Five Guys employee was frustrated when a customer said his 'plain cheeseburger' tasted nothing like McDonald’s — his actual order made things worse
Working in food service means dealing with customers who sometimes come up with the most bizarre and unrealistic complaints. That’s exactly what happened to a Five Guys employee, who shared the frustrating encounter on Reddit. The employee, who goes by u/50calTaco, posted about the experience on September 27, 2026. According to the post, the customer was frustrated because his "plain, regular cheeseburger" didn’t taste like a McDonald’s burger. Things got even more frustrating when the customer revealed the toppings he actually wanted.
The employee explained that the interaction started normally enough while taking the customer’s order. When asked what toppings he wanted on his cheeseburger, the man simply replied, "Oh, you know… just a plain, regular cheeseburger." But shortly after receiving his food, the customer returned to the counter visibly annoyed and complained that his burger had been made incorrectly because "there’s nothing on it." When the employee asked if he wanted a plain cheeseburger, he agreed and claimed that a "plain cheeseburger" tastes like McDonald's. The employee had no option but to ask what toppings he wanted. To their surprise, he replied in an annoyed voice, "Ketchup. Lettuce. Pickles," which is not at all what his original order would have included. The employee had to apologize and agree to it.
The whole thing left the employee stunned, especially because the customer seemed so confident that he was right. As the employee pointed out, asking for a "plain" cheeseburger normally means a burger without toppings, and even a plain McDonald’s cheeseburger wouldn’t come with lettuce and pickles. Still, the customer got the burger he wanted in the end, because that is how customer service works. The employee could not express their frustration and instead had to apologize and fix his order.
Many people reading the story were also confused by the encounter. One user who goes by u/Worldly_Cry_6652 summed it up by saying, "Imagine being that wrong and so sure you are right." While u/ uwu_mewtwo said, "What a dummy; if you ask McD's for a plain cheseburger, they're going to give you a patty with cheese, too. That's what plain means." u/Redwolflowder joked about the man's behavior, writing, "Stupid people don't know they are stupid."
The confusion over a supposedly simple food order is not the first time a restaurant worker has been left baffled by a customer’s expectations. In another story, a server recalled a diner complaining that his breakfast sandwich came with bread, even though it was, quite literally, a sandwich. The customer insisted that other restaurants served similar dishes with lettuce instead. It left the employee so stunned that they later changed the menu description to make it clear the item was served between two slices of bread.