Hotel employee gives guest free breakfast coupons, she complains that breakfast isn't free: 'What exactly is the issue?'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jul 29, 2026 1:15 PM EDT

There's dumb, and there is the nightmare customer.

Working a customer-facing role in any industry exposes a person to the fact that many individuals are more interested in getting what they want than being right, and also, half the time they don't even really know what they want. They just want to feel better than somebody who probably isn't making much more than minimum wage, and they usually succeed.

While it may be true that service employees get things wrong now and then, they also have many moments where they suffer for being the voice of reason. More often than not, the person working at the place is going to know more about it than the person who is visiting, not that you would think that to witness the way that some customers behave. 

In any job where you deal with the general public, one of the first things you learn is to pick your battles. Sometimes, it just isn't worth the drama to prove that you are correct—although there can be scenarios where it is difficult to do anything other than that. If only the angriest customers knew how to listen, maybe they would chill out a bit quicker.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10651557120
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A close-up of a table with a hotel breakfast, including a basket of pastries, cups of coffee and juice, and plates with pancakes, waffles, and salad on them

  • A hotel employee had a baffling experience with a woman who seemed to have a total misunderstanding of the hotel breakfast. There was an option where booking a room had breakfast included, and one where it didn't. This guest had the latter arrangement.

    However, it was still possible to get a free breakfast if a member of staff gave a guest a voucher. This woman had a voucher, but still seemed to think that she had to pay for her breakfast. She made this the problem of an employee who had not been there when the voucher was exchanged, who got increasingly confused.

  • Guests mad that I gave them free breakfast.

    This has to be the silliest thing I've ever been yelled at over so far. The way breakfast works at my workplace is that it's either included in your rate plan or not. If not, you can add it to your reservation for a small fee. Sometimes, coworkers and I like to give out free breakfast coupons to be nice. With the consent of our supervisor, of course.
    via Quirkygoo
  • This morning, I have an angry guest and her mom approach the front desk, saying that their waitress told them that breakfast isn't included in their reservation. They handed me the coupon written up by my colleague, "Jerry," and I looked at their reservation
    via Quirkygoo
  • page. Sure enough, no breakfast included, and it looks like Jerry didn't charge them for it. So I assume he just gave it to them to make their day. I tell them that since Jerry isn't here for me to ask what happened, and our manager isn't here today, I'll vouch for them and tell the kitchen that they have free breakfast. I was just being nice, so I decided to help them out.
    via Quirkygoo
  • That was apparently a mistake. The woman looks at me and says, "... Seriously?" In an agitated voice. I give her a funny look and reply, "Ma'am, it's free." Well, how dare I tell her that her breakfast will be complimentary!
    via Quirkygoo
  • She starts fussing at me that this is absolutely ridiculous, that when she made the reservation, XYZ.com told her that breakfast was included, and now we're telling her that breakfast isn't included, and how dare we. Blah, blah, blah. I could not get a word in because she would not stop talking. I'm
    via Quirkygoo
  • A young, female hotel receptionist standing at a check-in desk
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young, female hotel receptionist standing at a check-in desk

  • stunned because I just told this woman that her breakfast for her stay was free of charge, and now she's demanding to speak to a manager because of it??? Joke's on me for wanting to do something nice, I suppose.
    via Quirkygoo
  • I eventually get to ask her, "Ma'am, I'm confused. You're not paying for breakfast. We're giving you breakfast for free. What exactly is the issue?" Her response, "Because when I booked this reservation, it said breakfast was included!"
    via Quirkygoo
  • So I explained to her, "Yes, the website told you breakfast was included because we sell breakfast in our cafe. But it's ok because you don't have to pay anything anyway. Jerry gave you guys free breakfast for your stay, so you won't have to pay anything for breakfast."
    via Quirkygoo
  • She starts going on and on again about how we don't know what we're doing and how dare we tell her that she can't have breakfast (I didn't tell her that?!). Then, at some point, she says that the waitress told her that the date on her breakfast ticket is wrong. It wasn't, it was dated for this morning. I told her
    via Quirkygoo
  • that the date on the coupon didn't matter because it was correct (for today), meaning that for today she would get free breakfast, and reiterated to her that she had free breakfast for her ENTIRE STAY because Jerry gave them those coupons.
    via Quirkygoo
  • I kid you not, I had to repeat the phrase "You aren't paying for it, you're getting FREE breakfast" about twelve times!!! At this point, I'm confused about why she's confused.
    via Quirkygoo
  • In the end, I just end up telling her, "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I really don't know how else to explain this to you. You are getting breakfast for FREE. You do not have to pay for it. It's as simple as that." She says back to me, "But your waitress said no!"
    via Quirkygoo
  • Am I wrong for this? Maybe. Probably. But I tensed up so hard, and told her, admittedly a bit condescendingly, "I don't care what our kitchen says. I'm telling you one last time that we're giving you FREE breakfast. FREE. You can either have it for free or you can pay for it. Those are the only two options."
    via Quirkygoo
  • That seemed to be what got to her because she looked at me, confused, and said, "Oh, so we're not paying for it?"
    via Quirkygoo
  • How I didn't lose my mind on the spot will always be a mystery, but I calmly said to her one final time that yes, the breakfast is on the house for her reservation. No, she doesn't have to pay for it. That did the trick, and she finally went back to the dining room and ordered without any other issues. Has to be one of the weirdest interactions I've had yet with a guest.
    via Quirkygoo
  • Oh! And I spoke with Jerry when he clocked into his shift, he told me that he DID in fact give them free breakfast and told them that it was free of charge.
    via Quirkygoo

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customer service breakfast hotel guest hospitality
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