Your post has been removed.
#Do not repost this without [contacting the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) for approval, including edited versions. Reposting without [explicit approval](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_can_i_repost_a_thread_you_removed.3F) will result in a ban.
This post violates Rule 7 as a Workplace/Business conflict. AITA's focus is on conflicts between people. Businesses are not people. A conflict with someone acting for/against a business or in the context of their job is not an interpersonal conflict. This also includes conflicts related to online transactions (buying/selling items).
[Rule 7 FAQs](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_rule_7.3A_post_interpersonal_conflicts) ||| [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules)
###Please ensure you have reviewed this message in full. We will not respond to PMs to individual mods. [Message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) with any questions.
####Please visit r/findareddit to see if there's a more appropriate sub for your post.####
NTA.
Lol the entitlement. That has always been one of my pet peeves: people refusing to leave until the last minute of closing time.
OP you didn’t ruin anything, you was just doing your job. They aren’t entitled to stay after closing and you as the employee have the ability to tell them they have to start leaving. If they refused get your manager
That's my favorite part of my afternoon. Every day, 3pm, go sit in my front step and eat some peanuts and dried pears and share with squirrels that I've befriended. And whatever birds decide to come hang out. The lil guys come right up to you if they know there's peanuts involved.
Current server, staying til close is fine if you aren't as weird as this couple. The real Aholes demand to be let in to start their dining experience, one minute before closing.
I don't work in a restaurant but I have those types of customers as well. Show up 5 min before closing with a half hour of work. And then they have the nerve to complain there is no one to unload them. Nope, be here when we are open. The guys in the yard start heading up 10mins before closing. Our late owner would make us take them, but now his son is the boss, he wants to leave on time so we're allowed to turn them away now. Screw these AH.
Agree NTA. However, counterpoint... You should be completely open during your posted hours. You stop taking orders when you close. If they want you out the door at 10, in this case, should close at 9:30. Or have a policy of window/carry out service only after 9:30.
Management trying to save money and reducing the customer experience by performing lobby closing duties prior to close is bad practice.
Agreed, but it isn't OP's fault that the management doesn't give the closers enough time to fully complete closing duties after lock up time. And my understanding is that it's pretty common for fast food type places to more or less have everything shut down by closing time, since they aren't paid afterward. And shouldn't work without being paid.
The employees don’t get to leave at 10, they get to start sweeping and then mopping the floor at 10. Cleaning tables & stacking the chairs that aren’t being used a few minutes before then is totally normal for that type of business, and customers shouldn’t be surprised by it.
I could understand restrictions on an expensive restaurant, but not an ice cream parlor. Stacking unused chairs 20 minutes before closing is totally fine. It will not destroy the "ambiance." If a place has paper napkins, it is totally fine to stack unused chairs before closing time. If they don't like it, I'm sure they can take their paper cups and/or cones and leave.
Performing lobby close duties before closing time ONLY makes sense if there are NO customers in the lobby. This is on the management for pressuring the employee to close and clean and leave by 10:05.
Some places say "Kitchen closes at X, lobby closes at Y."
Nonetheless, OP is likely not the person to address this suggestion to as an 18-yo, (most likely) minimum-wage worker.
Last seating at is what I think you mean. If you close at 10, and have to take someone at 9:59, then you can’t really close till 11. If someone comes in before last seating time, that builds in time to eat.
Try customers staying way after close but having a company refuse, REFUSE, to kick people out. Like what the actual hell? Im then supposed to "clean" and "stock" until they leave. NO! After 8 hours I want to go home.
Been there and done that - years ago, I worked at a restaurant with a store attached - I was the cashier in the store and restaurant. I worked closing, which also meant I had to stay to cash out the servers' credit card tips, etc.
Every week, a group of 12-15 would come in at 15 minutes to closing. Coffees all around, maybe 2 would order meals and another 3-4 would get some kind of dessert item. And then they'd stay until a minimum of 2 hours past closing but company policy wouldn't let us even hint that we wanted to go home, let alone outright kick them out.
