The Great Quiche Showdown Saga
A diva French chef clashes with a no-nonsense server over a dairy-free quiche in this hilarious tale of internal restaurant conflict.
Restaurant Drama
By Elke Porter | Am I the Karen? | May 8, 2025
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you know the kitchen is a war zone with parsley instead of grenades and tempers hotter than the deep fryer. Enter: Gilbert Jones, a classically trained French chef with a Michelin star and the ego of three. He speaks in a buttery accent and refers to himself exclusively in the third person. “Gilbert does not sauté. Gilbert creates poetry with flame!”
Now meet Eva Arnett. She’s been in the service industry for ten years, knows how to balance five plates and a passive-aggressive smile, and once talked a drunk bachelorette party out of setting the tablecloth on fire using nothing but eye contact.
On the fateful Thursday in question, Eva walked into the kitchen with a smile tight enough to crack her molars.
“Chef,” she began, trying not to poke the bear, “Table 6 would like the quiche without the goat cheese. They’re allergic.”
Gilbert, who was in mid-sprinkle with Himalayan salt like he was blessing a newborn, froze. Slowly, he turned, wielding a microplane like a wand of doom.
“Without... ze chèvre?” he hissed. “Ze soul of ze dish?”
Eva blinked. “Yes. Their soul might leave their body if they eat it.”
Gilbert clutched his heart as if she’d just slapped him with a gluten-free baguette. “You desecrate my vision. You insult my ancestors. You want me to serve… a naked quiche!”
Meanwhile, the line cook paused mid-pasta toss to whisper, “Not the naked quiche speech again.”
Eva, unshaken, countered, “I’m not asking you to shave your head and become a short-order cook, Gilbert. I’m just asking you to not kill a customer with cheese.”
“Gilbert cannot be responsible for such abominations!” he wailed, dramatically throwing a dishtowel over his shoulder like a silk scarf.
The manager stepped in. “Gilbert. It’s a quiche. Not your firstborn.”
Gilbert gasped. “Zat is exactly what someone without vision would say!”
Meanwhile, Eva had already scribbled “sub goat cheese—or wrath of the chef” on the ticket and walked off. She returned moments later with a preemptive glass of wine for the allergic diner and whispered, “It’s not goat cheese. It’s artisan fromage with a dramatic backstory.” The diner nodded solemnly, took a sip, and said, “Sounds fancy. I love that.”
By the end of the shift, Gilbert had locked himself in the walk-in cooler to “grieve the integrity of French cuisine,” and Eva got a standing ovation from the rest of the staff. One busboy allegedly started a slow clap when she dropped off the modified quiche and said, “Bon appétit… or whatever.”
So... who’s the Karen in this scenario? Gilbert, the Dramatic Diva who refuses to prepare his culinary masterpieces any way but his own? Or Eva, the Unbothered Enforcer, simply trying to keep customers happy—and breathing? Gilbert won’t compromise his vision, while Eva dreads telling a guest, “This dish probably isn’t for you.” Two different priorities. One steamy kitchen standoff.
#Restaurant Drama #Kitchen Chaos #Am I The Karen #Server Life #Chef Vs Server #Quiche Crisis #WBN News #Elke Porter
Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp: +1 604 828 8788
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