Reddit user u/Basic-Importance-680 asked the r/ServerLife subreddit, a community consisting of real-life waiters, hosts, and bartenders, "Have you ever had a celebrity come to your work? How did they act?" and I honestly was NOT expecting this from some of my favorite celebrities.
Disclaimer: Though people claim to be speaking from their own experiences with celebrities, BuzzFeed can't confirm the validity of these stories.
Here are the top-voted responses:
1. "Drew Barrymore was by far the nicest, most genuine person I've met while working. I did not even recognize her at first, and we were a few moments away from closing the kitchen between lunch and dinner service, so I gave her the whole, 'You’ll have to place your order quickly, but you can stay as long as you’d like' run-down, and she was super understanding and kind about it. The server came over after and informed me who I had just sat."
2. "Jake Lacy, aka the guy who plays the intern on The Office, was a twat to the servers at my restaurant. I personally took over his table halfway through so they didn’t have to deal with him..."
3. "Prince came in once. He had bodyguards, and I was shocked at how small he was and how he could walk in his platform shoes. His handlers ordered everything for him, and he didn’t speak. They ordered way too much food, treating mains as samplers. He didn’t even make eye contact, until the end that is, when he cocked his head slightly, looked at me with a looking-into-your-soul look and gave a slight head nod. He said, ‘Wassup, I’m Prince, and you’re alright.’ Then he left a MASSIVE tip."
4. "Kevin James came in when I had the day off once. I was surprised when everyone told me he was very rude."
5. "Beyoncé came in on a day I was off, but according to her server, she was very nice, a very big baller, and a very big tipper! She bought a $20,000 bottle of wine."
6. "I saw 6ix9ine multiple times when I worked at McDonald’s over a year ago. He always ordered a bunch of food and asked for free stuff which we refused. Once I was giving him his change back, it was $10, and he handed it back to me asking for a different $10 bill because it looked all ripped up."
7. "I used to work in Vegas. All my coworkers loved Nicolas Cage, said he was absolutely hilarious, and off his rocker in the best way possible. The word I heard most was 'eccentric,' and apparently, he was a good tipper."
8. "This was about five years ago, but I served Logan and Jake Paul. They were as bad you would expect. They rented out a room for a private event and were super late. The strongest memory I have is how Jake looked annoyed that I asked for his ID. The dude was either 21 or 22 at the time. Maybe he’s just used to everybody knowing who he was. I wasn’t really aware of them before that night."
9. "Hunter Schafer from Euphoria comes to my sushi restaurant when she’s in Raleigh! Last time I served her, she brought her family in, and they were all super polite, tipped well, and ordered all our best nigiri!"
10. "William Shatner. We offered him one of our private rooms, and he declined, stating he’d like to dine amongst the people. He then refused any request at meeting him by both customers and staff. I don’t blame him for not wanting to be interrupted, but then take the private room? He was overall very rude."
11. "Jeff Goldblum came into the restaurant when I was server. He came in about eight times over a span of two months (was in town for filming). He was so kind and friendly, and tipped everyone fat as fuck. It was glorious."
12. "The biggest A-hole I've ever served, hands down, was Tim Allen. He was rude, condescending, and a terrible tipper."
13. "I've met lots of celebrities; one of the most memorable was comedian Hannibal Buress. He came to the host stand at my restaurant, and the hostess said, 'You look familiar, are you on TV?' And without missing a beat, he says, 'I was on To Catch a Predator, but I'm better now.' 🤣🤣🤣"
14. "Nicole Kidman was very intimidating, but did not act in any negative way. It's hard to explain, but her presence was just very powerful."
15. "I waited on Dave Matthews. He's very nice. This was in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he's from, and unfortunately, he was swarmed leaving. But I did everything I could to keep it from happening during his meal. I had to chase off two other people walking up to his table. After all was said and done, he tipped me 50%!"
16. "Kristen Stewart was very outgoing and talkative. She stood at the wait stand and talked to the other host and me for quite a while whenever she went out for a smoke."
17. "R. Kelly came to the club that I was a bouncer at. I denied him entry because he didn’t have an ID. His entourage was pissed. LOL."
18. "Margot Robbie. She was very pleasant and loves Moscow Mules."
19. "I have waited on John Travolta many times over the years, sometimes with his family, but mostly just him and another person. Super nice guy! Always friendly and happy. My coworker had him in a suite during the Super Bowl, and he tipped $100 for one drink at an open bar."
20. "John Cusack was terrible. He put his muddy boots up on the table and spent three hours drinking tea. Did not tip."
21. "Sarah Jessica Parker's 'please and thank you' game is strong, and it feels like she really means it."
22. "Channing Tatum. I was serving him cocktails while he gambled at the Hard Rock. Rude or shy, I can't figure out which. He only left me an 8% tip."
And finally...
23. "Did a catering job for Dolly Parton. She is such a lovely woman. She is upbeat, so nice, and just an all-around good person. She’s so tiny. I just loved her. She is nice to everyone. She was promoting reading for children in Washington state."