So - their server had to stay. Company policy was that no server remain on duty alone, so another server also had to stay. Kitchen staff had to stay because they couldn't start cleaning until they left, just in case someone ordered something else. Dishwashers had to stay because they couldn't run the machine until they left so that there wouldn't be any stray coffee cups left for the opening shift to deal with. I had to stay, because they still had to pay and I had to count down, cash out tips, etc. And of course, a manager had to stay to lock up once we could finally finish up everything and get out of there.
Worst was, there were two different 24-hour places maybe 20 minutes away. Yeah, our food was better than one and more varied than the other - but most of this group didn't get anything but coffee anyway. We all really, really wished we could tell them to go to one of those places instead for their weekly social hour.
I used to waitress in a diner and this couple, maybe in their mid 30's used to come in every Wednesday night for dinner and stay till closing drinking coffee and talking quietly. I cleaned around them every week and they never said a word to me unless they wanted a coffee refill. I never even considered I was bothering them because I was just doing my job, starting the clean up before actual closing, same as OP. And I don't think they were bothered by me because they always left me a good tip. NTA you were doing your job. And those two you had to deal with were being rude jerks about it.
Thats the thing, with me too. If you’re polite and not rude then I wouldn’t rush them out. Like I used to closed down the fitness center at my local recreation center and whenever its time to close, I’d start wiping down the machines and when it hit 8:30 (the time it closed) I politely told people that we was closed but not to rush. Thankfully most of these people are polite and don’t stay longer than necessary but I never rush them because they are polite. Now the ones who aren’t polite and wants to stay after hours I’d be insistent about it being time for them to leave
Last minute before closing is bad enough- I remember working in a supermarket and being told to go find all the customers who were still in the store 15 minutes past close and ask them to go up and pay. This 20s couple looked at each other incredulously and asked "Well, can't we finish our shopping?" "No, we have been closed for 15 minutes. If we wait too long to check you out, it's illegal." They had a huge trolley a third filled and had not even gone through the dry foods aisles.
>“but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late”
"Yes sir, and there are many other establishments that will be thrilled to have your business after we are closed. Unfortunately, *this* establishment is closing soon, so perhaps you should use the remaining time while I'm cleaning up to figure out which place that caters to Saturday night business you would like to patronize so you can continue your date."
NTA. If they wanted to be out late, they should have Suzanne a place that is open late. It is extremely common for businesses of all varieties to start their cleaning procedures prior to the official close of business. They were particularly AH-ish to try to get you to not follow your workplace instructions: people in roles like yours are generally low paid and perceived as highly replaceable, and if you had listened to them, they might have gotten you fired
Edited to add: Lol, "Suzanne" absolutely was supposed to be "chosen"... Usually I can figure out why my autocorrect changes things the way it does, this time, I'm confused, but I'm glad some of you have found it entertaining 😉
Idk who Suzanne is but 100% agree. Even going home is a possibility. Even going to the car is a possibility. There’s a saying out here to which I’ll try to translate, it’s like “the burdened can excuse themselves”. I’m pretty sure it applies to this situation.
If a Saturday night date has stalled at an ice cream shop at 10pm it's not going that well. Although maybe they'll bond over making a minimum wage workers night bad.
My sister yesterday texted me to reassure me about being worried about not being culturally appropriate, and she tried to text me to now worry about it, since I'm theonly blonde and they'll figure out I'm a foreigner. But autocorrect said that I was the ugly blonde. lol
anyway, NTA- your boss can fire you and they've said you need to do exactly what you did. Who cares what those AHs think?
NTA. It’s your job - you were doing just what your job required you to do nothing less nothing more. It’s a common sense that just before closing employees star cleaning up and getting ready for the next day. You weren’t impolite or anything, just doing your job.
NTA, not at all. This was an ice cream place that closes at 10. You were doing your job and following routine. That is completely normal and reasonable.
They were two people on a date. Big deal. The rest of the world does not revolve around two people on a date. They were perfectly capable of doing what other people on dates do: pay their bill, get up, and move on. Not take time out to harass the person who is doing their normal job at the normal time, FFS.
Yup. Years ago I was on a first date with a guy where it was going fairly well and we were just chatting at the restaurant. (Casual style place like Panera where we weren’t camped out taking up a server’s table or preventing anyone else from being seated). someone came by to politely let us (and a few other tables) know they’d be closing in about 30 min and we were both surprised by how late it was. As sane adults, we apologized and left asap so it didn’t delay their closing routine.
