Why A Subway Customer Request Sparked A TikTok Debate

Restaurants and service workers get all kinds of weird requests. UberEats has gotten requests like topping frozen yogurt with hot Cheetos, smothering hot dogs in peanut butter, and adding sauerkraut to pizza. Or, there are odd pizza orders, like the one circling the internet on which someone ordered a pizza topped with nothing but beef, which sparked such buzz it became the impetus for "weird pizza order" memes. Former presidents have even had some odd food orders while in service, like John Adams' insistence on having hard cider with breakfast or turtle soup's appearance on the menus of many White House dinners.

While some food requests may seem outlandish, others are just flat-out annoying. For instance, there are the customers who order fries without salt so they arrive fresh — and then ask for salt on the side. (You can just order fresh fries without making them clean the basket to remove the salt!) This is particularly aggravating when a fast-food spot is busy, and it can slow down service workers. And then there are the customers who try to add more items to their drive-thru order when they've already reached the second window — or even when they've started to drive away.

All of these events are part of the job for fast-food workers, but these requests definitely don't make things easier. And one self-identified Subway worker has another grievance to add to the list.

While Subway is best known for its subs, it has many cookies on its menu for those looking to finish their meal with something sweet. While many customers order just one cookie, some people tend to come in and order a full dozen, which means the employees have to bake a new batch rather than take from what they've already prepared. A self-identified Subway worker with the handle @subway_mokena posted a TikTok video mocking the order for a dozen cookies, which they claim "happens too often."

The video features an employee adding a dozen cookies to the oven to be baked fresh and making a face that implies they're less than excited to carry out the task. Commenters chimed in, with some voicing their own complaints about working at the chain, such as "Closing a sub that has every veggie." Others were divided from supportive ("Everyone has the right to complain about their job") to mocking ("It's unfortunate you have to do things in the job description").

After some comments floated in, the original TikTok user did add a caveat to the caption, noting that the video was a joke and that "our job is fairly easy." As one commenter said, "You gotta see it from both sides. you aint wrong but also ... some customers inconvenience fast-food workers without realizing it," giving viewers something to think about next time they go out to eat.