The Culver's Customer Habit That Leaves Employees 'Screaming Internally'

Besides Culver's famous ButterBurgers and frozen custard, something the restaurant really takes pride in is its hospitality. The chain tries to stay true to its origins as a small-town Wisconsin business, delivering warm service at every location — but that doesn't mean employees will tolerate rude behavior. While some things Culver's employees wish you'd stop doing might be a surprise to you, one of their biggest complaints is simple: Stop leaving trays, garbage, half-eaten food, and other messes behind at your table.

Now, it's quite rude not to clean up after yourself at any fast food dining establishment, but this issue seems to plague Culver's so often that countless employees name it as a pet peeve. These workers aren't just talking about a stray burger wrapper or empty cups, either. One employee on Reddit described the worst tables as the ones that are left sticky with ice cream melted and food pieces everywhere, causing them to "scream internally every time." That gives a whole new meaning to "we all scream for ice cream."

Social media is rife with other posts complaining about garbage-strewn tables and other messes at Culver's, not only from employees but from customers, too. It's pretty obvious why the staff would be annoyed that careless customers are creating extra work for them. As one Redditor put it, "We are not maids. We do not want to touch your half-eaten food ..." But leaving messes around a restaurant can cause problems with workflow or even the health of other diners, especially the most egregious examples witnessed by Culver's staff.

Culver's employees don't mind wiping tables or clearing stray condiment packets, but some customers take it too far. "Employees shouldn't have to put the high chair away, clear trash from the table, and wipe ketchup, half-eaten fries, and scraps of corn dog off the floor," one Redditor said. Another user shared an experience with customers who left "half a bag of spilled fries and a whole chicken tender  ... and they broke the table number [and] left without telling anyone." 

Yet another person on Reddit wrote, " ... I hate ... when parents let their kids fingerprint with ketchup," adding that they've seen customers "grind an entire piece of cod into the carpet." One more Redditor sarcastically said, "What about the people who bring their trays to the counter? That's just the best." These diners may think they're being helpful, but trash should go in, well, the trash. It's especially gross because freshly-made orders might be placed on the counter, too.

Harried customers might still be tempted to make this mistake at fast food restaurants, thinking that it's the employees' job to clear messes. Well, as one Culver's worker on Reddit explained, "When there's a rush, and there's 167 other things you gotta do ... having to take the time to take that tray to the garbage can be pretty annoying, especially if it keeps happening lol." And if a store is understaffed, workers may fall behind on clearing messes, posing unsanitary health hazards. Really, there's no excuse for not cleaning up after yourself.