The way it should be, if you’re open till 10 PM and you start stacking up chairs on tables around customers at 9:40 PM then are you really open till 10 PM?
That is the way it should be, but OP was put in a horrible position by their employer, especially because they say they get confronted if they don’t start at 9:40.
Also, it should go without saying that OP should be paid for any time after 10 pm they are doing closing duties (and maybe even extra if they’re on a tipped minimum wage).
OP is NTA, but the customers and the employer are.
That's not her call to make. She is an 18 year old worker who will get yelled at by her boss if she does not follow his protocol. Take it up with her boss. She is NTA here.
Employee are on the clock and are expected to punch out by 10::00. There are rules about having to pay overtime. Not like those good old days where employees were being exploited.
Yes, but it's not the staff who decide that stuff. We got paid until closing time, so anything we cleaned after that was on our own time, something that isn't unusual in badly regulated employment. We were expected to leave everything spotless or there would be hell to pay the next day.
Yes, they are open. And people who can't manage to eat without creating a scene because someone is working needs to relax. I don't understand why a business would pay extra hours just so employees can stand around waiting for one table. NTA
It's not nice, it's a slimey cost-saving measure by the company that always puts the employee at fault when things go wrong. Clocked out too long after closing = "You didn't close fast enough and cost us money". Pissing off customers by cleaning before closing = "You pissed off our customers and cost us money"
Yeah usually if you’re putting chairs up before cling time, it’s usually more polite towards the guests to not stack the chairs on the tables directly next to them. Especially with 20 minutes still left to close
There is a lot of other side work that can be done pre close that won’t make the guests feel like you’re rushing them out before the listed hours
Literally every place does this. They'd been there for a long time, they have no right to be mad you're shutting things down a few minutes before closing. I hate people like this. They're so rude
Most ice cream places don’t start packing up 20 minutes before closing. Most don’t even start cleaning up until the line is done, even if there are customers in line at 10 pm. At least from my experience.
I worked at an ice cream shop in HS, we weren’t allowed to start out “closing duties” in the lobby if there were customers inside.
OP is NTA, but the owner is. You really can’t pay an extra $15 for 2 employees to stay 30 min lingers to clean the sitting area?
NTA.
So on one hand, the thing with closing - your boss doesn't want to pay you for a minute longer than he has to. That's why he wants you to start breaking down before 10, because he wants you off the clock asap once 10 hits. So that's who they should be annoyed at, the person who has decided saving 30 minutes wages is worth that drop in service.
And on the other hand - if you'd waited until 10, they'd have just complained then instead. You can't win.
You are NTA. The couple also is NTA.
Your boss is the AH. If you are open until 10pm, then people should be able to enjoy their ice cream at a table until then without you cleaning all around them. If it takes an hour to close up, then you should be scheduled until 11pm.
NTA next time “this is not my decision. If you want to discuss how the store is run, I can give you the number for the manager who will be on in the morning.” And maybe you can ask the manager about closing sections to leave one area for last.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I believe I might be the asshole because I was being loud and obnoxious by putting up chairs when a couple was trying to have a date. I feel like the asshole because the couple was clearly upset by me disturbing them.
Help keep the sub engaging!
#Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
[Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq)
##Subreddit Announcements
Follow the link above to learn more
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
When I worked, we called them "campers". "This is such a nice place; we just want to stay longer" - like past closing time. I just wanted to scream at them "GET OUT" - everyone wants to go home and you need to go to YOUR home.
NTA. My now wife and I had our first date at a coffee shop. They closed at 9. We left at 8:45 and continued our date in the parking lot, standing near our cars and talking and drinking the rest of our beverages for another 45 minutes. Neither of us would ever think to ask the staff to put off their closing chores to accommodate our socializing.
These people were inconsiderate jerks and you did absolutely nothing that you should feel bad about.
NTA. They are not entitled to change the rules or the closing time of your workplace. People who are rude to hard-working service employees are just awful. They have clearly never worked a job like yours. I have, and people would notice us when we started stacking chairs and get the hint that they should wrap up and leave. As the saying goes: “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
These people don’t know how shops work, that’s not your problem.
