Coworker pressures teammates to buy lunch for the entire team, using birthdays and special occasions as an excuse to get free food: ‘At first, we thought it was just her being friendly’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Aug 18, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Going out as a team together can be a good opportunity to bond, that's for sure. Getting some fresh air, sharing food, and gossiping about other people at work–could be a nice experience, every once in a while. 

That being said, if you told me that I would be forced to pay for these outings, and on my birthday, I would have said absolutely not. 

How the coworker in the story below had the audacity to ask her teammates to pay for team outings to celebrate their own birthday is beyond me. Why they agreed makes even less sense. Why would the birthday person pay to treat everyone else? Shouldn't that be the other way around?

Not only did she convince people to pay for food on their birthdays, she even asked a new hire to spend his first paycheck to 'treat' the team, and that should have been the straw that broke the camel's back for the rest of her coworkers…

However, they are still unsure whether or not they should stop the entitled coworker, and in the meantime, she is using them to get free food…

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    Cheezburger Image 10540782848
    via shih-wei

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

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    Coworker keeps pushing people to buy food for the team

    In our company, I'm part of an 8-member team. There's this one girl on our team who's super jolly and always wants to be close with everyone. When she meets
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    someone new, one of the first things she asks is, "When's your birthday?" Then she writes it in her calendar like it's top-secret intel. Whenever
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    someone's birthday is coming up, she gets way more excited than the actual birthday person. She will announce it to everyone, keep reminding us, and then
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    start telling the birthday person, "You should treat us after our shift!" At first, we thought it was just her being friendly. But because she is so consistent about it, it has
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    started to make everyone uncomfortable. It is not just birthdays either. She will find any excuse to get someone to "treat" the team.
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    Recently, we got a new workmate. It is his first job ever, and when he got his first salary, this girl straight up asked him to treat us,
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    even though we barely knew him yet. You could tell he was caught off guard, but she just laughed it off like it was normal.
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    It is getting to the point where I am wondering if we should say something, because it is starting to feel more like pressure than fun.
    via Lex_Charlie1
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    [10] Fim cost. Our projed papakit
    via Tima Miroshnichenko

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

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    Existing_Proposal655 Someone should tell her that it's customary to treat the birthday. person, not the other way around. Everyone needs to call her out on her behavior and let a manager or HR know she is always begging for free meals.
    via Existing_Proposal655
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    blushingmarshmallow A new guy's first paycheck should go toward rent, bills, and his own groceries. It should not be spent buying lunch for a team he just met because someone thinks it's "fun."
    via blushingmarshmallow
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    Beneficial-Mix-6133 Tell her to mind her own business
    via Beneficial-Mix-6133
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    Skinnybet She might seem jolly and team focused. But it's actually manipulative behaviour. She is trying to control you all. How does she react when people aren't playing her game? This will tell you all you need to know.
    via Skinnybet
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    NellieFl Does she treat the team on her birthday or regularly out of interest?
    via NellieFl
  • 16
    68Snowy Nobody knows when her birthday is ...
    via 68Snowy
  • 17
    Silver6Rules "I have bills to pay" would be my only response to her.
    via Silver6Rules
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    TexasLiz1 "Hey - why don't you treat all of us?"
    via TexasLiz1

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Tags

terrible coworkers workplace-stories employee job birthday tales-from-the-workplace coworkers reddit story lunch workplace food Reddit company entitled people
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