Drunk woman walks into a Missouri restaurant and complains about them not picking her 13 calls… on a decorative phone
Hospitality really isn’t for everyone.
The hospitality industry is often a front-row seat to the absurd. But yelling about a decorative phone not being answered? That’s a new level of absurd. But a St. Louis server had to smile through that.
Chelsey Starr’s (@chelsey_starr) recent account of a confrontation with a drunk woman has reached over 10,000 viewers on TikTok. She detailed how the woman was incensed that her “emergency” calls on the restaurant’s phone were being ignored. But the phone she kept pointing towards was not even a working device.
Through her video, Chelsey shows the retail-worker struggle of maintaining professionalism. Especially while a customer repeatedly insists they are “not a Karen” while doing exactly what a Karen would do.
A missing credit card led to a ‘thirteen-call’ meltdown
Chelsey explains that she was filling in at the host stand when a “very drunkenly” guest approached her. The woman claimed she had lost her credit card and had called the restaurant thirteen times without an answer. Pointing at a specific phone on the counter, the guest snapped, “No one answered that phone. That phone right there, no one answered it.”
The ‘emergency’ phone turned out to be restaurant decor
Chelsey’s response was a masterclass in patient service: “Oh, this phone? I don’t even know if it works, to be honest.” She explained that the number the guest was calling likely rang to an upstairs office. The managers were currently unavailable there because they were busy working on the floor.
However, the woman kept insisting that she was ignored. Chelsey even suggested the phone might be “for decor.” Yet, the guest remained fixated on the lack of an immediate response to her self-proclaimed “emergency.”
The guest insisted she ‘didn’t want to be a Karen’
Throughout the interaction, the woman repeatedly qualified her complaints by stating she wasn’t trying to be difficult. “I don’t want to be a Karen. No, I’m not… I’m not trying to be a Karen,” she insisted while continuing to berate Chelsey for not answering the non-functional phone.
When the guest finally revealed she had found her card, with “no thanks” to the staff, Chelsey ended the interaction. She left her with a dry observation: “I’m going to have a good night when you leave.”
How to handle a missing item without blasting a decorative phone
If you lose a credit card at a restaurant, you should aim to find it while staying on the staff’s good side. As seen in Chelsey’s story, the guest had the card the entire time. So, do a deep dive into your wallet or pockets before assuming the worst.
If you must call, understand that during dinner rushes, managers are on the floor, not in the office. If the phone rings indefinitely, it’s not because you’re being ignored; it’s because the staff is busy serving people.
And if a host tells you a phone is decorative or for internal use only, take their word for it. Arguing about the “need” for an emergency line to a host won’t make the phone suddenly work. Lastly, if you find yourself having to tell someone you aren’t being a “Karen,” it might be time to take a breath.
St. Louis hospitality has seen it all, and even a fake phone isn’t safe
Chelsey once again reminded us that the customer is not always right. Sometimes, they are just yelling at a prop. The woman eventually left with her card and her pride (mostly) intact. But Chelsey requested her viewers to give their server friends a hug for putting up with such absurdity.
Oh, and we hope the restaurant has considered putting an “Out of Order” sign on the decorative phone.
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