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Being polite to strangers is a gamble that doesn’t always pay off.

One longtime server at a pizza chain in a fairly wealthy community had a small habit of courtesy. The restaurant only poured Pepsi, so whenever someone asked for a Coke, the server checked if a substitute was okay first.

Most guests were fine with it. Every so often, one was annoyed that the menu didn’t carry their brand.

Then a woman ordered a Diet Coke at a table of six, and the server offered a Diet Pepsi. She rolled her eyes, sneered, and snapped for water with lemon instead, as though the server had done something wrong by asking.

That’s when the server decided her polite days were over.

Keep reading for the full story.

I’LL HAVE WATER, WITH LEMON

I worked FOH (host, busser, then server) for five years at a pretty decent national pizza joint in a fairly wealthy community.

We had Pepsi products.

This server likes to try and be as proactive as possible.

Trying to be a decent server, I would ask if Pepsi was OK when they asked for a Coke.

God forbid they look at the menu to see what we carry.

Most customers are reasonable, but others aren’t.

Most people are reasonable and don’t care that much, but occasionally someone would be annoyed by our fountain beverage offering.

One day, I finally had enough. Gathering initial drink orders from a 6-top, a woman asked for a Diet Coke.

I said, “Diet Pepsi?”

The customer proceeded to make a huge deal of this.

With contempt, she sneered at me, “Ughhh, I’LL HAVE WATER, WITH LEMON.”

At that moment, I decided never again.

So she decided to adjust her approach.

For my last year and a half, I never asked if Pepsi products were an acceptable substitute for their Coke request.

Not once did I get called out for it by a patron.

Pepsi is better anyways…

Every server has their limits.

What did Reddit think?

This user insinuates this server has it easy compared to some.

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Coke and Pepsi aren’t comparable to this connoisseur.

This user defends the customer’s side.

Some people take their cola allegiance very seriously.

The funniest part of this is how much drama a fountain soda can cause.

A woman got so offended by a Diet Pepsi that she switched to water with lemon, which is a more dramatic protest than the situation called for.

This server learned that when you overcomplicate things with customers, you pay for it.

Either way, the soda world kept turning.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.