Pop culture and movies have made a joke out of food workers “paying back” problem customers by tampering with their food for either comedic or gross out effects.
Back in the real world we are still in the middle of a pandemic with a rising death toll and millions effected by this contagious sickness.
After witnessing a coworker tamper with a customers meal, one food service worker, going by the screen name of KarlMaloneIsARapist turned to the “Am I The *A**hole” (AITA) subreddit for judgement on how they handled the gross behavior.
They asked:
“AITA for ‘snitching’ on a coworker for spitting on a customer’s food?“
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“I work as a server at a popular chain restaurant. Last Saturday it was a very stressful day as we were extremely busy.”
”One of my coworkers, let’s call her Tanya, was in an especially bad mood due to the amount of customers assigned to her section.”
“The issue started when one of the customers ordered chicken strips with buffalo sauce on the side. As Tanya was walking with her tray of food, the sauce dish tipped over and spilled some buffalo sauce over the customer’s fries and baked potato.”
“I’m guessing she didn’t think it was a big deal to have some hot sauce on your potatoes. So she brought it to the customer anyway.”
“Well the customer eventually called her back and asked for new fries and a new potato because they didn’t want buffalo sauce all over their food. Tanya came back to the kitchen unreasonably upset.”
”She was complaining about spoiled people, wasting food, extra work, and things like that. The cook made a new plate of food and as Tanya was walking out of the kitchen she stuck out her tongue and spit little flecks of spit all over the customer’s food.”
”I was shocked because I’d never actually seen someone do that in real life. I thought that kind of thing only happened in movies and TV shows.”
”I was even more surprised that she did it during a pandemic. At the end of my shift i told my boss what I saw and he had a talk with Tanya afterwards.”
“Now everyone i work with knows that I did this, since my boss told Tanya that i saw her spit on the food. They’re all calling me a snitch. Tanya herself calls me ‘the snitch’ if she ever has to refer to me, she no longer speaks to me at all.”
“I believe even my boss isn’t happy that I ‘snitched’, though he hasn’t said anything directly. I just feel a whole different vibe from him now.”
”It’s gotten to the point where i basically lost all of my work friends due to snitching.”
”I’m not sure they will ever get over this because of how legitimately upset everyone is. I’m considering finding a new job because it has gotten so bad.”
“Am i the asshole for ‘snitching’? Should i have just talked to Tanya privately and not told her boss?”
Redditors were asked to pass judgement by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors decided Thant in this situation ESH-everyone sucks here.
“ESH. You, for letting her serve food with spit in it to a customer and waiting to report it to your manager. Her, obviously, for spitting in a customer’s food over a very reasonable request.”
“Your manager, for not keeping your report confidential and not firing Tanya’s ass for this. All of your co-workers for thinking snitching is a bigger deal than being unsanitary, disgusting and vengeful towards customers.”~ciliaellis
”ESH but you suck way less than everyone else. You should definitely have stopped her from serving that food. ESPECIALLY since like… we’re still in a pandemic.”
”What if she has covid and is asymptomatic? She could have literally just killed someone. I can’t believe she didn’t get fired for that, and everyone else is mad at you.”
”I’d find a new job and then write an “anonymous” review about what happened. I’m sorry you have to deal with this, what a terrible work environment.”~impressivepineapple
”ESH and OP can do more. If they are in the U.S., spitting in food is considered an assault. In other words, it is a punishable crime.”
”OP should report her to police. If the workplace has cameras, maybe it was captured there too. Even if it wasn’t recorded it should be reported. Particularly due to the pandemic, people are getting in pretty big trouble for this.”
”And she’s probably done it before and will probably do it again. She could kill somebody. And OP could be a bystander who let’s it happen (again), or report her to the police. Good luck, OP.”~IncredulousLurker
”Did you really allow that person to eat food that was spit on/contaminated? Because then ESH, and your whole establishment needs to be reported so none of us have the displeasure of accidentally eating there.”~m4mab3ar
“ESH You should have spoken up sooner. We are in a pandemic and this could have snowballed. Tanya should be fired and never work in food service again.”
”Your boss should also be fired for outing you and not firing Tanya. You are now in a hostile work environment. This should be reported higher up restaurant management chain and the health department, and you should have whistleblower protection.”~Glittering_Jess317
“ESH. I honestly want both of you to be fired. Why the hell didn’t you intercept the food?”
”You knew that she’d spit on it and you just let her serve that shit to a customer? In the middle of a pandemic where people may be immunocompromised or have a relative who is?”
“I’m just shocked at this. Neither of you should work at a restaurant.”~spectrespecs
“ESH- find a new job, one that doesn’t condone plague rat behavior and call the health department and corporate as well. Go tf off on any nasty person that gives you crap in the meantime.”
”That’s gross af. Edited to change judgment after realizing you let the customer eat that food.”~kairi79
And with that story our appetites for restaurant food are ruined.