What Would You Do? Rude Customer Insults Server

Jan. 27, 2011 — -- Increasingly, rudeness seems to have replaced common courtesy. These days, it's not uncommon to hear about or witness passengers acting out on planes, bad sportsmanship on and off the playing field and customers yelling at salespeople.

Rude behavior can spoil a good meal, as patrons at Six Brothers Diner in New Jersey recently learned. Patrons sat stunned while an obnoxious customer demanded his waitress put on hand sanitizer, asked for hot water to clean his silverware and scolded her, noting she was "not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

Some customers asked to be moved, complaining to the manager about the rude man's behavior. Others gave words of support to the bewildered, hardworking waitress while a few directly confronted the bad-mannered customer.

What the onlookers did not know was that both the rude customer, Jeremy Holm, and the waitress, Ashley Michaelson, were actors working for "What Would You Do." We watched with our hidden cameras to see how people would react when exposed to such rudeness.

Some of the diners offered Michaelson advice and encouragement.

"Are you okay?" asked customer Helen DeGraff.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It happens sometimes. Thank you, though," said Michaelson.

Another diner thought Michaelson should inform management.

"Cover yourself," he told her.

The obnoxious behavior continued as Holm complained about the check, even though our waitress offered not to charge for some of the items he ordered.

"They should let him go," one customer said. "Tell him to get out of here."

When Holm finally left, the other diners celebrated his departure with a smattering of applause.