‘You must be 21, right?’: An 18-year-old server says a customer asked her age, then allegedly said ‘If I was in high school I would be all over you’

An 18-year-old server says a customer at her restaurant asked how old she was and then made a comment about her looks. According to The Daily Dot, the TikTok creator Ellie described the exchange in a video about odd remarks and requests from restaurant customers. Its caption reads “i just love my job!” The outlet could not independently confirm the interactions, which come from her own account.

Ellie, who tells her stories in a whisper, said the customer was ordering wine when he asked whether “you must be 21, right?” Ellie replied that servers in her state are allowed to handle alcohol at 16. When he guessed she might be that age, she told him she was 18. She says he glanced at her chest repeatedly and then told her, “if I was in high school I would be all over you.” Ellie says others at that table also called her “very petite.”

Minimum ages for serving alcohol are set mostly by states, and many allow servers who are under 21. A state-by-state guide states that only three states require servers to be 21, while most set the age at 18. Iowa allows 16-year-olds to serve in restaurants under certain conditions, and cities such as Chicago can set stricter rules.

Serving age rules and customer conduct

Customer behavior toward staff also falls under workplace harassment rules. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that a harasser can be a customer. An employer can be held responsible for harassment by customers on its premises if it knew or should have known and did not take prompt action. The agency also states that isolated or petty incidents usually do not qualify unless they are extremely serious.

The video covered other encounters. Ellie said one table called canned soda “tacky” after she told them the restaurant had no soda on tap. She offered cans instead, and they declined. In her view, a sealed can can be more sanitary, since restaurant soda machines are hard to keep clean.

Another customer asked for blue cheese on his burger, which the kitchen does not stock. The restaurant runs a short menu that rotates each week, and its sides, including fries and salad, rarely change. After she listed the options, he insisted, “Just get cottage cheese.” Ellie said he could bring his own.

Many commenters said they work in restaurants and recognized the stories. One had never encountered cottage cheese as a side at any restaurant. Others also thought soda machines go uncleaned too often, and an ex-server claimed this happens “90 percent of the time.” Servers have shared similar customer encounters elsewhere, including when a customer left a server $2 on an $825 tab.