A server took a customer’s order, and he requested that the chef cut his burger in half. However, she had to decline the request due to restaurant policy and offered to bring him a knife instead. He gave her major attitude and offered her a small bribe to break the rules.
In a video with over 27,000 views, Arizona-based TikToker and server Megan Thorne (@meganthorne_) recounts her shift from the day before.
When one of her customers asked her to cut his burger, she says she responded, “We don’t do that here. I can give you a knife.” The customer’s tone instantly changed.
“No. I need you to cut my burger,” she recalls him insisting.
Thorne didn’t understand his frustration, remarking that it only takes “like two seconds” for him to cut the burger himself.
Eventually Thorne says she gave in and told the man that she could cut it if she was still his server after a shift change. That’s when he decided to sweeten the deal.
“I’ll give you extra if you cut it for me,” she recounts.
After the shift change, she was working in the kitchen and saw his burger, still intact, pop in the window for the server to pick up.
“His food comes up, and he goes, ‘Is that my burger?’ … ‘Are you going to cut it?'” Thorne recounts. “So I literally put on gloves, took the knife, and cut the burger.”
Despite Thorne going the extra mile for the customer, she says he gave her attitude after she delivered the cut burger.
“See? Was that so hard? Bless your heart,” she says he said.
And the extra tip he promised? It was only $3, Thorne shares.
Why Won’t Some Restaurants Cut Your Burger?
While Thorne was annoyed that the man couldn’t cut his own burger, other restaurant customers on social media expressed similar confusion about the policy.
“Wtf, they don’t want the sandwiches to have that classy view of what is in them in an easier to eat format,” one remarked on a r/Restaurant_Managers thread.
Another questioned, “What I don’t understand is how cutting my sandwich in half will have any affect on someone else’s dining experience.”
Restaurant workers on Fishbowl, a professional forum, debated why some establishments have banned cutting burgers in the kitchen.
“I personally think its a load of rubbish that our kitchen staff have told our floor staff and management team so they don’t have to cut a burger out of laziness,” one food runner wrote. “Customers ask for this all the time, and I’ve to tell them no with no real explanation because apparently its a health and safety concern. Make no sense.”
Others offered potential reasons for the policy but agreed that an outright ban is a bit much. One suggested, “The only reason I can say being in the industry why I don’t cut burgers in half is to maintain the juices and quality unless the client ask for it.”
Do Viewers Agree With The Server?
In the comments of Thorne’s video, viewers couldn’t decide who’s in the wrong. Many questioned why Thorne made a “big deal” out of the customer’s request.
“Is it really that hard to cut a burger for the customer,” one asked. Thorne responded, “Is really that hard for him to cut it himself?”
“Just cut the burger in half for your GUESTS! This is the difference between service now and 20 years ago,” another said.
In another comment, Thorne explained why the restaurant doesn’t cut burgers.
“I think fast-paced and places with a large capacity usually don’t. I’ve worked at a few places that don’t do it. It’s more common in fine dining restaurants,” she suggested.
However, other servers came to her defense and shared how they would have navigated the request.
One wrote, “Comment section L. If the chefs don’t cut burgers neither do I!”
“Some customers really think ‘I’m paying’ means they unlocked the Deluxe Personal Butler Package. Like sir… you ordered a burger, not a servant. I can give you a knife, not cut it like you’re royalty,” a second said.
“Pro tip just nod your head and serve the burger with a knife,” a third server suggested.
@meganthorne_ Why was he so desperate to have me cut his burger 😩 #arizona #bartender #barlife #server #serverlife
BroBible reached out to Thorne via TikTok direct message and comment. We will update the story when she responds.