Server says customer complained about her steak only after boxing it up, then the manager allegedly caught her stealing salt and pepper shakers

A server said in a TikTok video that she checked on a couple multiple times with no complaints, only for the woman to ask for a manager after packing her steak into boxes. Stephanie, who posts under the username @stephaniiiieann, shared the story in a video that has gained hundreds of thousands of views. She said the caption on the post read, “Just when I thought I was going to have a normal day. WHYYYYY DO PEOPLE DO THIS.”

Stephanie explained that the table was a two-top, a husband and a wife. She stated that she dropped off their food and asked if everything looked okay so far, and they said yes. She claimed she then specifically asked the woman, “Is your steak cooked the way you would like it?” because the woman had ordered it medium-well.

According to Stephanie, the woman cut into the steak and replied, “Yes, everything is fine. It looks okay.” Stephanie said she came back a second time and offered steak sauce or other items, and the couple said everything was fine. She added that on a third check, she asked if they wanted boxes or dessert, and they requested two boxes after the woman had cut her steak into bite-sized pieces.

Manager finds salt and pepper shakers in the packed to-go bag after the complaint

Stephanie said in the video that after the woman put her food into the boxes, she looked up and asked, “Do you have a manager on duty right now?” Stephanie stated that she went to get the manager and explained to him that she had checked on the table numerous times with no complaints at all. She claimed she told him she did not know what was going on.

Stephanie described the manager approaching the table while the customer’s boxes were already packed in one of the restaurant’s to-go bags tied with a knot. She said the woman then told the manager that her steak was not cooked the way she wanted and that she did not like it. Stephanie recounted the manager saying, “Well, open that box up, let me see it, let me check, let me check it for you.”

According to Stephanie, when the customer opened the bag, both of the restaurant’s salt and pepper shakers were inside. She stated that the manager asked, “Is that my salt and pepper shakers? Are those, are those what I think they are?” Stephanie claimed the manager still told the customer he would take the meal off the bill since she did not like it.

She said the manager then added, “But I’ll be taking this, thank you so much, since you did not care for it.” She described him taking the to-go bag off the table and throwing it away while still comping the whole meal. Stephanie stated that the couple paid in cash, the bill was about $32, and they gave her $35 while saying, “Keep the change. Keep it.”

Stephanie explained that several parts of the situation bothered her, but one in particular annoyed her because it seemed like she had not done her job. She said it appeared she had not checked on them or asked the right questions.

Stephanie said she asked why the customer would wait until the very end to request the manager and say something was wrong. She claimed the customer seemed to be trying to get the meal and a souvenir for free, and she said, “I was appalled. Appalled.” Strange steak experiences keep going viral, like a customer cutting into a suspicious kids steak at Texas Roadhouse.

Some viewers reacted by focusing on the timing of the complaint and the discovery of the shakers. One commenter wrote, “They never intended on paying.” Another viewer said, “I love that your manager didn’t give her the food.” 

A third commenter suggested restaurants should have a rule that complaints must come within the first five minutes or the meal will not be comped. One person wrote, “100% they were taking that steak home for their dog and they just wanted a free meal. I hate those people.” A former manager commented, “Former manager here and I knew my servers and had their backs all day, every day.”