(I work at a well-known fast food joint which specializes in fried chicken. We sell potato and gravy as a side to go with our popular bucket meals. On this particular day I arrive half-an-hour early for my shift, so I go and sit down and wait until it’s time to clock in. While I’m waiting I notice a customer, leaving the store with his young daughter, drop a tub of potato and gravy on the ground. The girl’s father panics and immediately goes and summons my manager.)

Customer: “I’m so sorry! My daughter has spilt potato and gravy everywhere.”

Manager: *cheerful and smiling* “That’s okay; don’t worry about it. It’s not a problem, really.”

Customer: “Thank you so much. Once again, I’m really sorry.”

(The customer then proceeds to exit the store with his young daughter. I then notice my manager making his way back to the office without even bothering to clean up the mess left behind by the customer’s daughter. As soon as I clock in, I go to clean up the mess, which has since been walked on by multiple customers over the half-an-hour period it had been left sitting there, getting smeared everywhere.)

Me: *sighs*

(This story was told to me by a coworker a few years after the event. On the evening of September 11, 2001, the restaurant is full of customers buying food or just a coffee discussing the day’s events with each other. The store closes at midnight, but many customers have lost track of the time and stay. The doors to the lobby are typically locked at 11 pm, so staff has had to help customers leave during the last hour and during cleaning. Most customers have left by midnight, but two old women remain talking to each other. Finally, the cleaning is finished and the staff is ready to clock out and go home, at about 1 am.)

Coworker: “Excuse me, ma’am?”

Woman: “Yes?”

Coworker: “We closed an hour ago. We’re getting ready to shut the lights off and go home.”

Woman: “Oh, we didn’t mean to keep you! But… have you heard about the power of Jesus?”

(Tired and exhausted, my coworker winds up replying:)

Coworker: “Ma’am, if you don’t go, you’re going to feel the power of Satan!”

(It is 2013. I am counting out a register at closing and find the rattiest-looking coupon I have ever seen. It is very old, wrinkled, and the paper is super soft and almost cloth-like from being folded and crumpled so many times. The expiration date is what really gets me. Even though our restaurant is really lax about expiration dates on coupons, the oldest coupons that customers usually try to use are a few months or so old.)

Me: “[Manager], look at this!”

(My manager is counting the register beside me and grabs the coupon I hand over. She too sees the expiration date.)

Manager: “1995? Well, I know one policy that’ll be changing soon!”

(The next day after a managers’ meeting, there is a sign on the bulletin board in the back room.)

Sign: “Attention All Employees: No coupons may be accepted more than a year past their expiration date!”

(My friends and I, along with my one-year-old daughter, meet for lunch at the same time every week in this particular restaurant. We always sit near the doors since the tables there are the easiest to fit the three adults, a highchair, and a buggy around without disrupting staff or other customers too much. This time, a staff member cleans down the table and highchair for us as soon as she spots us arranging ourselves.)

Cashier: *cleaning other tables and comes by to take some rubbish away, notices my food sitting as I feed the baby and checks the temperature of the packaging* “Oh, these chips are cold. I’ll get you some fresh ones.”

Me: *surprised* “Oh, there’s no need. I appreciate it but I don’t mind them cold.”

Cashier: “It’s no problem; I’ll just grab them now.”

(She comes back with a fresh-from-the-fryer portion of chips. My friend then tells me that she’d been given a discount on her order from this cashier as well, seemingly for no reason other than being polite. I know we do our best to be good customers but this was a shock for me — the staff are generally friendly but never quite this level. Then as we are leaving…)

Cashier: *runs out after us, indicates baby* “I just realised we never gave her anything. These are probably a bit old for her but she’ll grow into them soon!”

(She gave me a board book and magnet set that they usually give out with kid’s meals. I’m still shocked by how kind she was since I never order food for the baby, but it’s one reason why we go there every week without fail.)

(I’m at a popular fast food place ordering a fudge ice cream sundae. My ice cream arrives with almost no fudge on it.)

Me: “Excuse me, could I please get some more fudge?”

Employee: “I’m not the master of fudge!”

(I didn’t get my fudge, but I did get a good story!)