Server recounts the most chaotic day running a restaurant inside a Costco — then she realizes it was just a nightmare: ‘It never stops’
If you’ve ever carried a tray for a living, you know that the “weeds” aren’t just a place. They’re a psychological state that follows you to the grave. TikTok creator Kristina Withers (@krisswith) is going viral after sharing a server nightmare so nonsensical and high-stakes that it has former hospitality workers everywhere triggered.
Despite being out of the industry for nearly a year, Kristina woke up “freaking exhausted” after serving an entire shift in her sleep. Her nightmare serves as a hilarious, albeit stressful, rebuttal to the idea that you ever truly leave the service industry.
Kristina saw a Costco floor plan from hell
In Kristina’s dream, she was working her first day at a restaurant located, for some reason, inside a massive Costco warehouse. This wasn’t just a food court. We’re talking about tables scattered in the aisles, the service bay, and even a “dirt part” that doesn’t exist in a real Costco.
Naturally, it was her first day with zero training, and her section was spread across opposite ends of the building. The logistical nightmare involved Kristina sprinting through the warehouse, dodging shoppers and tires just to check on a banquet table in a corner.
The ‘Live Octopus’ and DIY avocado toast nightmare
The weirdest part of the dream was not the chaotic floor plan. Kristina tells that one of the restaurant’s owners sat in her section and ordered a whole octopus. Yes, a big, eight-legged being served on a plate. Even more weirdly, the octopus arrived at the table still alive and breathing.
When Kristina couldn’t find anyone to recook the cephalopod, the table pivoted to avocado toast. In a move that perfectly captures “managerial logic,” the restaurant in her nightmare required servers to make their own avocado toast.
Kristina recounted the struggle of finding a toaster and then a functioning outlet in a Costco that apparently had none. Eventually, she found a plug near the dishwasher that was “not super safe,” but worked.
Serving windshields in the weeds
The nightmare hit peak absurdity when the orders moved beyond food. Customers began ordering car windshields from the auto department directly to their tables. Now, that’s what you call a real nightmare.
The visual was now Kristina running through Costco with a tray in one hand and a full-sized car windshield in the other. It is the ultimate metaphor for the “perpetually in the weeds” feeling known only to servers. Between forgetting the toast and delivering auto glass, she woke up feeling like she’d actually worked a double shift.
The ‘Server Nightmare’ Phenomenon: Why the Brain Won’t Let the Shift End
The “server nightmare” isn’t just a quirky dream. It is a documented psychological phenomenon shared by millions who have worked in the service industry. Psychologists often categorize these as stress dreams or anxiety dreams. In such dreams, the brain processes the high-stakes, fast-paced environment of hospitality long after the uniform has been hung up.
The common themes, i.e., forgotten drinks, tables that never end, or nonsensical tasks like delivering windshields are symbolic of the “Zeigarnik Effect.” This psychological principle states that the human brain remembers uncompleted or interrupted tasks much more vividly than completed ones.
In a restaurant setting, a server’s entire shift is a series of open loops, or, unfinished tasks. When you sleep, your brain attempts to close these loops. But in the warped logic of a dream, the stakes are heightened, and the obstacles become surreal.
This creates a lasting trauma that Kristina describes perfectly as a feeling of being perpetually “in the weeds.” Here, no matter how fast you run, the toast never pops and the octopus is still breathing. It’s a mental residue of a job that requires hyper-vigilance. It also proves that once your brain has been wired for the dinner rush, it stays on the clock forever.
The hospitality nightmare is a lifelong residency
Kristina’s viral story is a reminder that the restaurant industry leaves a permanent mark on your subconscious. Whether you’re delivering a live octopus or a car windshield, the trauma of working in the service industry transcends the waking world.
We hope Kristina managed to have a peaceful night’s sleep since the Costco incident. But if you see your former server looking tired, just know they probably spent all night trying to find an outlet for a toaster in a warehouse.
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