I’m working as a shift manager at a pizza chain. One of my drivers has just come back from his delivery when the phone rings.

Me: “Welcome to [Pizza Place], my name is [My Name]. How may I help you?“

Customer: “Yeah, I’ve been waiting for my pizza for like forty-five minutes now and I wanna know where the h*** it is.”

Me: “I’m sorry about that, sir.”

I get his delivery details, look at my driver, and mute the phone.

Me: “Didn’t you just come from there? Did you eat… five whole pizzas while in the car or something?”

Driver: “I gave the order to his roommate since it was already paid for. Should I not have done that?”

Me: “Usually that should be fine, unless they’re having a fight or something, but that’s not your problem in my book.”

I unmute the phone.

Me: “Okay, sir, thanks for waiting. Your order was actually already delivered. I just spoke to the driver in question, and he said he gave the order to your roommate. Is that possible?”

Customer: “Uh… let me check that.”

I hear a knock on a door and a quick exchange between the customer and another person.

Customer: “Yeah… uh… sorry… Bye.” *Click*

I am shift lead. We have two doors and we lock the door closest to the street since no one is currently allowed in our lobby. Customers have to stand behind a desk by the door and wait for us to take their payment and give them their food. Only one person in at a time.

A man tries to come in through the locked door, banging it and trying to jiggle the handle.

Me: “Go around.”

I have to tell him multiple times. He finally uses the other door and releases all his aggression on me.

Customer: “You know it’s f****** raining outside!”

Me: “Sir, we have to keep that door locked now because of health protocols. No customers are allowed in the lobby.”

Customer: “You guys are taking this s*** too seriously!”

I try to get his order out of him, and as I walk back with it, he comes behind the desk where he isn’t supposed to be.

Me: “Sir, I need you to stay behind the desk or I can’t give you your order.”

Customer: “I need to pay. I have to use the machine.”

Me: “I know you still need to pay, but I need you to stand behind the desk.”

He refuses to move. Another driver proceeds to direct him behind the desk, too.

Driver: “Sir, you gotta stand behind the desk or we can’t help you.”

Customer: “You guys are being overdramatic. Just give me my stuff.”

Me: “You need to listen, or I’ll call the authorities on you.”

He mimics me with his hand like a small child. So I end calling the cops, telling them he isn’t following health protocols, is putting people at risk, and is causing a public disturbance. After some other customers get served, the driver sees the customer is finally behind the desk. The driver takes his card and brings him his food. That’s when the cops arrive and the customer flips out.

Customer: “I hope you didn’t call the cops on me because that would have been stupid. All you people are overreacting with your masks!”

Cop: *Also wearing an N95 mask* “They did call the police on you.”

The customer threw his food onto the ground. The cop quickly cuffed him before anything else could happen and put him in the back of the squad car before getting statements while I sanitized everything this customer touched!

I get a call one evening around eight, while all of my drivers are out on delivery.

Me: “Hello, this is [Pizza Place]. How can I help you?”

Customer: “My pizza is cold!”

Me: “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. We will get that fixed right away. What was the name on the order?”

Customer: “[Customer]! I didn’t have time to open the box right away, but it is stone-cold now. It shouldn’t be cold!”

I look up the name, but it doesn’t match any of the orders we have out.

Me: “You are right; our pizza should be delivered in a warmer to keep it hot. I’m not seeing your name. This is the [Street] location of [Pizza Place]. Is that where you ordered from?”

Customer: “Yes, of course, it is! Do you think I don’t know where I ordered?”

Me: “Not at all, I’m just trying to find the order. What time was the delivery for?”

I figure that might get me more results than implying that she doesn’t know what name she ordered it under.

Customer: “Ten.”

Me: *Confused* “Oh, did the driver deliver the order early?”

I start paging to see if we have orders queued up for later delivery.

Customer: “What? No, I got it at ten, but I didn’t have time to eat it last night, and now it’s cold.”

Me: *Realizing exactly what she is saying* “Ma’am… are you calling to complain that a pizza you left out overnight wasn’t hot when you opened the box?”

There were several seconds of silence before she hung up, apparently realizing just how foolish that sounded when it was voiced aloud.

This happens the day of the huge National Football championship game, so naturally, this take-and-bake pizza place is crazy busy. I am waiting patiently with at least ten to fifteen other customers when this lady starts complaining.

Customer: “When is my order going to be ready?”

Employee: “Ma’am, we’re making them as fast as we can. We’ll call your name when it’s ready.”

Customer: “But I called in my order specifically so I wouldn’t have to wait.”

Employee: “So did a lot of other people. We’re making them in the order we get them.”

Customer: *Throwing up her hands in exasperation* “Where’s the manager?”

Everyone in the waiting area is now visibly uncomfortable. The manager, who has been making the pizzas right alongside his employees, steps up to the counter.

Manager: “What can I help you with?”

Customer: “I don’t understand why you haven’t made my order yet. I called ahead so you should be making mine first.”

Manager: “I understand, but a lot of other people called in their orders before you and we make them in the order we receive them.”

Customer: “But I called ahead. Why are you making all these other people’s orders before mine?”

Manager: “Like I said, we’re making them in the order we get them and we’ve had a lot of orders called in. We’re working as fast as we can.”

Me: “Lady, we’re all waiting, same as you. Yelling isn’t gonna make them go faster.”

She glares at me and grudgingly decides to cancel her order. After several more minutes of her fuming while the manager cancels the order and refunds her money, she stomps out.

Manager: “Thank you. You would not believe the day we’ve had.”

Me: “I can imagine. Take your time. It’s just pizza.”

After about another hour of waiting, I got my order and made sure to leave a big tip. I just hope they all got a good relaxing break after dealing with all that. They looked absolutely exhausted.

I work in a mom-and-pop pizza place; I’ve been there for about three months. I generally show up about twenty minutes early every day and am asked to start working right away. I’m always willing, but I clock in first.

One day, the owners come to talk to me.

Owners: “Why do you always clock in early?”

Me: “I’m always asked to start working when I get here, and I always get here early.”

Owners: “You can’t clock in early. Just work off the clock for that time. We will change your time card to reflect what time you are supposed to start.”

Keep in mind, all of my coworkers have gotten used to me getting there early, so sometimes they leave early.

The next day, I was scheduled to work at 5:00. As usual, the day crew expected me to be there early and work, so three of the four workers clocked off at 4:30. Since I was told that I wouldn’t get paid, I decided to show up at 4:59. I clocked in right at 5:00.

In the half-hour that those three people were off, $200 worth of food was ordered.