Young mom of two in a tank top complained it was 'freezing inside the restaurant' and set fire to the menu — what she said next stunned everyone
Working in restaurants comes with its fair share of dealing with unpredictable customers. However, what happened with this waitress left everybody in shock. A TikTok user named Riley Dismore shared a post under her handle @rileydismore on July 12, 2025, about her bizarre experience with a diner who complained about feeling cold inside the outlet. When she explained that she had no way to change the temperature, the lady’s response escalated into something that Riley still recalls months after the incident.
Riley explained that the restaurant she worked at had large windows that made it difficult to regulate the temperature. The place gets even hotter in the summer and cooler in the winter. One evening, a woman arrived with her husband and two young children. As she entered, she immediately began complaining that the space was “f***ing freezing.” Despite the staff offering her a shift to a warmer seat, she refused to give up her window seat. After explaining to her that adjusting the thermostat is out of their control, the customer kept complaining. The server returned a while later, and noticed something that blew her mind. The mom had taken the restaurant’s menu and had held it over a small flame from a table candle. Within moments, the menu caught fire. To the worker's surprise, instead of being apologetic, the diner was laughing. She later reiterated the same statement — "It's freezing."
There were so many reasons why Riley was baffled at the diner's actions. To begin with, the woman wore a tank top in December, when it's expected to be cold. Secondly, the idea of lighting a menu on fire itself was absurd. To top that, she did so without any regard for the safety of her toddlers, who were on the same table. Riley’s experience also highlights the burnout in the hospitality industry. A 2024 survey by Axonify of 500 U.S. hospitality managers noted how frontline employees deal with work stress. Among the surveyed managers, 73% report high stress levels as a major contributor to burnout across the industry.
For the server, it remains one of the moments she can’t wrap her head around. In the comments, viewers were left in disbelief and confusion, with some having a light laugh as well. @billeebluewalker wrote, “That's a crime and endangering others in a public place.” @Taryn commented, “Aside from how wild that is, why would you think that would actually provide a substantial amount of warmth?” Another comment by @beckycuucumber said, “I would have said, 'Well, now you lost candle privileges and walked off.'"
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