A woman has a public service announcement for servers and bartenders dealing with customers who order mocktails, or non-alcoholic beverages: Not to question it.
Rhiannon (@relatablerhiannon) shared how she was out with some friends when she was seven months pregnant, and a server made her feel weird about ordering a mocktail.
“A few years ago, my husband and I went to this really upscale restaurant with our friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday,” she shared in a video that was viewed over 769,000 times.
She said that after she ordered a drink off the mocktail menu, “the server literally stops everything, looks, and is, like, ‘You know that doesn’t have alcohol, right? It’s a mocktail.’”
Rhiannon said she had to inform him that she was pregnant.
“Point being, servers, please don’t do this. You never know the reason why someone’s not drinking,” she said. “In the future, let’s not do that if you’re in the service industry.”
A few viewers said they felt the server had good reason for double-checking that a mocktail is what Rhiannon wanted to order, and it has to do with other customers. “I have a feeling it’s because the server probably got scolded by a customer for NOT telling someone it didn’t have alcohol in it,” one said, while another argued, “Definitely understand your point however youd be astonished with how many people simply do not read the menu & will complain bc ‘theres no alcohol.'”
But Rhiannon told the Daily Dot she didn’t mind that the server letting her know the mocktails were non-alcoholic; she took issue with how he went about it.
“He made a spectacle. He was intentionally loud enough for neighboring tables to hear. In a mocking tone, he said, ‘you know that doesn’t have alcohol, RIGHT?’ And laughed. As if to embarrass me for not drinking,” she shared.
Rhiannon said the server eventually apologized, and everyone had a good laugh. Rhiannon has even returned to the restaurant since.
“The point of me sharing this story was to encourage bartenders to use discretion when someone ordered a nonalcoholic drink because you never know why someone isn’t drinking. By directing attention to it, they may be making the customer uncomfortable & have to explain to the people they are out with,” she said.
@relatablerhiannon #stitch with @jaeda:) #fyp ♬ original sound – Relatable Rhiannon ✨
Rhiannon’s TikTok serves as a good PSA, as many other viewers shared that they have or know someone who has sone through something similar.
“I got questioned for ordering a mocktail too! I was 3 months pregnant and not showing. Super awkward convo that could’ve been avoided!” one user shared.
“My Mom had this happen. ‘I’ve been going to AA meetings longer than you’ve been alive’” was her response,” a second revealed.
Mocktails are becoming increasingly popular thanks to Gen Z, many of whom are reportedly interested in a sober lifestyle. Nearly half of Gen Z adults would be interested in ordering a mocktail at a restaurant, according to one study.
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