Customer Calls Out Restaurant After Getting An “Accidental” Note With His Meal
In 2019, a man named Daniel and his girlfriend decided to get lunch at a Chick-Fil-A after spending the day searching for a new apartment. While all they were expecting was the 30 chicken nuggets that they ordered, they got far more than that. Upon opening their bag, they discovered what looked like a receipt that had a rather rude message written on it. Not sure what to do, Daniel posted an image of the paper slip on the Internet, and nobody could expect what would happen next.
Hungry After A Long Day Of House Hunting
One fateful day, a man named Daniel and his girlfriend had been shopping for a new apartment, something that everyone knows is no easy task.
Luckily for them, they found multiple places that were suitable for them and even managed to strike a few bargains. Of course, by the time they were finished, they were exhausted and were dying to get something to eat. So, they decided to go to a nearby Chick-Fil-A to get some lunch.
Their Food Couldn't Have Come Fast Enough
By the time Daniel and his girlfriend arrived at the fast-food joint, both were completely famished. So, they stood in line and patiently waited to have their order taken.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, but was only a couple of minutes, it was finally their turn to order. Yet, right before Daniel spoke with the cashier, he noticed that the employee looked up at him and gave him a smirk.
He Began To Feel Uncomfortable
After Daniel ordered and paid for his food, the smirking cashier told him that it would be ready in about ten minutes. Yet, as he walked away, Daniel could feel the cashier and the rest of the staff staring at him.
This immediately made him feel uncomfortable and he began to blush. As Daniel sat and waited for his food, he couldn't help but feel everyone's eyes on him. Was a 30-piece chicken nugget box too much to ask for?
It Was Time
Finally, Daniel heard the cashier announce, "Order Number 17!" When Daniel arrived at the cashier to receive his order, the employee handed him the bag and gave him what Daniel thought was a receipt. Without thinking, Daniel crumbled it up and put it in his bag. As he did, the cashier smirked at him once again. What was his problem?
The couple rushed to their car to eat where Daniel saw the piece of paper once again. This time he opened it and noticed the words "Ugly Sweater" written just below Daniel's name and order.
Making The Connection
As soon as Daniel saw the rude note written on his receipt, he immediately made the connection as to why the staff members were looking at him so suspiciously. Still, there were thousands of questions that he still had, but also couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
Daniel's girlfriend took the note from him to get a closer look. Like Daniel, she was also confused about the message. Did the cashier have a problem with Daniel? After all, the sweater that Daniel was wearing had sentimental value to him.
It Was No Ordinary Sweater
The sweater that the cashier had labeled as "ugly" was an article of clothing that Daniel would always cherish. A close family member had left it to him when they passed away.
Even though most people wouldn't consider it stylish by today's standards, Daniel didn't care because it meant something to him. Offended, Daniel knew that he had to do something. So, he placed the receipt on his lap and took out his cell phone.
Taking To Social Media
Daniel didn't want the employee to get away with what they did, so he knew that he could make his voice heard if he relied on social media. He then took a picture of the receipt, ready to make his point.
Luckily for Daniel, he had a large number of followers on Twitter, so he knew that at least some people might share his plight. He knew that once he posted the photo, he would get a significant response, and not just from his close friends.
Putting It Out There
After several minutes of debating on what to do, Daniel sent out the tweet with a picture of the receipt. He also added a selfie of him wearing the sweater to make his point. He then sat in silence waiting for his first response.
For a brief while, Daniel was unsure if he was actually going to get the response that he was expecting. Then, at 1:46 pm, everything changed. He got more of a response than he could have imagined.
His Phone Blew Up With Notifications
All of a sudden, Daniels' phone froze. At first, he thought that something had gone wrong until he realized that it was due to an overload of notifications in response to his post.
At first, Daniel was overwhelmed by all of the notifications that he even yelled at his phone to make them stop. Daniel then logged into his Twitter account on his girlfriend's phone too, so together, they could read through the onslaught of messages.
They Couldn't Believe Their Eyes
While scrolling through all of the messages, Daniel and his girlfriend couldn't believe what they were seeing. More people were talking about Daniel's tweet than the two ever could have imagined. However, there were a variety of responses.