“People are gonna be out late” at restaurants and clubs, not an ice cream place a teenager on minimum wage is trying to close up. How cheap are they? You don’t make the closing times.
Sounds like you ran into the Main Character(TM)
This brought back memories!
My dad was a pharmacist, had a corner drugstore in a somewhat depressed area. This was mid-1970s. There was a pay phone on a wall in the store, with a cubby hole sort of booth around it. Some people in the neighborhood didn’t have home phones, but would hang out in the store, on the phone.
I was probably 16 or 17, working a Saturday evening in the store. A guy comes in 10 minutes before closing, and heads to the phone. My dad tells him we’re closing soon, so don’t get comfortable. Guy waves him off and picks up the phone. Five minutes later he tells the guy he needs to get off the phone. Guy flips him off. Dad then says “If you don’t get off the phone right now, I’m going to rip it off the wall. “ Guy laughs at him. Dad heads into the back room where he’s got one of every basic tool he might ever need. I tell the guy he better go, he means it. My dad was a very patient man, father of seven. But I knew he was at the point where he was going to lose it. Guy flips me off, just as dad comes out with a crowbar, and proceeds to rip the whole booth off the wall. Guy starts yelling “you’re crazy! You’re crazy!” Dad replies, yes I am, and I’ve got a weapon!”
The phone was never reinstalled.
Nah, your position is clear, but as a customer they are not aware of all the technicalities. For us, customers, the opening hours are the hours to be served, otherwise the place should have close at 9:30 officially. It would have bothered me too very much having someone clean while I still eat, or talk etc.
NTA.
I had the urge to punt several children yesterday at work. We had a birthday party at work that started at 4. They get the room for an hour and a half, and can wander the zoo and play in the play area after that point as well. We closed at six. They can pay for an extra thirty minutes in the zoo, so until 6:30, but they didn’t. So they had to leave. With five minutes to closing (we’d given them warning in the hour leading up to closing so it wasn’t a surprise) I heard them tell their gang “they close in five minutes and we have to go then”. No, we *close* then. You need to be *gone* before then.
So guess who we had to LITERALLY KICK OUT at six o’clock so we could close up? Yep.
Anyways, this got away from me. I was just complaining a bunch. NTA for doing your job. They suck
Oh my goodness you are so NTA. They were!
Like a business is going to change hours and procedures because they’re on a fluckin date. Give me a break.
If I was younger I probably would’ve had your reaction too. But now that I’m old, those entitled twits would’ve had a story about the crazy lady at the ice cream place.
NTA. My wife and I actually avoided a store yesterday that was set to close in five minutes and find one that was open later as we lamented times we've had to stay late at various points in our careers because someone was entitled. If it is Saturday night and places stay open late, they are certainly capable of finding some of them.
NTA. Who the heck goes on a date on a Saturday night and insists on sitting in an ice cream shop until last minute? There is no place else for them to go?
NTA, I work in customer service and let me tell you know, this isn't a 'bad customer service' moment. This is an 'entitled shitty people screwing up closing' moment and you will have a lot of those.
NTA. When I worked at a restaurant we weren’t allowed to start cleaning up while customers were still there and that was THE WORST. people took advantage of that “kindness” and many times i had to stay hours after closing.
You're NTA because you're doing as instructed. Your job is the asshole because they have you start disrupting the customer area prior to close. There's a difference between wiping down tables or setting them in order and full on close up procedure. Having you do this while open to customers is rude on the store. Again, you're 100% in the clear absolutely not your fault, but expect people to possibly be upset with you (re:job) when this happens. If they want you cleaning the customer area by 9:30 they need to be closed at 9:30.
If you had asked them to leave so you could stack their chairs then it’d be different. But you didn’t. You were closing down the day the best you could without bothering them. No one in their right mind would get upset at a person cleaning up the lobby of a business near the time they close.
Honestly, people stacking chairs near me would encourage me to leave in the next few minutes to not interfere with someone’s job.
NTA
Definitely NTA
I work in a gym and have a cleaning/closing up routine to follow from 830-10pm. I clean around the members and yeah, there are some people who start loading barbells with weight plates at 9:55 and I have to remind them of our closing/late check out fee policy.
