Passion projects have a funny way of turning into unpaid labor when people smell a freebie.

So when a professional chef was publicly asked by a friend in her social group to cater his wedding “with no pressure” and no pay, the vibe shifted from celebratory to extremely suspicious.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTAH If I said no to cooking for a friends wedding?

So, I’m a professional chef, and I throw little dinner parties for friends to keep cooking fun, not just work.

It’s how I stay connected to the joy of it.

But one day, she was met with a pretty big request.

A friend asked me to cater their wedding, assuming I’d do it for free and acting like it was an honor.

I get that being part of a wedding is an honor, but cooking for 30+ people is way more work than an honor.

But this friend put a lot of pressure on her.

Here’s the kicker: we’re in a social athletic group.

He asked me in front of everyone, literally saying, “no pressure, but would you be willing to do this?”

Bullcrap, “no pressure.”

This completely rubbed this chef the wrong way.

He should have asked me in private, don’t you think?

I took a moment to explain what it would take to produce something like this.

Her friend didn’t seem to understand that this would be a massive undertaking.

He was not listening and kept saying, “all that matters is that we are getting married.”

Hey, that’s great, but you’ll have to pay for the plates, napkins, food, extra help?

He has no concept of logistics on this matter.

He assumed that I would be thrilled to do this for him and didn’t even consider offering to pay me for this “honor.”

She’s all about helping out, but really feels like her friend is crossing a boundary.

I am a very generous person, but I’m pretty sure that this is too much.

Now, the party is supposed to be capped at .

But in my experience, the guest list tends to grow as you get closer to the event.

I’m pretty sure they expect me to do it for free.

WIBTAH if I said no?

The wedding needs a true caterer, not an unpaid volunteer.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter reminds this chef it’s fully in her right to just say no.

How she responds in this instance has long lasting implications.

This is more like unpaid labor than a heartfelt invitation.

Letting her friend get away with this would be a huge mistake.

Love may be priceless, but professional catering definitely isn’t.

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