When things get hectic at work, the last thing you want to deal with is an angry customer.

So, what would you do if a customer got in your face, trying to intimidate you over something you couldn’t help with? Would you stay quiet and get a manager? Or would you tell him to back up and give you space?

In the following story, a server finds himself in this situation and ends up walking out after doing the latter. Here’s how it played out.

AITA for telling a customer he needs to back up?

I’m a server, though I left mid-shift today because of the fallout from this, so maybe not for long lol.

Last weekend was super busy in the afternoon, and our kitchen was not prepared for it. Every table that was seated was told that they would be waiting at least an hour for food (to give them the chance to go somewhere else if they needed to eat quickly).

The back patio is divided into two sections. I had one, and the other server had the other. One of her tables was a (regular) group of bikers who had been drinking a bit while they waited.

He tried to explain the problem to the customer.

Eventually, one of the bikers gets up, storms over to me while I’m on my way to one of my tables, and leans in to me. And I mean leans into me. I’m 6’0 (m), and this dude is easy four or five inches taller than me, but right now his face is less than an inch from mine. To me, it was an obvious intimidation tactic.

He loudly says, “We’ve been waiting 45 minutes for our food.”

Me: “Yeah sorry about that, our kitchen got slammed and we didn’t expect this many people today with the summer coming to an end. That’s why we told everybody there would be a pretty long wait.”

Then, the guy got louder and closer.

Him: (more loudly and aggressively, and now closing the little distance between our faces. If I didn’t have a mask, his face may have brushed my beard) “NO. Where is our food?”

Me: “You need to take a step back.”

He makes this astounded face and heads back to sit down, and I continue to serve my table, who is sympathetic to me.

Of course, the table complained to the manager.

I come back again in a minute to the aggressive bikers to tell them the kitchen is working on their food as we speak, and the big guy rolls his eyes and his friend does the “talk to the hand” thing and says, “We’re done with you.”

So I continue my rounds without saying anything.

They complain, and my manager and the other server both give me trouble for telling the customer to back up and that I should have just gone to tell the manager after instead, and said nothing.

Their comments made him walk out.

I said that wasn’t how the real world works, and that this dude was one step from violence, and there’s no way that it was acceptable. The owner tells me he’s a regular, so I should suck it up. I explain that there is no way I ever intend to let her customers abuse me just because they are regulars.

Today I come in, and the same other server is working, and she starts getting on my case about it again (she didn’t see it happen, just the complaint), as does the owner.

Both are complaining about how it’s customer service, and the customer is always right. The other server actually harped on me so much that I just walked out.

AITA?

Wow! Working for someone who doesn’t have your back is always rough.

Let’s check out how the folks over at Reddit feel about this whole thing.

This person would find a new job.

Yet another reader who thinks he needs a new workplace.

According to this comment, he handled it well.

The reaction was appropriate for this person.

The customer needs to learn respect.

When someone gets in your face like that, the nicest thing you can do is ask them to back up.

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.