Vegetarian orders mussels at a restaurant, flips out at server for not telling them it was shellfish: 'You never know with people'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Aug 17, 2025 10:00 PM EDT

Assuming is never usually a good idea. You know what they say about it. But life requires a given set of assumptions, as do certain jobs. You have to assume that people know how to read a menu, or place an order, or have at least a basic understanding of what food is. These are the things we need to know in order to go through life smoothly. Otherwise, you'd have to stop every 5 seconds to explain everything to everyone. Or people would feel condescended to you if you paused to explain what a "carrot" is. 

Servers have to walk this line all the time. They have to make certain assumptions about a baseline level of knowledge, but also do their best to inform their customers of what they might need to know about what they're ordering. It's not an easy job in the slightest, and they should be rewarded handsomely for it. Usually, these interactions go pretty smoothly as long as the customer is clear about their needs. But sometimes things go amazingly wrong, and we all like to hear the stories. 

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  • A chef cooks mussels over a stove.
    via Margo Brodowicz

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

  • This is one of those stories where the characters are so baffling that it's hard to wrap your head around. Stupidity and entitlement are an intoxicating combination. Read on to see how exactly this played out. 

  • Vegetarian ordered mussels...

    Recently I had a table that informed me they're vegetarian when I asked if anyone has dietary/ food allergies. Alright no problem. I brought them our vegetarian menu and they insisted on keeping one regular dinner menu. I gave them a tour of our menu and suggested only
    via u/travelbugsby
  • vegetarian items. They proceeded to order a few items to share and one of them was our mussels. I made the mistake of assuming, "ah pescatarian, best not to correct them." I didn't want to correct them bc you never know with people. I once had a lady whose daughter had "deadly" celiacs disease and modified every part of the order only to also order French fries that are coated in flour. I told her about that and she said oh she'll be fine. Ok whatever.
    via u/travelbugsby
  • Anyways they get the mussels and then got mad at me for serving them seafood after they explicitly informed me that they're vegetarian. I tried to explain the situation, since they ordered mussels and the menu described the dish I assumed they meant they're pescatarian. Idk how much clearer to get. Then they asked if I could remake their order without the mussels. No, ma'am we can't. Also why would you want to spend 28$ on a bowl of broth with some veggies?
    via u/travelbugsby
  • Sigh, idk I guess maybe from here on out it might be best to assume everyone is an idiot.
    via u/travelbugsby
  • A group of diners sit at a restaurant.
    via Unsplash+ (Michael T)

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

  • Commenters came in with their own stories about crazy customers.

