This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Magi, who works as a waiter at an American Chinese restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida. The conversation has been transcribed, condensed, and edited for clarity by Aaron Mak.
We started letting people dine in right at the end of last month. Takeout is still pretty busy, not as bad as it was. For dine-in the whole dynamic of the restaurant has changed, because it used to be four servers on one side and four servers on the other side. Now we’ll have one lead server on each side, and then they have anywhere from two to four support servers to help them with anything that they need. It’s very stressful on the lead server.
In the beginning [when we reopened for dine-in], people just trickled in and they weren’t quite sure. We have quite a large elderly crowd and we’re starting to get some of those people back. For the most part, they just wear a mask. Our reservations have been crazy busy. Everybody wants to call ahead and make sure that they’re going to be able to get a table, because we have limited seating.
There was this one Karen who went out to eat with her two friends and she immediately wanted the manager. But she made a point to say, “Not until after we’re done eating.” It was just crazy to me cause she was like, “You guys reuse this [silverware]. This is so unsanitary. I need to speak to the manager.” She was mad about the chopsticks, which are made of hard plastic. She wanted the plastic forks and spoons and knives, and she made a whole big thing about it, which, again, isn’t a big deal.
Fussy customers are only women, are they? 'Karens' is a gendered, misogynistic term. How about Slate give it a rest?
Apparently all lives matter until you ask a self entitled person to prove it.
$8 for a muffin?
Management should grow balls and have security escort such nuisances out of the restaurant. They can go order pizza or go to a drive through
There should be a Karen upcharge for having to put up with them.