A server on TikTok named Dean, who goes by @deanredmonds, recently shared a story about a customer who tried to get a free meal by claiming she knew the restaurant owner. Dean decided to handle the situation with a lie that caught the woman off guard, and the video of his experience has already gotten thousands of views.
As reported by Daily Dot, the encounter happened while Dean was working his shift. A woman came in to pick up food for someone named Mary. When Dean handed her the bill, she scoffed and claimed she knew the owner, suggesting her meal should be free. Dean could tell something was off about her story, so he decided to test her.
He offered to call the owner so Mary could talk to her directly. The woman immediately started backpedaling and said she did not want to bother the owner. Dean kept pushing by mentioning that the owner had not been busy for a while. The woman reportedly insisted that the owner would know exactly who she was and told him to just give her the food for free.
She eventually paid for the meal
Dean did not want to let her off the hook. He told the woman that the owner was actually his mom, and that she had passed away several months earlier. He then said he really wanted to get to know the woman who had supposedly been such a close friend of his mother. Her confidence reportedly disappeared in an instant. She started stuttering and acting nervous before she threw $20 on the counter and left.
There was a major catch to the story. Dean was not being entirely honest with her. While he said his mother had indeed passed away, she was not the owner of the restaurant. He said the story was his way of messing with someone who thought she deserved a free meal just because she claimed to know the owner.
Viewers on TikTok seem to love the way Dean handled the situation. Many people praised him for turning the tables on the customer. One commenter wrote, “Not only did you teach us something but you taught her to never try that again,” while another added, “This is so creative I’m dead.”
Other people in the comments shared their own views on what it means to know a business owner. Many agreed that knowing an owner does not mean you should expect special treatment.
One person commented, “YESSS! I go to restaurants where I know the owner and I NEVER expect free food. That’s THEIR business, make your bag boo.” Another viewer wrote, “As someone who knows lots of people who own their own business, I would never go in and ask for free food. I love them and I want to support them. I wouldn’t go in just to get special treatment lol. That’s why I get so confused when people who ‘know the owner’ expect their meal for free.”
Another server even joined in with a story about a customer who tried a similar tactic. They described a time when a customer claimed she was married to the owner. The owner reportedly looked her in the eye and said, “you’re not my wife, that’s my wife,” while pointing to his actual spouse. The woman left, and the owner told her to never come back.
Published: Oct 20, 2026 07:00 am