New York bartender serves table of 6. Then they tell her to go home: ‘They wanted drinks and appetizers’
Usually, the only person telling you to leave work is your boss. However, one bartender says that a group of diners tried to make her leave her restaurant. Here’s why.
In a video with over 40,000 views, TikToker and server Jenna (@jennalnrd) recounts how she “had a table of six ladies try to convince me to close the restaurant and leave them outside on the patio, which doesn’t lock up, and go home.”
According to Jenna, she was working at a restaurant when a group of six women arrived at 9 p.m.—an hour before closing.
“We did let them know that [we were closing], and they said they just wanted to do drinks and appetizers, so we said it was fine,” she says.
When 9:45 rolled around, she told a waitress to see if the table wanted any final drinks. They placed another drink order, which Jenna fulfilled, then closed out their tab.
A short time later, one of the women from the group came to pay. According to Jenna, she had a “little bit of an attitude”—though Jenna says she “didn’t make it a big deal.”
The Group Won’t Leave
Even though the group had already paid, they continued to sit and talk for another half hour after closing.
“[They] clearly have no intention of leaving,” Jenna states.
Trying to end her workday, Jenna tells a busboy to clear the table. As soon as he started walking over, Jenna says the group began “picking at their food again—obviously trying to signal they’re not done yet.”
“But, like, the restaurant closed. And there’s literally, like, one piece of calamari left on your plate,” Jenna says.
Eventually, Jenna decides to just close out the restaurant and send every other worker home, leaving her to handle this table herself. As the group was seated on the patio, Jenna could do this without issue.
“Everyone’s clearly leaving the restaurant, like, right in front of them, because that’s how you have to exit the restaurant, and they don’t seem to be budging,” she recalls.
At 11 p.m., one of the group members appeared to get the hint.
“One of the ladies turns around and is like, ‘Are you guys trying to leave?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, unfortunately, the restaurant’s closed, so I do have to start locking everything up now,’” Jenna recalls. “And she was like, ‘Oh, my god. Like, why didn’t you tell us sooner?’”
What Did They Tell the Bartender?
However, instead of leaving, the group offered a different solution.
“She was like… ‘You know what? It’s fine. Why don’t you guys just go home? This part doesn’t lock up anyway, right? Like, we’re just gonna hang out here. If you wanna take all the glasses inside, that’s fine. Why don’t you just do that?’” Jenna says.
In short, the group was asking to stay on the patio past closing—something that Jenna had to explain was not allowed and a liability.
“They’re like, ‘Well, we’re not gonna do anything. We’re just gonna hang out and talk,’” Jenna says. “And I was like, ‘No. Like, I understand that, but unfortunately, I can’t leave you here alone. Like, it’s not allowed.’”
The group then offered to move to a different part of the restaurant, saying they knew the owner. Jenna clarified once more that the group could not be in the restaurant at all, regardless of location.
“Like, why would I leave six women alone in the restaurant at night near the water after they’ve been drinking?” Jenna thinks aloud.
Suddenly, one of the women in the group “decided to be bold.” She turned to Jenna and announced that the group would be moving to the other part of the restaurant—and if Jenna didn’t like it, she should “just call the cops.”
“So I say to her, ‘That’s really not necessary to speak to me that way. I’ve been very nice to you, and that’s just our rules. I’m sorry, I can’t allow that, and I will have to call the cops if that’s the case,’” Jenna says.
Finally, the group moved to the parking lot. After hanging around and smoking for another half hour, the group left—though Jenna suspects they had been waiting for her to leave so they could return to the same spot where they had been dining.
“But I was like, ‘I’m not letting you get back in this restaurant now, because I’m furious now. Like, ‘You are not getting one over on me at this point,’” Jenna concludes.
What Time Should You Leave A Restaurant?
Many people feel an understandable level of guilt entering a restaurant near closing time. After all, most restaurants won’t fully close until all guests leave—meaning that your good time is the thing preventing workers from getting home that night.
Still, many find that they occasionally want to stay beyond closing hours. So, what’s the proper etiquette here?
According to Food & Wine, it’s typically OK to leave within a half hour of the restaurant’s closure. This time is generally used to clean and organize the restaurant so, while it’s not preferable, most restaurants won’t mind if you hang out for an additional 15 to 30 minutes.
However, anything beyond that is generally frowned upon—and anything above an hour is a massive faux pas.
Furthermore, restaurants are, in a vast majority of cases, private property. If you have been asked to leave a restaurant and refuse, you are trespassing and are opening yourself up to legal issues.
In short, if a server makes it seem like it’s time to leave, it’s probably best to simply get out.
@jennalnrd I feel like this industry gets worse and worse ##fypシ##foryou##serverstories ♬ original sound – Jenna lenna
Commenters Are On Jenna’s Side
In the comments section, users couldn’t believe the group’s behavior.
“One thing that stayed consistent in my 10 years of being in the restaurant business is everyone ‘knows the owner,’” wrote a user.
“I can’t fathom this mindset. I literally will not even think of going to a restaurant even an hour before they close out of fear I’m an inconvenience lol,” added another.
“It was a mistake to offer them another round of drinks 15 minutes before closing,” stated a third. “A firm we are closing and you have to be out in ‘XXX’ amount of minutes.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Jenna via email.
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