Working in the service industry is an easy way to get an (often unwanted!) glimpse into other people's personal lives. Whether you waited tables at a fancy restaurant or hawked frozen yogurt on your college campus, chances are you saw some pretty strange stuff. As a largely invisible server (most people forget the staff exists), you bear witness to the world's troubles.
I can attest to this phenomenon: During my days as a server, I saw (and heard) plenty a personal debacle. I once waited on a girl who broke into tears after her boyfriend dumped her over text. I sent her a plate of cookies. (She didn't eat them — she just cried into her tea for another hour.)
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A recent Reddit thread asked users for their own version of my "crying-girl-ignoring-cookies" story. The original poster asked, "What is the most personal conversation you walked in on when going to take an order or check on the table?" The thread ballooned with tales of sex talks, breakups, and personal upheaval, all witnessed by the people pouring the drinks.
Here are a few of the highlights. They range from cringe-inducingly awkward to downright heartbreaking.
1. I don't know about these customers, but I probably would've wanted a dessert. Possibly two.
2. You're bringing this up NOW?! Right as our clam chowder arrives?
3. The lesson here is to take cantankerous men at their word.
4. All right, who's chopping onions at my desk?!
5. STDs: maybe not a dinnertime discussion.
6. I'm not sure real eyebrows and moral goodness are mutually inclusive, but, you know, who am I to say?
7. Sometimes there's just nothing left to say.
8. Restaurants: the best place to find a new grandson.
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