8x bizarre and disgusting behavior by restaurant guests: things you really shouldn’t do

We love the hospitality industry – that much is clear. But these anecdotes from hospitality workers show why it can sometimes be difficult to maintain the Netherlands’ reputation for hospitality. From the downright rude to the simply disgusting, here are the most bizarre behaviors hospitality staff have encountered, turning their workday into the script of a bad movie.

1. Could you clip your yellow toenails somewhere else?

What do you do when you’re standing behind the bar and suddenly hear the sound of gigantic toenails being clipped? Well, one hospitality worker described it as follows: “I was standing behind the bar when I suddenly heard a sound I recognized, but couldn’t place. It turned out to be the sound of a man clipping his gigantic toenails and dropping the clippings on the floor.” After a brief moment of shock, the employee politely asked whether the guest would clean up his own mess. Apparently, this guest hadn’t realized that this wasn’t exactly the most hygienic behavior in a restaurant.

2. “Throw that dirty diaper away”

Here’s another example of someone treating completely abnormal behavior as perfectly normal: “It was the lunch rush, and I was walking across the terrace when I saw a woman changing her baby at the table. As if that wasn’t enough, she asked me to throw away the poopy diaper.” Believe us, this really isn’t the time or place to change your baby’s diaper in the middle of a restaurant. Bizarre, but unfortunately true.

3. After-dinner dip

We’ve all experienced that after-dinner dip: relaxing a little after a filling meal. But this couple may have taken it a bit too far. A hospitality worker was working in a hotel cocktail bar when a couple decided to sneak into a hotel room and “lie on the bed for a bit to let their food settle.” Yes, it really happened. The couple probably thought it was a relaxing moment, but the staff weren’t having it and quickly brought this adventure to an end.

4. Game over: arcade machines and unwelcome activities

Do you know what you shouldn’t do in a restaurant’s arcade? Use the arcade machines for inappropriate activities. “I caught a group of guys playing the arcade machine with their penises. Seriously! I told them their evening was over. The group slunk away with their tails between their legs and their penises.” Yes, you read that correctly. The arcade suddenly became the setting for a very different kind of “game.”

5. That’s not how you eat vongole

Who doesn’t love a good spaghetti alle vongole? But there’s a right way to eat it, and a wrong way. An employee described a scene in which a guest was struggling to eat his vongole (clams). It was so painful to watch that tears welled up in his eyes. The man had tried to chew the shells, but got no further than pain and frustration. “That’s not how you eat vongole, sir,” the employee said. Oops.

Someone’s business in my establishment

You expect a certain amount from a hospitality venue, but a guest openly masturbating at the table? That’s another matter entirely. “A couple came up to me to say that the man at the table next to them was masturbating. I immediately asked him to leave (pun intended).” Clearly not desirable behavior in a restaurant!

7. Keep your fingers out of our staff meal

The employees had just settled down to enjoy their meal break when a woman casually stuck her fingers into the staff meal. “She quickly looked at the containers of food and just dove in, as if it were her own plate.” The employee’s question was simple: “Is this normal?” The woman quickly walked away, but the damage had already been done.

8. Poop pants: yuck!

This is without a doubt the worst experience. A woman was sitting at the bar drinking a beer when an incredible stench suddenly began to spread. It turned out that the woman had soiled herself, with the mess running down her trouser leg. The employee had to escort the woman outside as quickly as possible, after which he cleaned up the enormous mess she had left behind. This was undoubtedly one of the less enjoyable workdays in the hospitality industry.

The moral of the story: respect hospitality staff

What can we learn from these stories? Respect hospitality staff, people! They deserve more appreciation for their hard work, especially when they’re confronted with this kind of bizarre behavior. So the next time you go out to eat or have a drink somewhere: be friendly, respectful, and clean up your mess. Thanks on behalf of all the hospitality workers who spoke out anonymously.

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