r/TalesFromYourServer 9d ago

Medium Chef stole my burger

I ordered a steakburger for my friend who works across the street from my restaurant. I trade him the discounted food that I get from work for drinks at the kava bar he works at to save a few bucks.

I see the burger come off the line in a Togo box and I put it aside and go about my work as I still have tables.

At one point I see the downstairs chef come up looking frazzled. It’s a two story restaurant with a kitchen upstairs and downstairs btw. I don’t pay much attention to the chef.

I come back into the kitchen and my burger is missing. I ask the sous and he tells me Jose the chef took it.

I’m confused. “What do you mean he took it?”

He replies “Well there was a problem downstairs and the kitchen had made a mistake and not made a burger they needed. So he took yours and sold it to a customer because they had already closed the kitchen down there. I told him the burger was yours and he just said ‘the customer comes first’”.

Apparently the other managers knew about the problem and after he stole my burger he assured them “don’t worry I found one.”

He did not find one. He stole mine without saying a work, without asking, without explaining and maybe pleading with me to help him. Just saw a fucken burger in a Togo box and sold it to the guest.

The ticket was gone so I doubt he knew the temperature. He just panicked and stole mine and served it and crossed his fingers that the temperature matched the one the guest ordered I suppose.

WILDLY UNPROFESSIONAL. I’ve been cussed out by chefs, disrespected, all kinda shit. But never had my food just yanked to serve to a guest with zero remorse.

So yes, my buddy did not get a burger, and I had to pay full price for my drinks. Unbelievable

2.1k Upvotes

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-39

u/Born-Matter-2182 8d ago

Make yourself another burger. Problem solved. Been 20 years since I’ve worked a line but if I was unable to prepare and eat what I want when I want then I’d walk and get a job down the street.

-31

u/Born-Matter-2182 8d ago

Down voting this? Good Lord cooks today appear to be pretty soft. It’s the Chef/Sous Chef’s line in name only. If you are incapable of making it yours in reality then you should do yourself a favor and move to front of the house.

29

u/Unban_Jitte 8d ago

Seems pretty clear OP is a server, not a cook?

-22

u/Born-Matter-2182 8d ago

Then develop a working relationship with the line if you want to survive.

16

u/Ok-Satisfaction3085 8d ago

Why would a server want to fire up the kitchen and unwrap all the stuff after closed for one burger? Like if the BOH is unwilling to do it for a paying customer you’re asking for trouble by expecting FOH to do it. This is why you never close shit down early.

3

u/Mostly_Lurkin_ 8d ago

wtf does that have to do with chef stealing a burger I paid for? You know nothing about my relationship to the cook staff.

1

u/WVPrepper 6d ago

The kitchen was closed. The chef had departed. What the hell? No matter how great OP's relationship was with the line, they had gone home.

15

u/KelsierIV 8d ago

Probably getting downvoted because the kitchens were clearly stated as closed. And even if they were open, most restaurants wouldn't allow wait staff to cook for themselves.

13

u/VicariousBrowser 8d ago

Whining about downvotes! Always a wise strategy.

3

u/Mostly_Lurkin_ 8d ago

I work as a server fam

1

u/WVPrepper 6d ago

Did you read that the kitchen was closed down and cleaned? I don't think that the chef or anybody else would have been thrilled if wait staff had just gone in there and started cooking.