• FAIL Blog
  • Employee
  • Workplace
  • Horrible Bosses
  • Neighbors
  • HOA
  • Family Drama
  • Parenting
  • Customer Service
  • Entitled People

  • Links
  • About Us
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • DMCA Policy
    • search email community favorite this article chev-right latest posts article list comments tags video article login twitter facebook menu pinterest whatsapp

    Chef thinks he is teaching the kitchen "Runner" a lesson over a kitchen intrusion, but he's the one who learns one thanks to the Runner's malicious compliance: 'Don't want me to do the work? Ok, then do it yourself'

    Author image for Brad Dickson
    Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
    Jun 24, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

    Sometimes you have to act out a directive in order to prove the flaws. 

    Sometimes in life. Let's be honest: no matter how open, honest as a manager you are; no matter how "down to earth" you are and how much you believe in empowering your teams and giving them agency… Sometimes, sometimes, you just want to give a directive and have it followed without question.

    It's important to realize this and know that you might have a great relationship with your boss, but sometimes you might drive them crazy pointing out every little thing that is wrong with their decision, or especially the decision that they had passed down to them from on high.

    Of course, in these times, the best thing you can do as the one taking the directive is to simply follow this. In this way, malicious compliance can be extremely effective, pointing out glaring flaws in a policy change or process without having to be a "naysayer." Of course, getting the directive in writing and documenting every step is important because simply following orders won't stop fingers from eventually being pointed at you.

    Overwhelm can quickly create compounding issues in workplaces and cause stressed-out managers to behave in stress-driven ways that they wouldn't normally. Leading them to set strict authoritarian directives that they wouldn't normally.

    But let's be honest. Like in this story of workplace malicious compliance, which was shared by a service industry utility worker who normally was stationed as a runner, chefs are famously known for being stressed-out perfectionists who run their kitchens with an iron grip.

    Add as a preferred
    source on Google
    Advertisement

    • Don't want me to do the work myself? Ok, then run and do it yourself.

      Don't want me to do the work myself? Ok, then run and do it yourself. This happened a year ago, but I just found this sub and realised I had a story to share. It is not that extreme tho.
      via WinterStrawberries6

      The worker began their story by setting the scene…

    • Advertisement
    • A chef looks dejected and exhausted after a busy shift.
      via Harrison Chang

      A chef looks dejected and exhausted after a busy shift.

    • Advertisement
    • I worked at a buffet restaurant, and every shift, each staff was assigned one job. Those being usually: Cashier, runner(person who goes pick up the food when ready), person who changes the food around, table managing, cleaning, washing dishes, etc. I was usually the Runner, because I was faster than everyone else, and we needed to walk a long way to the kitchen to pick up food and come back, and we had to do it in 3 minutes, or else our leader would call the kitchen/us to ask where we were.
      via WinterStrawberries6

      "I worked at a buffet restaurant, and every shift, each staff was assigned one job. Those being usually: Cashier, runner(person who goes pick up the food when ready), person who changes the food around, table managing, cleaning, washing dishes, etc."

    • There is a counter between the kitchen and the corridor that pass through with the cart. you Usually, you go in, ask for the food, they will put it on the counter in a few seconds to a minute, you put it on the cart, and you can go back to the restaurant, but sometimes they will be understaffed, and if we are in need of something simple like sauces, green onions, or jam, we usually just get inside the kitchen and grab it ourselves. This is not a rule, it is just something that happened sometimes
      via WinterStrawberries6
    • Advertisement
    • In that case, we were in need of some sauces, one or two food items, and green onions. I knew where all the sauces and green onions where, so after asking for them and waiting for more than a minute, I shouted "coming in! Grabbing green onions!" and went in the kitchen. As I was pouring the pre-cut green onions on a bowl, one of the chefs walked on my direction screaming for me to leave the food, and that that was not my job, and that I was doing it wrong (I was not).
      via WinterStrawberries6

      Despite the fact that the Runner was doing what they needed to do, the Chef couldn't handle the intrusion.

