Server Forgets To Ask Table If They Want Dessert. Then She Gets Reprimanded For It, Breaks Down In Tears

Servers know this well: The amount of control you have over your schedule is little to nonexistent.

That means you do not always know how much money you will make that month. It can also make it difficult to make plans; you won’t always know if you’ll be able to make a social event next week.

Even more concerningly, some restaurants can sometimes use flexible scheduling as a punitive measure, such as allegedly giving fewer hours to Twin Peaks servers who did not put on makeup in a given week.

According to one server on TikTok, a manager can also give you fewer hours because of a question you forgot to ask customers.

In a recent TikTok video, which got over 159,400 views, a distressed Bella (@bellas.moments) shares what just happened to her at work.

Servers Schedule: She Says She Lost Shifts Over Dessert

“Being a server is forgetting to ask one table if they want dessert,” Bella says, “and then not getting scheduled for several weeks because you forgot to ask one table if they want dessert.”

In the caption, she added why the schedule cut hurt even more.

“Mind u i was told to quit my other job so I could have more availability,” she wrote.

Can Restaurants Legally Do This?

Unfortunately, yes, in many cases.

Under federal law, a restaurant can reduce a server’s shifts or stop scheduling them as discipline. They can do this for issues such as lateness, performance, insubordination, or violating restaurant policy.

The Fair Labor Standards Act does not guarantee employees a minimum number of hours. It also does not stop employers from changing an employee’s work hours without prior notice or consent.

There are some exceptions. For example, a restaurant cannot reduce a server’s hours if they complain about tip pooling, if they report a safety issue, or for other similar reasons.

But if the reason is a standard workplace issue, federal wage law gives hourly workers very little protection from losing shifts.

Servers on Reddit have shared similar stories about sudden cuts.

In one r/Serverlife post, a server said their boss cut them down to one day a week for two weeks with only three days’ notice.

When they asked why, their boss responded that it’s because they “look tired” and “need a break.”

Servers In The Comments Shared Their Own Experiences

In Bella’s comments, other servers said they had been punished over situations that did not feel fair.

“No because why was I taken off my server shifts for a week because somebody complained the chicken wasn’t cooked all the way through tf,” one commenter wrote.

Another server said the dessert rule sounded strange to them.

“I’ve never asked anyone if they want dessert…” they wrote. “I’ve been serving for 10 years”

Someone else said one bad stretch was enough to cost them their job.

“I got called into another store last min and I was sooooo busy and got 3 bad reviews and got fired my next shift,” they wrote. “I sent an hr complaint.”

Another commenter encouraged Bella to use the time to find a different restaurant.

“I am really sorry that happened to you it has to be a chain restaurant,” they wrote. “Take these days off and look for another job. I’m sure you’re a wonderful server but try to find a mom and pop place that doesn’t have all of these rules and regulations. Good luck to you young lady I’m sorry that happened to you.”

@bellas.moments

mind u i was told to quit my other job so I could have more availability

♬ original sound – bella ? | lifestyle + beauty

The Mary Sue has reached out to Bella via email for comment.

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