If you’ve worked in the hospitality industry, you know the feeling of frustration when customers stick around. An hour after closing he may have all the chairs piled up on the table but there will always be a select few who never get the slightest hint that the staff wants to go home. Masu.
This is a common complaint among Internet users in the hospitality industry. Many users shared stories of shoppers staying beyond welcome, from a 60-seat restaurant near closing to customers staying 45 minutes to an hour after the restaurant closed, and it went viral.
For employees in this situation, there is little they can do to ward off these lingers. But TikTok user Nicole (@colexxn) definitely has a way of scaring her customers. And it went viral, with him racking up over 2.1 million views as of this writing.
@colexxn Aikiku. . . #server #server life #server issues #servertiktok #servertok #serverstories #serverpov #serversoftiktok #waitress problem #waitress life ♬ Original song – Nicole
In the video, Nicole is desperately and loudly sweeping the floor. At this time, she shakes her body and slams her broom against the dustpan repeatedly, increasing the amount of noise produced.
“POV: Hope you find some hints at the last table,” she writes over the video.
In the comments section, many users shared their own stories of trying to evict people from restaurants and shops.
“I once turned off the lights in one of the sections just before closing time, and the last table was left there saying, ‘Wow atmosphere,’” a user recalled.
“I start vacuuming and banging their feet with it,” suggested another.
“I’m yelling at my colleagues that I want to go home to see my kids,” said a third woman. “I have no children.”
Another TikToker claimed, “I asked someone to leave once because it was almost an hour, but they told me to return the tip.”
Other commenters simply questioned why some customers thought staying long after closing was acceptable behaviour.
“And they left a review saying ‘The server was putting chairs around us and wasn’t very welcoming,'” said one commenter.
“I couldn’t imagine staying after hours knowing the store was closed,” another woman elaborated.
“Guests think it’s accommodation and food,” joked another commenter.
The Daily Dot reached out to Nicole via direct message on Instagram.
*First published: August 10, 2023 at 9:07am CDT
Braden Bigera
Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work has been featured in Mixmag, Electronic Beats and Schon!. magazines, etc.