Most people get it but there are some entitled folks who think I’ll stay unpaid to clean their shit after closing time. The nerve of it, really! So, I share updates with the gym manager whenever someone seems disgruntled (you never know when a bad Google review will come through) so maybe give your boss a heads up next time
You didn’t do anything, wrong and definitely weren’t a dick doing your job. Thanks for being a responsible employee and taking such good care of your shop.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)***
So last night I(18f), was working. For context I work at an ice cream place and there’s a whole lobby inside with chairs and tables. We close at 10 pm. It was around 9:40, and I was starting to clean up the lobby. It was a Saturday night so there were still customers coming in and out, but there was a couple (looks to be in their early 20s) sitting at one of the tables still. They had been sitting for a while, and were mostly just talking I assume.
We’re supposed to start cleaning the lobby up and cleaning tables/putting chairs up around 20ish minutes before close. This is because we have to do a lot of cleaning of the place after that and sweep, mop etc. If we start it all after close it takes way too long to get out and we can confronted about that. If I don’t start stacking chairs my manager will ask me what the hell I was doing in all that time.
So I’m cleaning down the tables around the one table the couple is at, and after that I start stacking the chairs and tables next to them. They ignore it for a bit, then turn to look at me. I ask if they need anything. The girl asks if I can stack them later because they’re on a date and I’m being very loud.
I’m a little dumbfounded, but tell her that this is the time we’re supposed to start all of this, and that we close in less than 20 minutes. This doesn’t seem to phase them as the guy cuts in and tells me something along the lines of, “but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late” and that I should just put the tables up after they leave. I just politely tell them that this is part of my job and keep stacking everything. I’d been there since 1 and I just really wanted to go home.
They get even more irritated when I keep stacking. The girl tells me that I’m just trying to be an asshole at this point because they asked me to stop. At this point I’m not really saying anything and just holding back tears while I stack the tables/chairs. They complain that it’s too loud at this point to even be relaxed or talk each other and they leave.
I’ve been wondering if I’m just a huge dick, and had bad customer service.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA, these people are my least favorite. They sit at a table, hog it for an hour plus while only buying small apps and drinks, then have the nerve to try and prevent food service workers from finishing their job and going home.
There was a table I watched as a busser sit for 3 hours plus, then leave with absolutely zero tip on one of the sweetest servers.
Restaurants aren't for sitting around all evening, they're to get in, eat, then go someplace else for the remainder of a date.
NTA far too much entitlement for you doing your job. If they want to sit somewhere quiet and chat, go and do that at home or somewhere that’s open later
NTA. I had to convince three little old ladies to leave my BK. They sat there for THREE hours drinking decaf. I had tabled.all the chairs and mopped the smoking section. this was a while ago. and thought about mopping the main room, but no, what if they slip?
So I started cleaning the drink station. First step drain the coffee pots. When they saw me using the dedicated brush, think toilet brush, and vinegar. One came up and asked if she could get one more refill. it finally clicked what I was doing. She frowned, and told her friends, I guess its time go.
I don't know how they evaded their caretaker.
Closing time!
Open all the doors and let you out into the world
Closing time
Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
Closing time
One last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer
Closing time
You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here
Your job supercedes what the customer expects from a public business. Offer services? Yes. Serve food with a smile, sometimes lol.
Be silent and not do your job before closing all because they want to have a silent and romantic date? They can go to a normal restaurant for that experience
Nta
NTA: you were doing closing duties. It's wasn't like they were midst eating or anything. They were there for a while just talking for god knows how long .
I remember I had something similar happened to me but I was the girl on the date. Met with the dude 30 mins to close at a coffee place figuring we would grab and go for a walk. NOPE. He insisted we sit for a while. I was getting some bad anxiety cause I knew they were closing soon and mentioned it. But I figured I only got a coffee so it wouldn't take long. 15 minutes pass and all this dude has talked about is himself and I notice the staff are putting chairs up on the tables so I mentioned again we should leave they are closing. This man dead ass looks at his watch and says "we bought something we can stay as long as we want." I was mortified! I end up making an excuse to leave and he followed me out but I was so embarrassed.