Some were complimenting Daniel's sweater and condemning the cashier, while others agreed that the sweater was indeed ugly. Incredibly, some people even went so far as to make fun of Daniel's order, which had nothing to do with the situation.
Daniel Wasn't As Angry As Others
Although the responses were mixed, for the most part, the majority of people agreed with Daniel that he had been wronged, claiming it was uncalled for, for the cashier to leave such a comment. One user even talked about her own experience, and it was all too similar to Daniel's.
While some people were infuriated about what had happened, Daniel wasn't actually all that upset. He then tweeted, "I was not outraged!!!! It was obviously a joke and all in good fun. Please fix this @DailyMail UK."
Daniel Received A Lot Of Support
Not only did a lot of people agree that the cashier was wrong for making such a nasty comment about Daniel's sweater, but many actually liked it!
There were plenty of people making comments like "What's wrong with the sweater?" There's nothing wrong with a little vintage in the wardrobe," or even "But this sweater is actually so cute I need it." Clearly more people were more impressed with Daniel's fashion choice than there were those condemning it."
He Was Still Hurt
Even though Daniel may not have been as outraged as some people may have thought, that doesn't mean that he wasn't completely unaffected. He was still hurt that someone had made such a comment about his sentimental sweater.
Customer service employees are supposed to be kind to customers so that they come back to their establishment, but that certainly wasn't the case here. However, one person on Twitter explained to Daniel that "ugly sweater" isn't necessarily an insult, but could also mean they thought it was cute!
Quite The Coincidence
While continuing to scroll through his Twitter notifications, Daniel stumbled upon something that he couldn't believe. One teenage user replied to Daniel's post with a photo of her wearing the same sweater.
This gave Daniel and his girlfriend a good laugh, and it wasn't long until he received another notification. This time, it was an email from Chick-Fil-A themselves. He couldn't imagine what they would want from him but opened it regardless. The email stated that they requested that he call them.
Making The Call
The email had a phone number at the bottom for Daniel to call, and even though he was hesitant, he figured that it couldn't hurt. Although he was feeling anxious, he knew that he had no reason to be.
He had done nothing wrong-- it was the other way around! The only way to find out what they wanted was to call, so he took a deep breath, and dialed the mysterious number on the email.
Speaking To The Manager
The number that he had received had been for one of the managers at Chick-Fil-A. The manager repeatedly apologized for what had happened and made it very clear how sorry they were if they had offended Daniel in any way.
He continued telling him that the slip of paper that Daniel received wasn't meant for him, but was for the cashier to call out the name or order. But why would that make any difference?
It Was A Cheat Sheet
According to the manager, the paper slip that Daniel received was a cheat sheet for the staff to remember the name of a customer or who they were. In this case, the employee was using his sweater as a way to identify him.
As it turns out, the management at Chick-Fil-A ended up firing the employee that wrote the note. However, this was the last thing that Daniel wanted to happen. He even refused the free food that was offered to him by the company.
Setting Things Straight
For everything that had happened, Chick-Fil-A offered a large amount of free food to Daniel as compensation. However, Daniel declined their offer, but why? As it turns out, Daniel's only request from the company was that the cashier was given their job back.
Nevertheless, the manager was firm in their decision about firing the employee. They wouldn't be able to hire them back just because Daniel asked because it wouldn't look good on the company's part.
What A Day
After hanging up with the Chick-Fil-A manager, Daniel couldn't help but think what a turn their day had taken. What started out as an exciting day looking for a new apartment with his girlfriend turned into something nobody would have expected.
At that point, they had nothing else to do but head home while still discussing what had just occurred. Upon leaving, they threw away their trash, but Daniel held on to the "Ugly Sweater" ticket to remember their eventful day.
The Moral Of The Story
Even though the cashier at the restaurant may have never expected for Daniel to get a hold of the ticket that said "Ugly Sweater," it shows the ripple effects of what one small comment can do.
Commenting that Daniel was supposedly wearing an "ugly sweater" not only had people on the Internet in an uproar but also resulted in them losing their job. So, the moral of the story is to stop and think before you say or do anything, because it may have a bigger impact on someone else than you may think.
