# "Omigod, it's the waiter from Sizzler!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366 "2003-06-12T16:48:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/1 "2003-06-12T16:48:33Z")
[Surly server gives diners’ home the smashed-egg, maple-syrup treatment.](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/06/11/MN21970.DTL) Gee, I’ve never had a problem with the Sizzler that I go to when I ask them to substitute cooked vegetables in place of potatoes because I’m on the Atkins diet. Too bad this particular server in Riverside County went all ballistic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/2 "2003-06-12T16:52:10Z")
Sizzler uses _instant mashed potato flakes_?!? That’s it, I’m never eating there again! Oh wait, I’m a vegetarian, I don’t eat there now. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/3 "2003-06-12T17:00:53Z")
No, the waiter bought them after work at the grocery store. They do, however, apparently hire the occassional flake. What an obsessive nut. ---
**Author:** ![psychomonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@psychomonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychomonkey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/4 "2003-06-12T17:21:18Z")
Im going to guess there is ALOT more than the article tells. First off, why is this in the paper? Ive done wayy worse to houses (of friends) and didnt make the news. But all well. Yeah, Id say the waiter took it too far, although with some customers Ive been tempted to do the same. As somone in the food industry, I can tell you that our customers will flat out lie to get somone in trouble and a free meal, often yelling at me and then becoming a perfectly nice “reasonable” person when our owner talks to them. I can only imagine how reasonable they’d become if the newspaper interviewed them. -PSM ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/5 "2003-06-12T17:49:49Z")
[Graham Chapman] Good thing I didn’t mention the dirty knife![/Graham Chapman] ---
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/6 "2003-06-12T17:50:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by psychomonkey \* > \*\*Im going to guess there is ALOT more than the article tells. First off, why is this in the paper? Ive done wayy worse to houses (of friends) and didnt make the news. But all well. Yeah, Id say the waiter took it too far, although with some customers Ive been tempted to do the same. As somone in the food industry, I can tell you that our customers will flat out lie to get somone in trouble and a free meal, often yelling at me and then becoming a perfectly nice “reasonable” person when our owner talks to them. I can only imagine how reasonable they’d become if the newspaper interviewed them. > -PSM \*\* Hi, **psychomonkey**. I guess this story is in the paper because it makes for interesting reading. It originated in the Los Angeles Times, so the editor of that paper would be able to give you the real answer to your first question. I’m not sure how reporter dug up this story to report. Maybe she checked out the police blotters and saw a report about someone’s house being vandalized. Let’s say that’s what happened. When the reporter read further and saw that it was by a waiter from Sizzler who targeted some customers he served, well that makes it more interesting than someone who merely eggs his friends’ house. So the reporter may have interviewed the people living in that house and wrote the story. It might have been even more interesting if the reporter had also interviewed the server to get his side of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/7 "2003-06-12T18:13:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyDust \* > \*\*Hi, **psychomonkey**. I guess this story is in the paper because it makes for interesting reading. It originated in the Los Angeles Times, so the editor of that paper would be able to give you the real answer to your first question. > > I’m not sure how reporter dug up this story to report. Maybe she checked out the police blotters and saw a report about someone’s house being vandalized. Let’s say that’s what happened. When the reporter read further and saw that it was by a waiter from Sizzler who targeted some customers he served, well that makes it more interesting than someone who merely eggs his friends’ house. So the reporter may have interviewed the people living in that house and wrote the story. It might have been even more interesting if the reporter had also interviewed the server to get his side of the story. \*\* Or, as an alternate theory, the couple involved were (and are) grifters who called the papers to try to make a federal case out of it all. The publicity is bound to boost their civil judgement. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/8 "2003-06-12T18:48:46Z")
Grifters? Whose house got vandalized, here? I think it’s clear that the waiter isn’t the brightest bulb in the drawer, he stuck around hiding either behind a bush or in his car for the cops to come and arrest him. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/9 "2003-06-12T19:50:28Z")
How did the waiter find out where they live? That’s what I want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/10 "2003-06-12T19:59:30Z")
