Imagine working as a server at a restaurant. If a customer placed an order but changed their mind after it was already prepared and decided not to eat it, would you still expect them to pay for the food they ordered?

In this story, one server is in this situation, and she definitely still expects the customers to pay their bill, but she’s wondering if it makes a difference that one of the customers is autistic.

Let’s read the whole story.

AITAH for telling an autistic person that their disability isn’t an excuse for not paying for services rendered?

I work as a server in a restaurant. A couple of nights ago I had a couple in their 30s come in around 2 a.m.

As I took their order the husband mentioned that all the food had to be on separate plates for his wife as she is autistic and will not eat foods that share the same plate. They then proceed to order.

She wanted a kids meal however restaurant policy states that kids meals can only be bought for kids… I explain this policy and explain that everything on the kids menu is available to adults for a slightly higher price (combined it all came out to about $1.50 more in price).

The husband agrees and I send the order to the kitchen.

The couple decided to leave.

We are a little busier than normal as it’s homecoming weekend and we have lots of big parties.

About 20 minutes pass and the husband flag me down and states that his wife is having a panic attack and they need to pay for their drink and leave.

I ask for one second to make the kitchen aware that their order is no longer needed and he agrees.

When I go to the kitchen I’m told the food is already prepared so I ask for it to be boxed up to go.

The couple didn’t like that solution.

I return to the floor, explain that the food has been prepared and I am having it boxed to go for them.

The wife them states because of her panic attack she will not be able to eat.

I explain that I am sorry that she had a panic attack but as they came into the restaurant, ordered the food, and that it was already prepared they would be expected to pay for the services rendered however I would comp their drinks if they would like.

The woman is really trying to get out of paying the bill.

She then asked why she should have to pay for food she wouldn’t be able to consume.

And I simply stated that once the food was ordered and cooked the company required compensation for services rendered and that even if they were to stay in the restaurant and not eat any of the food and leave it at the table they would still be expected to pay for what they ordered.

She then reiterated that she had a panic attack and that I should have recognized she was having a medical episode.

To which I replied that I am a server and not a trained medical provider and that if she was being escorted out of the restaurant on a stretcher then I would make an exception but as she was currently speaking with me coherently I failed to see how her medical condition warranted her not paying her bill.

She thinks she made the right decision.

Today I received a complaint that they filed with our corporate office saying that I discriminated against them by make them pay for food that the wife wouldn’t be able to consume due to her having an panic attack induced by her autism.

However I would have done the same with any customer regardless of who they are.

I actually think that making an exception for them solely because she is disabled would be a form of discrimination as I would be treating her differently than I would treat others solely because of her disability.

So my question is AITAH for not making an exception or did I do the right thing by having them pay for the food they ordered.

I agree that the couple should pay for the food. They can always put it in the refrigerator and eat it the next day.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

It’s really pretty simple.

This person thinks it sounds like a scam.

A parent with autism weighs in.

She should’ve gotten a manager.

Here’s another vote for letting a manager handle it.

If you order it, you have to pay for it.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.