Customer leaves 1-star review over slow takeout. The restaurant owner's powerful reply is a lesson in empathy

Customers come in all kinds, and handling this wide range is part of the job for those in the service industry. But some customers fail to understand that behind the counter are people who also deal with real emergencies. One recent example shared by u/itzjustbri on Reddit showed exactly how out of touch some complaints can be and why a bit of empathy goes a long way. The individual posted a screenshot of a one-star review left by a user named David DeMerchant. He criticized a restaurant for putting him on hold and never returning to complete his takeout order. The review read: "Don’t bother calling for takeout. They put you on hold and never come back."

The restaurant owner responded directly under the review, offering important context. The reply said, "Sorry for the inconvenience. The server taking your order had a seizure while doing so and couldn’t complete the process. When you showed up to retrieve your order and it was not ready, even though there was an ambulance in front of the restaurant and we were tending to the medical emergency at hand, we offered to complete your order at that time. I am sorry that you declined and chose to complain on a public forum."

The calm and clear explanation drew attention across Reddit, with many calling out the original reviewer’s lack of compassion. u/potatoman256 commented, "What? They take care of medical emergencies before me? A customer? Unbelievable." u/MineWiz added, "I don’t understand why they didn’t just wait a bit for their food. Even then, I can understand giving up and moving on, perhaps ordering from a different place, but to then go online and write a negative review after the fact makes no sense given the circumstances. What do they even stand to gain from that?" u/RabbitTankHazard wrote, "I always make an effort to be friendly to retail staff because I can't imagine how many idiots they go through daily."

Others in the thread shared similar experiences from their time in customer service. u/StarDustLuna3D recalled, "Yup. When I worked in food service, one day, our drive-thru guy passed out due to low blood sugar. The customer AT THE WINDOW THAT SAW EVERYTHING complained to corporate even AFTER our manager comped their meal." u/Son_of_Phoebus added, "Once in a while in casual conversation, I'll say that I generally don't like people and the response will be, 'Well, then why do you work in customer service?' My response is always, "How do you think I got this way?"

This kind of disregard for what service workers go through is, unfortunately, not rare. But just as one customer can reveal a complete lack of understanding, others show the opposite. In another story, a woman named Lee shared a quiet, heartbreaking video of her father standing alone in their empty restaurant, Lee’s Noodle House, in Santa Rosa, California. The restaurant, which has been serving Vietnamese food since 2003, had seen a significant drop in customers after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post struck a nerve with viewers. Lee's simple request to "help support my parents' Vietnamese restaurant" gained traction, and the following day, the restaurant was filled with customers. Her father, Vuong, and mother, Ha Tran, were brought to tears by the unexpected wave of kindness. Lee later wrote in a video, "We are so grateful for all the support and for everyone who is coming out! We hope you can continue to spread the word about our small family business."