Maybe they paid by personal check? Either that or he followed them home. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/11 "2003-06-12T20:01:53Z")
Whoops, I missed the quote from the article too: > [@](#): > > But the vegetable dispute was still simmering inside Voeltner, police said, and he asked his 17-year-old girlfriend to follow the couple. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/12 "2003-06-12T20:08:24Z")
Read the article, **fur**. He had his GF follow them home. Why is it in the paper? Because normally your waiter doesn’t follow you home and vandalize your house, no matter how unreasonable a customer you were. It’s a great human-interest story - it’s not the sort of headline you’re going to skip by, thinking, “same old same old.” It’s hard to imagine the customers were grifters. You can’t exactly _plan_ for the waiter to follow you home, and vandalize your own house on the hopes that he’ll do so and have money worth suing him for, no matter _what_ you did to rile him. No, there’s no hidden story here. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/13 "2003-06-12T21:16:56Z")
I’m glad they didn’t send their steaks back…kill their dog! Tip not enough?? Slash those tires!! Good help is _SO_ hard to find these days! ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/14 "2003-06-12T23:10:16Z")
I don’t know why, but I’m in fits of laughter at the final quote. “Oh my God, it’s the waiter from Sizzler!” That’s funny stuff. I wonder how the Sizzler’s PR department is planning to handle the story of their psychotic waitstaff. “Here at the Sizzler, you don’t just get a box to take home! You get the waiter!” A couple of weeks ago, a waiter at the restaurant I work at got tipped quarters on a large tab, and actually threw them at the customers as they walked out. And the really sad part is, he still has a job! Good times. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/15 "2003-06-12T23:31:18Z")
This has “Coen Brother’s movie” written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/16 "2003-06-13T12:54:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*Read the article, **fur**. He had his GF follow them home. > > Why is it in the paper? Because normally your waiter doesn’t follow you home and vandalize your house, no matter how unreasonable a customer you were. It’s a great human-interest story - it’s not the sort of headline you’re going to skip by, thinking, “same old same old.” > > It’s hard to imagine the customers were grifters. You can’t exactly _plan_ for the waiter to follow you home, and vandalize your own house on the hopes that he’ll do so and have money worth suing him for, no matter _what_ you did to rile him. No, there’s no hidden story here. \*\* I just have to wonder: What would it take to drive a 17 year old kid that far over the edge? Let’s assume he didn’t stalk all of his customers. The people “got” extra special resaurant service (who makes the manager cook a side dish that isn’t available???). Its not reported as to whether the kid was fired that night by the manager (no manager’s or coworker’s side of the story either: sloppy work). I know I’ve seen a lot of Pushy and Demanding people who seemed to delight in torturing waitstaff at other tables in restaurants in the tri-state area. I know that I’d like to read about Who are the people in the house, What other resaurants do they frequent, and What do those other places say about them. I think that there is more to the story beyond the "stalker’ spin. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/17 "2003-06-13T13:23:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by quietman1920 \* > I know I’ve seen a lot of Pushy and Demanding people who seemed to delight in torturing waitstaff at other tables in restaurants in the tri-state area. I know that I’d like to read about Who are the people in the house, What other resaurants do they frequent, and What do those other places say about them. I think that there is more to the story beyond the "stalker’ spin. Yeah, whatever. Bottom line: there’s certainly a lot of a-hole customers in the world; that’s not a story, whether or not it applies here. But how often do you hear of a waiter following one home? Never, until now. Hence that’s the story. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/18 "2003-06-13T13:52:11Z")
**WhiteLigtening** > [@](#): > > I think it’s clear that the waiter isn’t the brightest bulb in the drawer Didn’t you mean to say: > [@](#): > > I think it’s clear that the waiter isn’t the sharpest pencil in the chandelier? [sub]You’re welcome.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/19 "2003-06-13T14:34:21Z")
Mmmmm…steeeaak! ---
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366/20 "2003-06-13T14:51:38Z")
Quote from the article: > [@](#): > > Voeltner could not be reached for comment, and a family member said neither he nor Voeltner had any comment. Apparently, the reporter did try to get the waiter’s side of the story, but for whatever reason, he could not be reached or chose not to speak with the reporter. Perhaps he was advised by counsel to not speak with any reporters. It would have been interesting to hear both sides of this story. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-its-the-waiter-from-sizzler/181366.md?page=2)