Few professions test endurance quite like working as a waiter. Not only are they constantly on their feet — carrying heavy items and juggling multiple tasks — but they also have to deal with difficult customers. Recently, a waitress at a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Virginia was caught on camera snapping at a rude customer and throwing two drinks at him. The dramatic footage is making the rounds online.
The clip reportedly shows an altercation at El Rodeo in Roanoke, Virginia, filmed by a bystander who witnessed the incident. In the video, two customers are sat at a table, and the man wearing a blue shirt and blue beanie hat can be heard in the middle of exclaiming, “[expletive] Loud!” Essentially, the male patron appears to be criticizing the waitress for being too loud. Off camera, the waitress asks, “Who me?” Straightaway, the man fires back, “Yeah, [expletive]!” and this is what sparks the heated clash.
While it’s difficult to make out what is said next, the waitress is clearly upset and suddenly throws a drink at the rude male customer. Yelling angrily, she responds, “Who the [expletive] are you talking to?” as another staff member steps in to restrain her. The man, who is now covered in the beverage that was thrown, repeatedly states, “Woah!” in surprise. The waitress then fires, “What, you think this is the internet [expletive]?“
The customer, clearly stunned, says, “Oh my god,” and pulls out his phone, almost trying to play the victim. You can hear the frustrated waitress utter, “God damn. You think you can just sit here and talk [expletive] to [expletive] everybody? You’ve been talking [expletive] to people since you walked in here, [expletive].” As if one weren’t enough, the fed-up waitress hurls another drink at the man. The person recording can be heard chuckling at the sheer absurdity of the situation unfolding before them, as the footage comes to a close.
As the clip gains traction online, social media users flooded the comments to share their reactions. On TikTok, a user asked where the altercation took place, writing, “is this Cinco de Mayo in Lapine?” though the OP answered their query, penning, “no its El Rodeo in Roanoke 😭” A third commenter, like many others, admitted they found the heated exchange entertaining, expressing, “i feel like i’ve struck gold how does this only have 37 likes“. Many netizens sided with the waitress, with another commenter adding, “I like her I’m on her side“. Meanwhile, over on Reddit, the majority of netizens also sympathised with the waitress, with one commenter writing, “As I former waiter, I can say that some customers should be more respectful to waiters.“
Thankfully, no one was hurt during the exchange, but the lesson is clear: treat waiters and waitresses with respect, or situations can escalate — and nobody wants that, right?