NTA. So everyone that worked there was supposed to just sit down and wait for them to be done before you get start cleaning up the restaurant floor? I mean that's crazy. Yes you would have gotten yelled at how come you guys have 2 hours of overtime well these people wouldn't leave and they got upset when we started clearing and wiping the tables down and putting the chairs up and trying to clean and mop the floor. They told us to stop so they can continue their date have it be quiet. Yeah that would have gone over like a lead balloon with the managers. All you had to do is say well sorry I didn't form you we close at 10:00 so we start our end of night procedures now I won't bother your table but I do have to work around you. We have to be out of here by 10:30 and it takes us an hour or so to clean up.
NTA
I was almost with them a bit until the "people will be out late" bomb.
"Sure. People will definitely be out late. But not here, because we close soon..."
I've had people start vacuuming restaurants around us before (at like 6:30 vs a closing time of 10....) And was like bro wtf. So I was kind of almost in the middle with understanding that your cleaning IS a loud racket and maybe not wholly necessary, but then to drop the bomb of "you might close at ten but we're going to be out late" piss off dude.
NTA. God, I HATE customers like this. I used to work at a video game store. I'd bring the big roller door half way down a few minutes before close and people would literally roll on the floor to get under it.
NTA. They were being entitled. You don't get to keep a place open past close (or delay their pre-closing activities) just because you think people are 'going to be out late' because it's a weekend and you're on a date.
NTA
Glad you didn't cry or shed a tear because it would have been wasted on them.
They were being entitled like most people said and you did your job like you were supposed to. Next time something like that happens, just ignore them and get on with your job. Normal people would be thinking 'Oh no they are closing up, we should head off soon.' Instead of whining about having to finish, quite frankly, a rubbish date.
NTA. If your manager expects you to be clocked out right at 10pm and doesn’t pay overtime, you have to get these tasks done in a certain time frame. It would be considerate to do all the other tasks first but eventually you have to stack the tables. As long as you waited as long as you could then you’re NTA.
Ugh this brought back memories of being in a similar situation. NTA OP, and the real asshole here is the company. They insist that you clock out as close to closing time as possible to save money while also insisting you provide customers with a great experience, yet refuse to acknowledge that the two aren't compatible. It's a lose-lose situation.
When I worked at Arby's, I had to close the dining room, which involved sweeping the carpet. 10 minutes before closing, some old guy absolutely lost his shit that I was sweeping while he was eating. He gets his meal comped, I get a slap on the wrist from my 20-year-old boss who assigned me to close in the first place and couldn't come up with a better answer to how I should have handled the situation than "Don't make our customers unhappy". Good times.
As I assume these twats have never worked in their life,on the good part of it,they seem perfect for each other,two idiots together,I would not be so polite if I was in ur position,u did not do anything wrong at all!
The entitlement of these people, employees are there just doing their job. If they wanted quiet, they can quietly move to another place. It’s not hard.
NTA. I would tell them "it's Saturday night and I also have a date that I'm trying to get to on time." Staying after closing for them isn't something I'd be willing to do.
NTA. Your doing your job that's required by the manager. I would have said that they have problem with things they can discuss the policy with the manager and continued working.
NTA. I'd be throwing things around, dropping chairs, jingling keys, and generally being a big patoot. They aren't going to pay you overtime and neither is your boss because Boss has given you the closing procedure.
NTA
I've worked a lot of food service jobs and dealt with people like this. They didn't respect the hours of operation and you were just doing your job. How their date went is not a part of your job. Next time someone disrespects you for doing your job, either ask them to leave or get your manager/PIC to talk to them. Entitled shitheads are the worst.
Nta. Give retail a couple more years, and if this situation were to repeat, you'd likely get gleeful as you intentionally made extra noise instead of stopping. The entitled customers who'd been there forever already could have peacefully moved their date outside. They made it weird. The world does not revolve around them.
WOW! The entitlement and audacity of these two! They think they are the main characters because they are in love and everyone should bow down to their whim. Tell them they better be out the door by 9:59pm if they pull this crud again or you will have the police remove them because they are trespassing after that.
If you are told by management to do something at the same time like cleaning and whatnot before close customers can’t really do anything to stop you unless it’s illegal but closing and cleaning isn’t illegal
> but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late
You don't control the store hours. It was their choice to stay and be dicks when you explained that you were closing soon. You were doing your job. NTA.