    • I asked him why, because we have been doing that for years at that point, and he said that it is his job to do, and that I'm only supposed to ask and wait. So next time I needed something, I entered the kitchen, and as the chef was prepping something else, I started screaming "SAUCE ONE, SAUCE TWO, GREEN ONIONS, HONEY, THIS, THAT, THIS ALSO, SOMETHING ELSE", until I finished the full list, which were all mostly things I knew where they were and could have grabbed it during the time I was screami
      via WinterStrawberries6

      So, they obeyed their directive.

    • Advertisement
    • The chef didn't say anything for a few seconds, so I screamed all of it again, and on the third time, while he was grabbing one of the sauces and placing it on the counter, he said "It's just me here, stop screaming and just put the paper there and wait". I responded that I have to go back to the restaurant in 3 minutes or else they call to check what I'm doing and I would have to say that he was taking too long to bring me the stuff. So he said "Ok, just go in there and grab it", and I reminded
      via WinterStrawberries6
    • But I guess he changed his mind, cause he just said "forget it, just do it", but I reminded him again that he made it official that I can't do that, so I would have to contact the leader to make sure that I was allowed to, and the chef had to run around the kitchen for a few minutes to grab everything I needed, and never complained about us being inside the kitchen afterwards.
      via WinterStrawberries6

      The chef soon realized the inconvience he had caused for himself. 

    • Advertisement
    • A chef reads a written note with instructions he gave, a smug look on his face.
      via Getty Images

      A chef reads a written note with instructions he gave, a smug look on his face. 

    • Back to my own related experience.

      Predictably, any time we got overwhelmed, there would be shortcomings on our service delivery, things that got overlooked, orders that couldn't be fulfilled. Everything that went wrong took more time to go back and fix, but orders kept coming. The further behind we got, the worse the problem got. 

      Like logs floating down a river, as soon as you end up with one stuck on a bridge piling, the others start to stack up behind it; pretty soon you have other logs you need to remove to even get to the original one. Soon you have a log jam brewing that is threatening to take out the entire bridge. 

      I think anyone who has worked this type of retail role knows what I am getting at here.

      This happens, of course, in other areas of customer service, like in the service industry (hospitality for those not in the US). But it comes in faster bursts in the form of daily rushes. (You get rushes in retail too, but that doesn't help my point.)

      The start of every rush is an opportunity to get things right. Getting into a flow where everyone knows what they're doing and when is essential. But one misstep can disrupt the flow. Soon, everything has fallen on its face

      Frontline workers often understand workflow best, it's not something that can be directed top down, as much as managers might like to think otherwise. Sometimes you have to let the person do the job that they're paid to do and happen to be really good at… without your input. 

      But back to the point: Overwhelm can quickly create compounding issues in workplaces and cause stressed-out managers to behave in stress-driven ways that they wouldn't normally. 

      I have experience in this area. In a former life, circa 2020, I managed a bikeshop. Certain global events forced everyone to stay home, sidelining vacation plans and leaving those savings with nowhere to go

      Everyone sitting around bored at home (so, everyone) took it upon themselves to take up a new hobby. 

      A fair amount of people just desperately wanted any excuse to get out of their home and move around, and predictably, getting a bicycle was the answer.

      As a result, the entire cycling industry was booming, heaving with orders we couldn't possibly keep up with. The cycling industry always follows cycles of booms and busts, but this was unlike anything ever seen, akin to the inline staking craze of the mid-90s.

    Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

    Tags

    customer service malicious compliance chef kitchen service industry
    Like
    Scroll Down For The Next Article
    Show Comments

    Also From FAIL Blog

    30-year-old woman runs out of the headspace she needs to handle the jealousy she feels towards her decade-old best friend: 'I’ve started resenting her for always having it so easy, always being just “lucky” and absolutely every single aspect of her life;

    30-year-old woman runs out of the headspace she needs to handle the jealousy she feels towards her decade-old best friend: 'I’ve started resenting her for always having it so easy, always being just “lucky” and absolutely every single aspect of her life;
    Next Article