    Abraxomoxoa 5d ago . I mean one time I had a vegan order mussels and when I questioned it she explained to me that she didn't personally mind consuming bivalves because they aren't capable of pain or sentience. Obviously a different case than the idiot you served though
    via u/Abraxomoxoa
  • Robot-Jim 5d ago lol I had the same thing once, vegans who ordered mussels, and I'm pretty sure their reasoning was similar
    via u/Robot-Jim
  • TheThinMan24 • 5d ago I had a lady one time tell me "I don't eat meat." Okay cool. She ordered the Smoked Chicken.
    via u/TheThinMan24
  • LOUDC... 5d ago Edited 5d ago . Had a retirement luncheon once with 500 guests. One lady claimed to be so allergic to strawberries they couldn't even be in the same room. Our ballroom is 18,500 sq/ft. She could get sick from, as she put it, airborne strawberry particles. Our Chefs take this very seriously and ensure there are no strawberries on the property for a full week in advance of this event.
    via u/LOUDCO-HD
  • Day of the event and midway through the speeches, this lady shrieks at the top of her lungs that there are strawberries in the room. We literally have to stop the program for 20 minutes and try to find them, she is so upset she can't even point them out.
    via u/LOUDCO-HD
  • Eventually we find what she was looking at, it was a vaguely berry looking ornament on another guest's fancy hat sitting about 100' away. Lady wants compensation and threatens to sue us as we 'should have been more vigilant. Sorry, we didn't know red felt blobs counted.
    via u/LOUDCO-HD
  • isaac32767 • 5d ago My guess is that they thought mussels were a kind of vegetable. I run into that when I tell folks I can't have dairy and they assume that means I can't have eggs. Yes, eggs come from the same part of the store as milk, but they don't contain milk, FFS.
    via u/isaac32767
  • 1hateth1s · 5d ago I once had a girl order a chicken clubhouse (on wheat bread) on our tablet menu. When I bring it out she gets mad at me because she's 'allergic to gluten' and asks for it to be made with white bread. Ma'am, 1.white bread has more gluten in it and 2. YOU ORDERED IT YOURSELF LIKE WHAT
    via u/1hateth1s
  • . Subtle_Numb • 5d ago Once had a vegan get all upset because she didn't tell anyone she was vegan, then ordered a fresh ravioli with a rabbit-based filling. So, ignoring the fact that fresh pasta has eggs, and the sauce was butter-based.....the dish had rabbit meat in it.
    via u/Subtle_Numb
  • Somehow, magically, it was the servers fault because "she thought it meant that the ravioli wa filled with things a rabbit would eat". Our menu items/entrees are written like "pork shoulder (description)" "terres major steak (description)" "lamb parpardelle (description". So how does that make any sense? The pasta is made with things a lamb would eat?
    via u/Subtle_Numb
  • Rokkarokka • 5d ago I had a Muslim woman in a headscarf order a BLT, I told her it was pork, and asked if that was ok. She said "I always order that, I didn't know bacon was pork." I hope I didn't put a damper on a little rebellion.
    via u/Rokkarokka
  • babystrudel · 5d ago Dare I say.. if you have a particular diet restriction.. Perhaps you should know what falls into the restricted category for yourself.
    via u/babystrudel
  • fribby 4d ago What the heck did they think mussels were? I think, if a table told you they were vegetarian, and then they ordered a Caesar salad, you would be somewhat obligated to tell them that Caesar salad dressing traditionally contains anchovy paste.
    via u/fribby
  • If they ordered a dish where the main ingredient was mussels? As a vegetarian of 20+ years, honestly? I would assume the same as you: Ah, pescatarians. I guess mention it to the next people who have orders this messed up, in case they are either idiots as well, or vegetarians who don't consider bivalves to be animals, just in case. But please know, this is a them problem, not a you problem.
    via u/fribby
  • synthgender · 5d ago . I've had coworkers in our kitchen panic and yell at me for putting mayo on the sandwich of someone with a milk allergy because they thought eggs were dairy? At this point I don't assume anyone knows sh about f
    via u/synthgender
  • IvenaDarcy · 4d ago Everyone is an idiot so now I pretend to be one too. When someone tells me they are vegetarian or vegan I tell them "ok I don't really know what that means but I'll note it on anything you order and if the kitchen has an issue with it I'll come back and let you know"
    via u/IvenaDarcy
  • Of course I know what the f vegetarian is but I do not know what kind of vegetarian they are because so many claim to be a vegetarian but then tell me "lobster stock is fine" f outta here calling yourself a vegetarian but lobster stock is fine lol
    via u/IvenaDarcy
  • You did nothing wrong! They ordered mussels. I don't know anyone who wouldn't ask what are mussels if they didn't know before ordering them. Especially vegetarian. if they were a Hope your work didn't give you too much grief over the bad review.
    via u/IvenaDarcy
  • • jessicuh292 · 4d ago I have a very good friend who is vegan and so are at least 1/4 of her kids at any given time so I've come to know very well what that means and the amount of people who look at me weird when I tell them that the bun the veggie burger we serve has egg in it astounds me. "So??" B you said you're vegan..
    via u/jessicuh292
  • IwillBOLDyourTYPOS • 5d ago "Hi, I'm a vegan but also a pescatarian. Will you sauté my shrimp in butter and layer it over some broccolini and squash? And bring me bread without butter."
    via u/IwillBOLDyourTYPOS
  • amygrindhaus • 5d ago I had a vegan table (at an Italian restaurant, super great choice for them) where I went over every dish that could be modified to be vegan and HOW it was modified, and at the end they said "well you can make the mussels vegan right?" I don't
    via u/amygrindhaus
  • know what the hol they expected but I explained no it's gonna be a bowl of warm broth without the mussels. I'm honestly shocked (and disappointed) that this has happened more than once!!!
    via u/amygrindhaus
  • SuperPOSUser • 5d ago Good heavens! The only time I ran out of bacon on a brunch buffet was for a party where II most were vegan.". You just can't help people. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. What a dumb And who orders something not knowing what is....just nuts. I hope you had an
    via u/SuperPOSUser
  • otherwise good shift. These people are where the phrase "don't let the turkeys get you down, "came from and the reason there is a "do not eat" warning on paint cans.
    via u/SuperPOSUser
  • iktoplasm 4d ago I once was taking an order for a girl who was vegetarian. I happened to be vegetarian too so before she ordered we chatted for a while about being vegetarian. Then she ordered chicken... I asked her about her choice and she said she eats chicken too. So yes, best to assume people are idiots.
    via u/iktoplasm

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