A waitress who received a harsh one-star review from a family accompanied by their ‘screaming child’ decided to turn the negative experience into an opportunity for humor with her clever response.
Anyone who has ever worked in the hospitality sector understands that some patrons can be more challenging than others, whether due to unusual requests or unpleasant attitudes.
British waitress Daniella Claeys is well aware of this reality, which is why she managed to stay level-headed despite an encounter with a dissatisfied family and their distressed child.
At 24 years old, Daniella took to TikTok to recount the incident, explaining how she encountered the family during her shift while battling a cold.
“I could just hear this child screaming. It was a big family,” she remembered.
“The crying went on for a considerable amount of time and other staff members were aware of the disruption. Because of my migraine it just seemed to pierce through my ears. I think the family could see my discomfort. I’m not denying that.
“On reflection I should have handled it better but I was quite openly uncomfortable.”
Following their visit, the family left an online review criticizing Daniella and slamming her with a one-star rating.
The review accused Daniella of suggesting the family sit “outside [in] the cold” because their baby was crying.
“[Daniella] didn’t bother to hide her discomfort and looked at us like we were rubbish,” the family alleged, noting that they “left the restaurant straight away.”
The review included one-star ratings for Atmosphere, Value for Money, and Likelihood To Recommend, which prompted Daniella to clarify her side of the story. She acknowledged that while the mother was clearly ‘angry’ at the time, she hadn’t realized the extent of her frustration until the review appeared the next day.
“At the time I was super upset. I never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” Daniella said.
Nevertheless, she chose to embrace the situation and transform it into a humorous anecdote.
She shared, “I sent [the review] to everyone I knew and put it on my Instagram. Everyone thought it was so funny.”
Taking it a step further, Daniella ordered a customized t-shirt printed with the review and showcased it on TikTok.
Footage of Daniella reveals her confidently wearing the shirt at work, with the caption: “When you get a one-star review for being a bad waitress so make a top out of it.”
Daniella explained her decision to create the t-shirt, highlighting that while working “14 hours of the day,” the possibility of “getting something wrong is quite high.”
Through the shirt, she aimed to bring attention to the human side of serving.
“I wasn’t doing it out of malice or saying the woman was wrong, I was just laughing at what had happened,” she clarified.
“It is widely felt across hospitality that a lot of the time people talk to you as if you’re their personal server… Waitressing is just not regarded as a high-skill job even though I truly believe it is. A lot of the time people don’t appreciate or recognize the effort we make.
“I have so many friends in hospitality that have to put up with a lot. There is quite a small margin for error in terms of getting service right.”
After posting her witty response online, Daniella received praise from viewers who deemed the shirt “the best thing [they’ve] ever seen.”