller than 1/4lb. Turn your brain off while serving if you want to save your sanity. Logic has no place there.
    via No_Boysenberry2167
  • 1250Sean So veggie fried rice (x) plus shrimp ($4), or shrimp fried rice (x+$4) add broccoli ($2)? And the latter is the hack? Wow, she's a genius! Lol
    via 1250Sean
  • poster74 You're telling me a shrimp fried this rice?
    via poster74
  • BlackTarTurd When I worked at Panera bread, people legitimately actually believed ordering a chicken Caesar salad without chicken was cheaper than ordering a basic Caesar salad...
    via BlackTarTurd
  • lyricsquid We get people who order California BLTS with no avocado all the time. That's just a regular BLT. It's also on the menu.
    via lyricsquid
  • iil1ill Glad she found the loophole. Maybe next time she'll realize it's easier to eat at home and make her own meals. The ultimate loophole and way to take advantage of the system.
    via iil1ill
  • YevonZ. I usually let people like this f around and pay extra if they tried. The old registers at Wendy's were notorious for being a pain in the to modify orders on.
    via YevonZ
  • I'll use a Jr. Bacon because its simplest to explain what would happen. Jr Bacon was 1.09 with tax at the time. Well someone would try to get their big brain on
    via YevonZ
  • and try to order a regular Jr Cheeseburger and add Bacon. Final price was like 1.65 because the bacon charge. Congrats you played yourself.
    via YevonZ

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restaurant life server servers customers restaurant karen
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