A customer dissatisfied with the service pretends to be the CEO of a restaurant chain to humiliate a waitress

A customer at American restaurant chain Applebee’s used a controversial technique to complain to his waitress about the poor service he received.

In a video that has been viewed by more than 7.6 million people on TikTok, Kevin Hooks can be seen addressing the employee, asking if she knows the TV show Undercover Boss (Incognito Boss). When she responds in the affirmative, the customer tells her that his name is Rich Klein and that he is the president and CEO of Applebee’s restaurants.

However, this is a lie, since the real CEO of the company is in fact John Payton.

Really believing that she is dealing with the big boss of Applebee’s, the waitress apologizes immediately.

The fake CEO then tells her that he received the worst service he has ever seen, visibly overwhelming the employee with shame.

The client then asks her how she feels, to which she replies that she feels really bad.

Kevin Hooks, aka Rich Klein, then asks the waitress to speak to the manager and wants to know how many responsible people are on duty.

“I’m going to accompany my family outside and I’m going to come back around the back to talk to the person responsible,” he says at the end of the video, before proceeding to pay his bill.

Strong reactions

In just a few days, Kevin Hooks’ video garnered thousands of comments and several Internet users denounced the client’s subterfuge.

Many people took the side of the waitress, criticizing the way the fake CEO humiliated her.

“It’s so mean, poor girl!” wrote one user.

“A real CEO would not resolve the situation this way,” claims another individual.

“As a waiter, I can say this is rough,” says another man.

“I feel bad for her,” says one person.

Some Internet users nevertheless took the opportunity to denounce the usual poor service they claim to receive at Applebee’s.

Others pointed out that the show Undercover Boss didn’t work that way, since in the show, the bosses pretend to be simple employees in order to spy on them and reward the most dedicated workers.