Servers typically go above and beyond to ensure their customers get what they need, but even they have limits.
In a viral video that has been liked more than 485,000 times, TikToker Syd (@poorandhungry) acts out a skit where a coworker had to set some boundaries and refused to give in to a customer’s request to charge their phone.
“What can I get you,” the server asked at the beginning of the clip.
“Um, I think we’re still deciding, but can you charge my phone?” she responded as the customer.
@poorandhungry This happened to a coworker my FIRST SHIFT EVER and i will never touch your belongings #host #server #restaurant #customerservice ♬ original sound – $yd
The server refused to give in to the customer’s request because she didn’t have a cord to charge the phone and also didn’t want to have to babysit someone else’s device. She instructs the customer to ask the hostess for help, but the situation continued to escalate.
“Um, ok here is a charging cord, and here is my phone,” the customer said while attempting to hand over the device.
Still, the server wasn’t having it.
“I appreciate the extra hardware that you’ve provided,” she responded. “I’m not going to take your phone because if I plug it in and then walk away from it for an hour — which I will — and someone takes it, I do not wanna be liable for that.”
In a bid to still provide good customer service, the server again recommends the customer seek help from the server.
“The host might be able to help you, I’m just not gonna be your girl,” she finally concludes.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the TikTok creator via email. Viewers took to the comment section to voice their opinion on customers needing to charge their phones while dining.
“Portable batteries should be the standard at this point,” one user wrote. “I never leave home without one.”
“It’s crazy what people expect,” another person wrote. “I was in a chain restaurant recently, and there were plugs with USB ports at all the tables. Someone was thinking!”
“Only regulars get phone charging privilege,” someone else commented.
Others explained how their restaurant handles the common request.
“We put multiple chargers at the corner of our bar and tell people they can put it there if they want, but we won’t take it, and we aren’t responsible,” one user wrote.
TikTok user @poorandhungry is well-known for her service industry takes. She has over a million views on her videos, including one that explained how she got duped into thinking a trailer park restaurant was fancy and another where she argues the “dumbest” workers typically get promoted.