Server does exactly what the chef tells him, even though he knows it causes problems, just to prove he was right all along. When confronted, he just said: ‘He told me the other day that I was not supposed to touch anything because that was not my job.’

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Jun 25, 2026 5:15 PM EDT

Working in a restaurant is stressful, but if your coworkers start playing games instead of working, it becomes worse.

With this malicious compliance trend, readers discovered a whole new genre full of awful bosses, micromanagement, and witty employees who win arguments by playing along. Is a fun way to show you are right without doing something wrong that could put your job on the line. They do exactly as told, knowing that the outcome will be horrible. They prove their point and do as told at the same time.

But here we are not going to talk about the funny, witty stories. Today, we have a great example of being just childish. In this Reddit story, we are presented with a server who was told by the chef not to enter the kitchen to grab things. If you have ever worked at a restaurant, you know it's a liability issue. Servers can't be in the kitchen. This server probably didn't know that. The next day, he started screaming what he needed, and the chef just looked at him uninterested. The server explained that they have to come back from the kitchen in less than 3 minutes, according to management, which led to the chef saying that it's fine for servers to go into the kitchen and grab what they need.  

I believe that this is not the best way to resolve the issue. This should have been taken up to management, as they are the ones who decided that awful 3-minute rule that doesn't work for the chef or the server. I believe that the chef should have stood his ground more severely. And lastly, I really think that the server could have explained this rule when he was told off the first time, not waited till the next day to show "how right he was" by screaming at a chef and causing an uncomfortable ambience. 
 
So maybe next time, stop with the games and the malicious compliance and simply explain the reason for your actions. You don't always have to prove you are right. You can simply compromise, you know? 

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  • 01
    The kitchen of a restaurant, representation.
    via Francisco Suarez

    The kitchen of a restaurant, representation. 

  • 02
    I worked at a buffet restaurant, and every shift, each staff was assigned one job. Those being usually: Cashier, runner(person who goes pick up the food when ready), person who changes the food around, table managing, cleaning, washing dishes, etc.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 03
    I was usually the Runner, because I was faster than everyone else, and we needed to walk a long way to the kitchen to pick up food and come back, and we had to do it in 3 minutes, or else our leader would call the kitchen/us to ask where we were.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 04
    There is a counter between the kitchen and the corridor that you pass through with the cart. Usually, you go in, ask for the food, they will put it on the counter in a few seconds to a minute, you put it on the cart, and you can go back to the restaurant, but sometimes they will be understaffed, and if we are in need of something simple like sauces, green onions, or jam, we
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 05
    usually just get inside the kitchen and grab it ourselves. This is not a rule, it is just something that happened sometimes if they were really busy.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 06
    In that case, we were in need of some sauces, one or two food items, and green onions. I knew where all the sauces and green onions where, so after asking for them and waiting for more than a minute, I shouted "coming in! Grabbing green onions!" and went in the kitchen.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 07
    As I was pouring the pre-cut green onions on a bowl, one of the chefs walked on my direction screaming for me to leave the food, and that that was not my job, and that I was doing it wrong (I was not).
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 08
    I asked him why, because we have been doing that for years at that point, and he said that it is his job to do, and that I'm only supposed to ask and wait.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 09
    So next time I needed something, I entered the kitchen, and as the chef was prepping something else, I started screaming "SAUCE ONE, SAUCE TWO, GREEN ONIONS, HONEY, THIS, THAT, THIS ALSO, SOMETHING ELSE", until I finished the full list, which were all mostly things I knew where they were and could have grabbed it during the time I was screaming the names and waiting. The chef didn't say anything for a few seconds, so I screamed all of
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 10
    it again, and on the third time, while he was grabbing one of the sauces and placing it on the counter, he said "It's just me here, stop screaming and just put the paper there and wait". I responded that I have to go back to the restaurant in 3 minutes or else they call to check what I'm doing and I would have to say that he was taking too long to bring me the stuff.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 11
    So he said "Ok, just go in there and grab it", and I reminded him that he told me the other day that I was not supposed to touch anything because that was not my job.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 12
    But I guess he changed his mind, cause he just said "forget it, just do it", but I reminded him again that he made it official that I can't do that, so I would have to contact the leader to make sure that I was allowed to, and the chef had to run around the kitchen for a few minutes to grab everything I needed, and never complained about us being inside the kitchen afterwards.
    via WinterStrawberries6
  • 13
    A chef working in the kitchen of a restaurant, model image.
    via Pylyp Sukhenko

    A chef working in the kitchen of a restaurant, model image.

  • 14
    CoderJoe1 This is why they should only hire adults.
    via CoderJoe1
  • 15
    JoWhee As someone who has a brother in law who is an executive chef a wife who could be and has worked in restaurants: most chefs are r de*. It's not personal a kitchen is a dangerous and high stress area, there's not any room for mistakes.
    via JoWhee
  • 16
    Just look at Gordon Ramsay, any show where he's in the kitchen he's a monster, but out of a commercial kitchen he's as much of a regular guy as someone like him can be. He was hilarious on Too Gear. *it's like a military commander barking out orders. It's to get things done and make sure everyone goes home (or to the bar) in one piece.
    via JoWhee
  • 17
    Picture of what could be the restaurant workers preparing a dish.
    via Fabrizio Magoni

    Picture of what could be the restaurant workers preparing a dish. 

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malicious compliance working in a restaurant chef restaurant server
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