‘This feels like a HIPAA violation’: Los Angeles restaurant worker reveals what they really see when you DoorDash the same food every day
When you order a lot from DoorDash, it can be low-key embarrassing. What if staff recognize you? If that’s one of your worst fears, I’ve got bad news for you—it’s actually true, with a former restaurant worker going viral on TikTok confirming this.
The clip, which has amassed 1.4 million views, was accompanied by an on-screen caption reading: “This is what happens when you order something on DoorDash every single day.”
Restaurant worker can recognize regular DoorDash customers
“The other day, I saw somebody on TikTok asking if people who work at restaurants can tell when you order from the same place, like 900 billion jillion times, and of course the answer is yes,” TikToker Daniel Rabinowitz (@danielrabinowitz) began.
“There would be this one guy who would order from the Italian restaurant I worked at when I first moved to L.A. and every single day without fail, he would order the chicken ravioli and the notes would say no sauce, no nothing like literally just boiled noodles, five noodles in one order,” he explained. “He would order two orders every single day, and if that’s not enough, by the way, it was also like three times a shift— like, I’m not playing — I would be there for like 8 hours.”
He continued, “If we would hear the little ticket print, I would literally just turn, and the cooks would be like, ‘Matthew B.’ And I would be like, ‘Matthew B.’ And then they would ask how many, because sometimes it would be just one. And then I would tell them, and then they would prepare it and we would get it ready.”
Rabinowitz added that, one time, he even left a note for ‘Matthew B’ where he described him as his favorite customer. Sadly, he never responded.
Rabinowitz didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and TikTok direct message.
@danielrabinowitz @Grant Gibbs got me thinking about my favorite DoorDash customer of all time ??❤️❤️ #doordash #ubereats #delivery #takeout #loyalcustomer ♬ original sound – Daniel!
‘Please say you’re joking’
Some commenters were horrified by this discovery. “This feels like a HIPAA violation,” one quipped. “Please say you’re joking,” another begged.
Other workers also shared their own stories. “The other day Elizabeth W didn’t get fries with her salad like she always does, but I put the fries in there anyways,” a third wrote.
While a fourth added, “UberEats show how many times they’ve ordered before and Nico B is on his 265th order at my work. He came in person once and I recognized his order and gasped and told him it was like meeting a celebrity which freaked him out and he never came back IRL.”
Some of these culinary celebrities even graced the comment sections themselves, with a fifth recounting, “There’s a pizza place that’s 0.2 miles from me, I order from like 4 different apps, whatever had the best deals. I went in once and they were like hey it’s Every App Girl.”
One customer admitted to feeling self-conscious about this
An anxious customer who had this very predicament shared his concerns on Reddit. “I’m starting to feel self conscious of craving the same thing from a place with barely any change,” they shared. “For one, its cheap than other places that give the same food but different quality so I don’t feel like I’m being overcharged, its also very quick as its close to my house. Is it weird to think this way?”
However, other Redditors made it clear that this isn’t something to feel self-conscious over.
“Nah its pretty normal,” one wrote. “I have quite a few regular customers that do this sometimes a couple times a week. Both on DoorDash and working at a restaurant.”
“We order from the same pizza place weekly,” a second shared. “I don’t feel like it’s weird at all.”
While a third admitted, “I’ve gotten customers who order the exact same thing multiple times throughout the week, some even the same day. I honestly don’t care as long as the order is worth doing and you get the food.”
And a fourth added, “I eat out a lot because I’m always busy and too tired to cook. I have a “usual” for every restaurant I go to, and sometimes I feel like the workers know it’s me when they hear my order. If it works for you, anyone else’s opinions don’t matter.”
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