A TikToker Compared North American Restaurants To The UK & One Experience Is 'Exhausting'
A British TikToker made a skit calling out the American service industry culture by comparing it to how things are done in Europe, and basically everyone who has seen it prefers the European way by a landslide.
TikToker Andrea Celeste posted a video comparing a visit to a restaurant in the U.S. versus the U.K., and it's accumulated more than 1.4 million views.
In the first part of the skit, Celeste depicts what it’s like entering a restaurant in the United States, and it involves a lot of smiling and way too much small talk, in what should be a brief interaction.
The conversation starts with the restaurant host, played by Celeste, enthusiastically welcoming guests into the restaurant with an overly excited “Hi guys, welcome!” Followed by a “how are you doing today?”
The rest of the interaction is filled with a bunch of overly excited words and gestures, including “of course!” “thank you,” “awesome!” and lots of smiles.
@anndreacelleste The U.K. version is so different 😂 #restaurant #host #usa #british #comedyskit #viral #fyp #trending
The following clip shows the same interaction but in the context of the U.K., where there’s minimal talking, and the interaction is far more concise and to the point.
The customer simply says, “hi, table for two please,” and the host replies with a “hi,” and then says, “alright” before leading the guest to the table.
A super brief but efficient interaction with minimal chitchat.
People in the comment section argued over which interaction they preferred, and the British version had way more votes.
One user wrote, ‘waaaay too much interaction in the US,” which received over 11,200 likes suggesting that many people agree.
Another user wrote, “I would be so irritated in the US….”
A commenter agreed and wrote, "the US is exhausting, I'm tired."
“In the US they have to work for their tips in the rest of the world people just get paid a fair salary,” wrote another user.
Another commenter agreed and wrote, “I’d take the UK version any time, or I’d get Uber Eats and sit outside in the gutter.”
However, one TikToker who claims to work in the service industry disagreed with Celeste’s depiction of the U.S., and wrote, “I’m a host in the US, and my interactions are never this long. Bffr (be for f***ing real)."
It’s obvious what type of interaction people prefer between the two, so maybe it’s time American hosts and servers start to embody the more European coldness that everyone seems to like.
Who knows, they might even make more tips that way!
Part of the comment section of Celeste's viral TikTok post.