I used to manage a pizza restaurant. A customer came in one night just before closing and asked what was on the combination pizza. I told him that the combo includes salami, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, onion, sausage, beef, and linguica. He ordered a medium.

I made the pizza and cut it up and boxed it, all while the customer sat perusing our menu board (which included pictures of said combo). I handed it to him over the counter and told him to have a good night. He opened the box.

Customer: “Oh, I forgot I was allergic to mushrooms. Can you make it again without mushrooms?”

My only available reply was:

Me: “You forgot you were allergic to mushrooms after you read it on the menu, I told you about them when you asked what was on it, and you saw there is a picture of it—” *pointing* “—right there?!”

Customer: “Yeah. So, can you make another?”

Me: “No, sir, I cannot. It is past our closing, and you should have been well aware of your own food allergies when you ordered the pizza.”

I refunded him his money.

Me: “Have a good night.”

I ate his pizza with my other closing employee. It was fantastic.

Related:
There Is Mushroom For Improvement, Part 6
There Is Mushroom For Improvement, Part 5
There Is Mushroom For Improvement, Part 4
There Is Mushroom For Improvement, Part 3
There Is Mushroom For Improvement, Part 2

I’m a manager of a restaurant that delivers steak, chicken, and burger meals.

A customer calls in with a complaint that the food they got made them and their partner sick, and they want a refund. After some back and forth, I tell them to give the food back to the driver and their money will be refunded.

They call after a while since the driver hasn’t arrived with the refund yet.

Customer: “Where’s our money? We’ve been waiting a long time.”

Me: “The driver is on the way. He’ll be there shortly.”

Customer: “He’d better. We got pizza coming and need the money to pay for it.”

This was before cell phones were common, so I couldn’t call the driver and tell him to cancel the refund and come back to the store.

I ordered a large item from [Big Box Store] online, and for weeks it sat at “waiting to be sent.” I finally ordered a different one and went to cancel the first one. I hate talking to people, so I chose to have someone email me. That day, I got an email from someone. He asked what I needed. I simply said I needed an item canceled with a refund, since I never received it, and sent a picture.

I soon got a separate email notifying me of my refund and explaining that he was able to process it. I sent back a “Thank you!” and thought that would be that. But this was his response:

Worker: “You’re welcome. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you. I must say, you’ve been very kind and understanding. It’s been an honor assisting you today. Thank you so much for being an amazing customer. I hope you have an amazing year ahead and an amazing rest of your day.

“If there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know and I will be glad to assist.

“Take care — and I wish continued health and safety to you and everyone whom you cherish. stay Safe!”

Oh, buddy, who hurt you?! It’s terrible that simply saying “thank you” is enough to warrant such praise.

When our chain first introduced its spicy chicken sandwich, there was some confusion.

Customer: “Are your spicy chicken sandwiches spicy?”

Me: “They’re pretty spicy, but not unbearably so. It’s less spicy than hot sauce but a bit spicier than mild sauce. If you’re not sure, I suggest that you avoid the spicy chicken.”

Customer: “I like spicy stuff. I’ll have the spicy chicken.”

After having eaten two-thirds of the chicken:

Customer: “This is too spicy; I want my money back so I can get something different. I had no idea that it was going to be this spicy.”

Me: “I warned you. You said that you liked spicy things, you ate well over half the sandwich, and there are flames shooting out of the picture of the sandwich on the promotional billboards all over the store. No.”

The customer demanded to see my manager. When he got to the counter, I let him explain everything and didn’t interrupt.

Manager: “Did you see the sign that says spicy chicken? Did you order a spicy chicken? Did you notice the flames shooting out of the picture?”

Customer: “Well… yes.”

At this point, my manager just started laughing and said:

Manager: “No. I’m not going to refund you for a sandwich that you ate.”

Customer: “I need to return this.”

He hands me yesterday’s paper.

Me: “Why are you returning it?”

Customer: “So I can buy today’s paper.”

Me: “I can’t do that.”

Customer: “But that paper has expired. I need the new one!”

It wasn’t even that he was being a jerk about it or anything; he just seriously couldn’t comprehend why it was an issue.