by Miz Tee
Dates on Valentine’s Day can get a little awkward, can’t they?
You have restaurants full of couples all over each other, or even worse, sat in complete silence on their phones.
But what’s it like for the waiting staff who have to work on the day of love?
BBC Newsbeat spoke to 3 people who’ve all been on the frontline on Valentine’s Day when things didn’t go really well:
A. Revelations
1. Max Norris, 19, lives in Bournemouth and works at Pizza Hut.
“I kind of ruined one date. It was a boyfriend and a girlfriend and when he was at the door I said ‘Oh funny seeing you here again with another girl’.
The girl just looked at him like ‘Hold on a minute you were here this week with someone else?’
The waitress serving them said the rest of the date was really, really awkward. I shoved them in another section so I didn’t have to talk to them.”
B. Noisy Birds
2. Hannah Dobson, who is 25 and works in a hotel restaurant in Worksop, also had a couple which got off on the wrong foot.
“They came down for a three-course meal and both seemed a little tipsy.
They were arguing from the minute they arrived and became louder and louder.
They ate their starters and then the woman ran off to the ‘bathroom’ and never returned.
The gentleman ate both his and her main course and the desserts before returning to his room alone.”
C. Public Romantics
3. Hannah Marie Fryer is 20 and works in a country pub in South Wales. She said some couples can be a little too loved up.
Hannah Marie says she’s been ignored by loved-up couples.
“It can be very awkward, you sometimes have couples who are constantly kissing each other.
You have to time it right so they aren’t in the middle of something when you take their order.
But I’ve had customers on numerous occasions ignore me because they’re staring into each other’s eyes.”
4. Max has also faced a similar issue at Pizza Hut.
“There were these two middle-aged people who came in and just sat there cuddling and kissing as if no-one else was there.
I went over and they stopped kissing but were still in each other’s arms when speaking to me.”
D. Bill Issues
Even if the date has gone well, it can always get a little awkward when it comes to who’s paying.
Hannah Marie told us with one date she couldn’t handle the tension.
“As I gave them the bill, the man turned to the girl and said ‘How should we split this?’
She started laughing, thinking it was a joke and he turned to her and was like ‘Babe, I’m serious’.
I just awkwardly walked away.”
