This Chili’s worker was in for the surprise of a lifetime after giving a table of guys a level of customer service that even he could see wasn’t great.
What one of the guys did next could have potentially changed the course of the server’s life, but commenters aren’t sure if it was for better or worse.
Service Was Lacking
In a viral video with more than 286,000 views, content creator Evan (@mossadsleeperagent) shared what happened when they pranked their Chili’s server.
“A few years ago, me and my friends went to Chili’s, and we had this waiter who was clearly his first or second time ever working there, and he was just horrible at his job,” Evan recalls.
The server—whose name was Aaron—was forgetting everything and constantly apologizing. The whole experience was “almost, like, comical how bad of a job he was doing.”
But Evan wasn’t angry about it. He’d worked as a server himself and knew how rough those first shifts could be.
“I had compassion on him because I’ve been a server, and I’ve done worse than he was doing,” he says.
The group actually ended up laughing with Aaron about how poorly the night was going. It was Chili’s, after all.
“We were almost, like, laughing with him over, like, how bad it was,” Evan explains. “Like, we didn’t care it’s Chili’s, but he—it was just such bad service.”
By the end of the meal, Evan and his friends had an idea. What if they turned Aaron’s terrible night into something memorable?
When the payment machine arrived, the group decided to pool their money and leave “a comically large tip” specifically because the service was so awful. The absurdity was the whole point.
But Evan didn’t stop there. On the car ride home, he had another idea.
“I thought it would be funny to, like, tweet at Chili’s,” he says.
Evan decided to tag Chili’s corporate account and recommend Aaron for a promotion.
“I basically just said, you know, Aaron at this location went above and beyond to deliver the most excellent experience we’ve ever had at a dining establishment, so on and so forth,” Evan recalls. “…Like, I would highly recommend looking into him for a promotion.”
Keep in mind, this was a “rural Midwestern location” that corporate probably barely remembered existed.
“Obviously, I didn’t think Chili’s would probably even respond, but we just thought it was funny,” he says.
Corporate Takes The Fake Review Seriously
The next day, Evan checked Twitter and found a reply from Chili’s corporate account.
“They tweeted at me, and they were like, like, ‘Thank you so much for making us aware. Glad you had a good time,'” Evan says. “Like, we’re we’ll be looking into this or something.”
Then, about a month and a half to two months later, Evan returned to the same Chili’s location. It was during a Packers game, and the restaurant was absolutely packed.
“There wasn’t even like a single table that I was seeing available,” he says.
The host told him there would be a wait, and Evan was ready to leave when he spotted someone familiar.
Aaron. Wearing a manager outfit complete with an earpiece.
Then Aaron whispered something to the person at the front. Suddenly, the host came back with news.
“Actually, never mind. Like, we have your table ready for you right now. They’re just cleaning it off,” they told Evan.
Evan can’t say for sure whether his tweet made the difference or if Aaron simply “locked in” after that rough first night and earned the promotion on his own merit. But either way, Aaron went from struggling first-day server to manager in under two months.
“Dude, Aaron, if you’re seeing this, you’re a legend,” Evan says at the end of his video. “Add me on LinkedIn.”
In a TikTok direct message, Evan added the following:
“This was in a Chili’s in Southeastern Wisconsin years ago when I was in highschool. I’ve worked in restaurants so I know how it can be to deal with entitled customers. I try to balance it out by being as nice as possible even if the service is struggling.”
How Restaurant Managers Rise Through The Ranks
According to Le Cordon Bleu, there are several common routes to becoming a restaurant manager. Some start in entry-level positions and work their way up, though this is less common than it used to be as restaurants increasingly prefer qualified staff. Others begin as chefs before transitioning to management, especially if they’re interested in the business side of running a restaurant rather than just kitchen operations.
The most common path? Starting front-of-house and moving up through the ranks. A typical trajectory might go from server to assistant manager, then to manager of that establishment or another location in the chain.
Restaurant managers typically handle day-to-day operations during service, acting as the face of the establishment.
According to Toast, they’re “always out on the floor in the middle of a shift, acting as a resource for their staff.” They answer questions, provide coaching, help when obstacles arise, and check in with guests about their experience.
Key skills for the role include superior customer service, the ability to multitask, strong communication, attention to detail, and thriving in fast-paced environments. Restaurant managers are also responsible for recruiting and training staff, managing inventory, planning menus for special events, and ensuring health and safety compliance.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects restaurant manager positions will grow 11% through 2028, driven partly by the evolving definition of what constitutes a restaurant—including delivery-only brands and commissary kitchens.
As for salary, Toast reports that restaurant managers earn an average of $45,897, while general managers—the next step up—earn around $49,093, according to Payscale.
The vast majority of restaurant managers, Toast notes, “learn vital tricks and tactics while on the job.” While courses and certifications exist through organizations like the National Restaurant Association, hands-on experience remains the primary teacher.
@mossadsleeperagent Influencing Chili’s staffing #welcometochilis
Commenters React
“I like how you and your friends style of humor is just being the nicest people ever,” a top comment read.
“And that server grew up to be John Chilis,” a person joked.
“Pranked him into success,” another said.
“What if aaron was meant for something greater but the ‘promotion’ kept him at chilis,”
BroBible reached out to Evan via TikTok direct message and comment and to Chili’s via email.