When working in the catering industry, you deal with a wide range of customers. While some may be pleasant, others draw the ire of people in the industry. For example, a server may need to explain basic math to customers or attempt to issue a refund for a sandwich that was prepared and consumed the day before.
As an employee at Taco Bell, TikTok user Caleb (@caleb_lennon) had to deal with many bizarre customer interactions. He recently shared one of these interactions on TikTok, where it quickly racked up over 163,000 views as of Sunday.
As a reminder, Caleb worked during his Taco Bell's happy hour, where medium drinks are just $1 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“Every time someone asks for a small drink during happy hour, we have to recommend the medium $1 drink,” Caleb explains. Little did Caleb know that this discount would cause problems for him later.
“One day when I was taking orders, a lady asked for a small Baja Blast, which was much more expensive than the medium one during happy hour,” he recalls. “So I said, 'Hey, would you like to make this a medium today for just $1?' It's cheaper.'”
“And I guess she thought I was insulting her because she said, 'Um, I can afford the little one,'” he continues.
While Caleb tried to answer her, he claims she pulled up to the window and demanded to speak to a manager. As a manager himself, Caleb heard their many complaints.
“She started complaining that I shouldn't tell her what size to get and how much to spend, and it's her decision what she gets,” Caleb says. “And just like with the speaker, she wouldn’t even let me respond. She just backed off and left.”
@caleb_lennon I was just trying to help this Karen! #tacobell #tacobellstory ♬ Original sound – Caleb
“Would you consider this person to be Karen?” Caleb asks finally.
In the comments section, many users agreed that the woman in question was a “Karen.”
“The audacity to let them know they can save money!” said one user.
“People just love being angry,” said another.
“You didn't tell her what to get, you just suggested it,” explained a third. “These Karens need to calm down.”
Caleb has already gone viral and sparked discussion after explaining the difference between large and regular nacho fries, showing how to save money on nachos, and providing details on Taco Bell's truffle fries.
The Daily Dot reached out to Caleb via Instagram direct message and Taco Bell via email.
*First published: December 10, 2023, 8:30am CST
Braden Bjella
Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schon! magazine and more.
