Customer demands a free steak, as it wasn't cooked as he asked, even though he had already eaten it, he gets his way, plus a free dessert and "jokes" it's for the kids in the car: 'A coworker came up to me and said a kid jumped out of their minivan.’

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Jul 3, 2026 5:15 PM EDT

Entitled people, comped food, annoying customers —is that a nightmare? No, just a normal day as a server.
 

​Customer service is probably the most stressful job in the world. Because the worst part of it is actually the main thing you have to do: treat customers. People are awful, especially when you give them a little bit of power. They go from being normal to entitled beings that cannot stand being incorrect or being told no. Customer service representatives get all the confrontation and mistreatment without being able to respond or even complain. They have to smile and pretend that they aren't hurt by the awful things they are hearing. And even though this should be regulated by the companies so that employees have some kind of procedure to avoid being mistreated, the main issue is with the customer directly. People need to start learning how to treat employees nicely. They don't owe you anything, and there is no reason whatsoever to treat someone as badly as they do.
​
In this Reddit story, the server was attending the last table of the night, so she wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible to avoid going home with an awful headache. Everything started nicely until the steak the customer ordered arrived. It wasn't cooked as he asked. She apologized and offered to change it, but he denied, so she just added some free dessert for the inconvenience. Till then, everything was fine. The situation had escalated, and the customer was happy with the service. When the bill came, they complained they were being billed for the steak as it was not cooked as he asked. He had already eaten the steak at this point. This is where the server decided to just breathe and applied a 10% discount to avoid issues, but she shouldn't have to do that.
​
She had already offered to change the steak, and it was denied. If they eat the whole steak, they cannot complain after. Silly of me to think that was common knowledge. She complied not because they deserve it or because they were nice to her. She did because she was tired and wanted to avoid confrontation. These customers just took advantage of that so they could have a cheaper bill, which is just so entitled. You decide to go out to dinner. Pay for it. Stop expecting people to comp your food just because. Nobody owes you free food, and trying to take advantage of a restaurant in every thing you can is tacky and disrespectful.  

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  • 01
    Today I was serving a couple celebrating an anniversary. They were super sweet, and ordered a Turkey dinner and a 16oz Ribeye. When their food came out they even asked me to take a picture (adorable) When I checked on them the first time, the guy was cutting into his Ribeye and eating it. He complained that he ordered it Medium and it was Well. I apologized, about to offer a fix. He said it was "Still delicious" and
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 02
    A plate with steak and potato fries with greens.
    via Tim Toomey

    A plate with steak and potato fries with greens. 

  • 03
    continued to eat. I said I could give another dessert on the house (they were already getting one for their anniversary) since it wasn't cooked to his liking. He asked for a Chocolate Milkshake to go since "hypothetically the kids are in the car" with a chuckle. I brushed this off, thinking it was a joke or a way to "slyly" get a milkshake and pie and/or insinuate it wasn't for them (but it was)
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 04
    When I checked on them again, He had eaten all of his meal, minus some of the veggies. I was taking plates out of the way and he said "free dessert is great, but I don't want to pay for a $40 steak that was well when I asked for Medium" I looked down at his empty plate, and looked back at him. I apologized and asked what pie they wanted. I brought them Pie, Milkshakes, and the check with a 10% discount because I didn't want to
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 05
    my last table of the night. They proceeded to pay with a gift card. When they walked out of the restaurant, a coworker came up to me and said a kid jumped out of their minivan. Thank GOD it was an overcast day. Tl;dr: This couple had an anniversary dinner, complained even though they ate it all, got free dessert x2, received a 10% discount all while their children stayed in the car
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 06
    Visual representation of plates and glasses being set on a table at a restaurant.
    via Nadia Valko

    Visual representation of plates and glasses being set on a table at a restaurant. 

  • 07
    CriticalHome3963 I cant stand tables that dont want you to fix the issue in the moment but wanna make it an issue when you drop the check. Also couldn't imagine enjoying a nice steak dinner and dessert while the kids are in the car.
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 08
    Javaman1960 "You ate the steak, you pay the bill." - Judge Judy
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 09
    Capable Solution 1360 Judge Judy says you ate the steak so you have to pay for it
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 10
    RealityPowerRanking "Sir, I offered to fix the steak for you and you declined and did indeed eat the entire steak (point to the empty plate) and stated it was delicious. It can not be comped but if you would an additional free dessert I could do that for you"
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 11
    yells_at_bugs Reminds me of the anniversary couple from the movie "Waiting". Trash humans. Those poor kids. My husband and I don't have kids together and my only son is grown, we wouldn't even leave an our dog in the car to go eat dinner no matter the occasion.
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 12
    Stillwater-Scorp1381 Overcast or not, CPS should have been called. Those people are horrid humans.
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 13
    traaashpandaaa I was serving a couple one time at this Mexican restaurant, they flagged me down and were like "omg we have to go, our kids just got into a car accident" or something along those lines- this was like 5 years ago. I replied "oh no, oh my goodness, let me get boxes and your check!" I ran like a maniac to get everything and bring it
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 14
    back, when I returned they seemed chill and said "btw can we get some sweet teas to go?" I didn't say anything except "sure I'll be right back" but in my head I was like "ummmm "I have so many server stories just like OP's too
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 15
    Sea-Tea8982 Oh my god! Someone should have gotten the license plate and called CPS. What a pair of losers.
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 16
    djprecio This sounds like it could be a scene in the movie Waiting. Good on you for keeping your cool and handling it with grace.
    via Confident_Buffalo242
  • 17
    OrdinaryBrilliant901 When my steak is undercooked (I rarely order it out because I make it better at home) not egregiously but more squishy than I'd prefer...I normally don't mind because honestly I'm not going to be able to eat the whole thing. I eat the edges and take the leftover home and make breakfast bowls. An overcooked steak I'm not eating.
    via Confident_Buffalo242

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