Restaurant Manager Brands Churchgoers as Worst Customers – Shares ‘Experience from Hell
Recently, a restaurant manager took to social media to share an incredibly stressful experience she faced at work involving a particularly rowdy group of churchgoers.
In a viral TikTok clip, TikToker Kellie, known by the username @ambryrae, recounted her harrowing ordeal with what she termed the “Church Crowd,” highlighting the difficulties restaurant staff encounter when managing large, demanding groups.
Kellie described her chaotic encounter with a group of 25 churchgoers during her busy Sunday shift. The Church Crowd arrived at the restaurant at 2 pm without a reservation, expecting immediate seating. Given the already crowded restaurant, Kellie informed them of a wait time of an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.
Initially, the group agreed to wait, but one member continuously asked when they would be seated, prompting Kellie to repeatedly reiterate the original wait time. “We had a 25-top walk in with no reservation on a Sunday. They had no reservation, and I told them it’s going to be a wait for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes because it’s really busy,” she explained.
Once the large area for the group was prepared, a member of the Church Crowd seemed unimpressed that they weren’t receiving a “private room.” Kellie clarified that the restaurant didn’t have private rooms and that options were limited for a party of 25.
“Before they even got their food, the lady asked, ‘Well, how long is this going to take?’ and I’m like, ‘Ma’am, your servers can’t put your food in until you’re seated,’” Kellie recounted.
“When we brought out the salads and the bread, they started switching seats. We have a 25-top, and they’re switching seats like it’s musical chairs,” she said. “One guy already wanted collard greens. We don’t serve collard greens at this restaurant, and we’re an Italian restaurant.”
Kellie took a short break away from the Church Crowd, but soon heard a ruckus coming from their table. She discovered them banging tambourines and various other musical instruments. Meanwhile, another table was being rather loud, and the Church Crowd asked Kellie if she could tell them to keep it down as they were currently engaged in a “worship session.”
The tipping point occurred when a young member of the group was unable to cover his bill, which had to be split 25 ways. The Church Crowd leader suddenly transformed into what Kellie described as “sweet as pie,” asking Kellie to “bless” the young man by comping his meal.
Kellie resisted, pointing out that the group, bringing 25 people to the establishment, could collectively contribute to cover the cost. Ultimately, the leader reluctantly covered the young man’s bill, leaving a $50 tip on a $350 bill.
“She just kept looking at me, and she’s like, ‘Well, you could bless him.’ ‘Ma’am, that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works,’” Kellie explained. “She just had the audacity to say, ‘Well, if you weren’t charging us for his food, then I would’ve tipped you more.’”
@ambryrae I really wished they woulda gathered in the name of the Lord somewhere else that day…. #restaurant #manager #serverlife #serverproblems #servertiktok ♬ original sound – Kellie With A *IE*
Finishing off her video, Kellie reflected on the disparity between the teachings of the church and the behavior exhibited in the restaurant. “I just wanna know what y’all be learning in church because once y’all leave that church and y’all come to these restaurants, y’all are some of the meanest… some of the most unkind people that we ever have to serve,” she said.
Seeing the humor in the situation, Kellie suggested a solution might be to inform people’s pastors about their shocking behavior!
