You’ve probably seen a customer being rude to an employee at some point in your life or been at the receiving end of crappy treatment. It’s always unacceptable — no matter how hangry you are. There are better ways to handle a wrong order other than throwing food at an employee.
But customers get crazy sometimes. Cosmopolitan.com spoke to 11 people who have worked, or still work, at some of your favorite fast-food spots. Cringe-inducing stories ahead:
1. “A [customer] called my coworker a fat-ass after he paid for his food.” —Kelsey, former McDonald’s employee
2. “When a customer got the wrong order, they threw their food at me while telling me to get a new job.” —Dernino, former Burger King employee
3. “I’ve had people verbally assault me in the drive-through window if it’s taking longer than they’d like. One time, a man started banging on the window for his food and almost hit me in the face.” —Emily, former McDonald’s employee
4. “My coworker rang something up a little wonky and a customer didn’t like it. In the confusion and frustration of the moment, my coworker couldn’t hear one of his orders after that. He very rudely asked if she was deaf and made fun of her. A manager came over to console her. The store owner actually came out too, to tell the guy the way she rang him up actually saved him money.” —Rachel, former Dairy Queen employee
5. “I was working drive-through and the customer I was taking care of wasn’t clearly explaining what she wanted. There were a lot of modifications that she wanted on the sandwiches she ordered, so to clear [up] any miscommunication, I repeated the order back to her. She didn’t let me finish and instead drove right up to the window to yell at me. She said, ‘No wonder you’re working here! You probably don’t have an education! You’re stupid!’ I was taken aback. I was a college freshman at the time.” —Andrea, former McDonald’s employee
6. “It’s difficult to pick the single rudest thing anyone has ever done because when you’re dealing with the public, you come across [rude] people every day. A customer came in once and ordered a complicated sundae (one that is rarely ordered so I had to use the guide). All of a sudden, the customer starts screaming over the counter, ‘Are you fucking stupid? How complicated is it to make a sundae?’ I ignored her and continued making her sundae, but she kept going. ‘It sure is taking you a while to make a simple sundae. I have somewhere to be, I can’t wait all day.’ I finally lost it and said, ‘You can make your sundae yourself because I’m not going to tolerate you screaming at me over the counter. I’m done helping you.’ I walked away, and someone else took over.” —Bela, current Dunkin’ Donuts employee
7. “[There are] customers [at Chipotle] that order extra everything, from rice to salsa, and get upset about rolling burritos. I had one customer get so upset after he wanted extra hot salsa and guacamole [because the burrito] was too chunky and not long enough. The customer wanted somebody else to roll it, but I was the veteran roller — aka the only person who could close his burrito — and he thought he could roll it better. Even after I tried to make it better for him, I was over it. He could roll his own burrito for all I cared.” —Janice, former Chipotle employee
8. “During the weekend graveyard shift, drunk people get hangry. They toss money at you, or come up to complain that their order is missing or taking too long and that you obviously didn’t put it in the system. Then they check their receipt to see that they didn’t even order it or that they had just ordered, like, two minutes prior. That’s why we have security on site for that shift.” —Mylan, former Whataburger employee
9. “A woman went through the drive-through one time and got so mad because her order was wrong. She got out of her car and walked back to the drive-through window to yell at us.” —Catherine, former Chick-fil-A employee
10. “I worked at McDonald’s from the age of 15 until I went to college at 18. In those three years, I witnessed so many things but there’s one story I’ll never forget. A customer got angry that one item was missing from her order and gave attitude to the cashier that took her order. They got into a minor argument, and the customer proceeded to throw her drink at my coworker and spit at her. My manager called the cops.” —Naomi, former McDonald’s employee
11. “Someone yelled at me because I asked them if they wanted an apple pie and then after, if they wanted ketchup. They were like, ‘No more questions!’ I also got yelled at because I called a man ‘sir.'” —Todd, former McDonald’s employee