Most customers assume they can place an order anytime before a restaurant closes.

That’s exactly what this customer thought after ordering a cold sandwich for pickup about 20 minutes before closing time.

Since the restaurant didn’t have to cook anything or deliver the order, the customer figured the timing wouldn’t cause any problems.

However, upon picking up their sandwich, an employee started yelling from the back and insisted nobody should order after 8:30, even though the restaurant didn’t close until 9:00.

Now the customer can’t help wondering if grabbing a quick sandwich before closing crossed the line.

Keep reading to weigh in on this situation.

AITAH for ordering a sub for pickup at 8:40 when they close at 9?

I was on my way home and was near a Jimmy John’s, so I placed a mobile order at 8:40. By the time I got there, parked, and picked up the order, it was 8:48.

The worker who handed me my order was nice to me, but there was another worker in the back yelling that I shouldn’t be ordering food past 8:30 since they close at 9:00 p.m.

I ordered the Pepe with a bag of chips on the side and a fountain drink. The Pepe is a cold sub with ham, cheese, lettuce, mayo, and tomato. According to the receipt they gave me, the order was completed at 8:44.

Inside the restaurant, there was a guy sitting at one of the tables eating, and he didn’t leave until after I did, so I wasn’t the only one there.

She can’t stop thinking about if it was the wrong thing to do or not.

I immediately left after I grabbed my food and filled my drink, and it was 8:50. I wasn’t even going to eat there! Should I not have ordered food?

My thinking was that since they wouldn’t have to cook anything or deliver it, and I was super close, it would be okay. But if I’m in the wrong, please let me know.

I know in the food industry people start doing dishes and putting things away before closing, but for simple orders, is it a rude move to order less than 30 minutes before close?

I feel really bad and hope I didn’t ruin the worker’s day. 😭

Hmm. That’s a tough call, but employees should probably not act like this.

Let’s see what the fine folks over at Reddit think about it.

That’s a great way to explain it.

Exactly! This is spot-on.

According to this comment, cold sandwiches are easy.

This person doesn’t think she could’ve made it easier.

There really isn’t anything wrong with what she did.

She placed an easy order about 20 minutes before closing, and picked it up and left before nine. If she had placed the order at 8:59, that would be a different story.

But restaurants stay open until their posted closing time, and employees usually understand that customers will keep coming in until then.

It definitely isn’t fun when an order comes in right before closing, but that’s just part of working in the service industry. As long as customers don’t linger after closing or make unreasonable requests, they shouldn’t feel guilty for ordering during normal business hours.