A New Jersey man has shared the relatable moment his first shift as a server for a buffet-style party went a bit wrong, prompting more than 24.5 million views on TikTok.
In a now-viral video, 31-year-old Manuel shared the moment he made a hilariously innocent mistake while working food service. In the footage, he brought out a tray of pasta before pouring it directly into hot water, but he didn’t realize it was meant for warming, not cooked dishes.
The video caption read: “I was supposed to place the pasta in the tray over the heat, but I got confused and dumped it straight into the hot water meant to keep the tray warm. After that, they never put me on parties again … no idea why.”
Despite the culinary confusion, his co-workers—especially the calm and quick-handed colleague seen retrieving the soggy noodles—handled the situation with kindness. “He’s kind of like the manager server,” Manuel told Newsweek. “He takes care of parties and helped fix it super nicely.”
Far from facing any consequences, Manuel says his workplace laughed it off for days. “We just all laughed for a week, trying to realize what I was thinking,” he said. “They were nice about it. I still have the job.”
Service work is something many have experience of. As of 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that approximately 135 million people were employed in service-providing industries. This figure represents about 80.5 percent of the total nonfarm employment in the United States.
“Worst part about being NEW as a server is that people who worked there for years expected you to know everything like they do,” said one commenter.
Another wrote: “All good mistakes happen, now u know for next time.”
However, some commenters weren’t as forgiving about the mistake.
“This was common sense I fear,” posted one commenter, while another added: “I get it might be your first day. But when have you put food into water like that??”
The clip was only Manuel’s second post on his TikTok account, and the reaction shocked him. “I don’t use TikTok at all,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be this viral.”
He has since gone back to serving regular tables—though the pasta incident remains a viral badge of honor and a reminder that everyone has had bad first days at work.
The post Waiter’s First Shift Ends in Chaos—CCTV Shows How It All Went Wrong appeared first on Newsweek.
