Waitress has hilarious reaction to 1-star review left by family with ‘screaming child’

Anyone who has ever worked in the hospitality industry will know all about the many weird and wonderful ways staff members handle bad reviews.

From smiling away the pain to giving rude codenames to customers - it's clear many of those who work in service know the importance of taking criticism on the chin.

And one waitress proved exactly that with her absolutely hilarious reaction to a one-star review she received which was left by family with a 'screaming child'. Have a look:

Daniella Claeys was shocked after discovering one of the customers who came to the London restaurant where she works named and shamed her in the online review.

It read: "We will never be back!!! At this restaurant the staff made us feel so uncomfortable.

"A waitress named Dani suggested the manager to seat us outside on the cold when our baby cried because she had headache, she didn't bother to hide her discomfort and looked at us like we were rubbish.

"We obviously left the restaurant straight away. Very not family friendly atmosphere in there don't bother to go with kids."

And Daniella's response?

The review. (Kennedy News and Media)

While she was initially upset by the comments, she found humour in the situation and, quite iconically, she popped the mum's furious review on a personalised T-shirt - and it cost her less than £20.

The waitress, who has worked at the London restaurant for three years, revealed she wanted to 'laugh at' the situation and not let it bring her down.

She said "At the time I was super upset. I never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"But then I sent it to everyone I knew and put it on my Instagram. Everyone thought it was so funny.

"I made it into a T-shirt because I wanted to just laugh at the matter. I know I shouldn't have reacted as much, but on a T-shirt it is f**king funny."

It most definitely is.

She admitted that she 'should have handled the situation better'. (Kennedy News and Media)

Daniella continued: "After I got the T-shirt, I wore it back to work during my break and we all had a laugh. If I was a really bad waitress, it wouldn't have been as funny to my colleagues.

"Seeing as it was a one-off occasion and it was overblown, we could all just laugh at it."

She assured she wasn't doing it 'out of malice' or trying to make out that the woman who left the review was wrong but was simply laughing at what had happened.

"As much as I can laugh about it, my livelihood and how I make money is being a waitress and has been for 12 years," Daniella explained.

"I'm serving for 14 hours of the day. The chance that I might get something wrong is quite high. I don't think a review like that will ever happen again."

She admitted that she 'should have handled the situation better' on the shift in November 2023 but that it was just one of those days.

Iconic. (Kennedy News and Media)

Daniella carried on: "On this particular day I had a cold but came into work anyway. I could just hear this child screaming. It was a big family.

"The crying went on for a considerable amount of time and other staff members were aware of the disruption.

"Because of my migraine it just seemed to pierce through my ears. I think the family could see my discomfort. I'm not denying that.

"On reflection I should have handled it better but I was quite openly uncomfortable.

"I was saying to my manager that we should tell them to go into our heated terrace and calm the child down."

After offering the option to sit outside, the family left 'super abruptly' with Daniella recalling: "The mother was angry and on her way out she was a little bit aggressive towards me. I only realised how bad the situation was when the review came in."

Daniella explained the importance of laughing at bad experiences in hospitality. (Kennedy News and Media)

The 24-year-old revealed she wanted to share her experience online to relate to other servers.

Daniella said: "Sometimes on a bad day one review can make you feel like you're not good enough.

"I thought I could reframe this narrative and find some comedy and relate to others online who are in the same situation as me.

"It humanises the servers and the waiters that are often just not recognised. It is widely felt across hospitality that a lot of the time people talk to you as if you're their personal server.

"I think people are able to laugh at bad experiences in hospitality. The stuff people experience is wild."

She continued: "I would have loved to make other T-shirts for other people working in hospitality because people were commenting on what customers have said to them.

"Waitressing is just not regarded as a high-skill job even though I truly believe it is. A lot of the time people don't appreciate or recognise the effort we make.

"I have so many friends in hospitality that have to put up with a lot. There is quite a small margin for error in terms of getting service right."

Topics: Real Life, Parenting, Food and Drink, TikTok, UK News

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.