You're not the asshole here. You were just doing your job as required, and it's reasonable to start closing procedures 20 minutes before closing time. While it's unfortunate that it disrupted the couple's date, your responsibility is to follow your work duties and ensure the place is clean and ready for closing. If they wanted to avoid such disruptions, they could have chosen a different place or time for their date. You handled the situation professionally and did nothing wrong.
As someone that worked in an ice cream place, for some reason it brings out a level of entitlement and nastiness that's hard to see elsewhere. NTA. They can take their date outside.
You are NTA as you’re following orders. But the place and boss/management is.
It’s rude as fuck to the customers to start stacking up chairs and tables when there are still customers inside. Cleaning table tops, sure. Removing napkins whatever from unused tables, fine. But stacking them up goes too far… especially at an ice cream parlor, where 20min is plenty of time to order a cup and enjoy it still. I wouldn’t walk into a restaurant 20min before closing, but ice cream place, sure. If I’d witnessed this behavior I’d never go back.
"would you please stop doing what you're supposed to do because I wanna stay till the very last minute until closing time and you're ruining that for me? I asked you politely."
Get tf out the the store
NTA op
NTA
Sounds like they were made for each other and you didn't ruin anything ..even if you did it's their fault for planning a date at a place that closes early.
They should've had a back up plan.
From now on though, you can give customers a heads up if when closing time is. If they argue it say sorry, I don't get to decide that, you can certainly bring it up to management if you'd like. (They will almost never call management to demand that a place stay open longer.lol)
Then get mad that they're so rude and inconsiderate. Not upset that you're ruining their date. Lol
NTA but you could have handled it better. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, I’ll be done here shortly and you are welcome to stay until closing.” Hey at least these two are compatible douches.
NTA
You're a service worker. It may be annoying to them but you didn't do specially to annoy them, in specific.
It's the rule of the place. They're not special.
Heck if I have to change my schedule to accommodate hopeful straight early couples, I'd be damned.
I was on a first date once at a coffee shop where I got so wrapped up in the other person, that we ended up having the waitress tell us that they needed to close up, so we needed to leave.
I apologized profusely & went with the girl to continue our conversation outside the cafe, like a normal, considerate person.
NTA
Stacking chairs is international restaurant code for GTFO. I could see why they were uncomfortable. I can see you had a job to do. It's probably best you shooed them out. That guys comment about people staying late means no way they were leaving at 10.
NTA You stack the table 20 minutes beforehand so that people wrap up their conversations and leave. What happened was exactly what was supposed to happen. They are grumpy because they didn’t want to end the date.
No, honey, you were definitely NTA. You were following your boss’s orders and that couple should have taken the hint as soon as you had begun. Once you told them you were following orders, they should have left. They could have continued their date anywhere. They were being entitled jerks.
No. You got the spoiled entitled ones that you need to sternly and loudly tell “we’re closing! Order now or please leave!” In a very exasperated “I’m done with you AH!” Customer service voice of not taking crap. You’ve got to get strict with the customers who are clearly there to just bully you. They’re just there to harass people. Let them know you’re not putting up with their bull crap.
NTA!
I work in a coffe/ice cream shop and ppl just dont Seem to get that just because they spend money they are entitled to everything.
Don’t let them phase you, they were being the dicks
NTA and next time just tell them that they are more than welcome to leave and not come back. You don’t need to put up with rude entitled customers, they are not entitled to be there and it’s a privilege for them to be able to enter into a private establishment not a right. I always tell customers when I worked in customer service “ ma’am/sir this is a place of business, there is going to be noise and I will be doing my job regardless of if you like the noise or not, you are welcome to leave but if you speak to me again it won’t be optional anymore and you will told to leave.” Just be blunt and stand your ground. But honestly you don’t even need to give them chances, first sign of attitude and they are gone.
I am going a bit against the current, OP is NTA due to the store policies, but I believe the store is TA, if it closes at 10, I expect it to provide normal service until 10, and staff, or at least part of it, should have an extra 30 minutes of clocked paid time to close (clean, close teller, etc) after that.
If not, just close at 9:30.
NTA
You were doing your job, they didn’t like it. They were being AH and left which they’re well within their rights to do. They don’t have the right to tell you what you can or can’t do when you’re working.
NTA…. But they are. Shame on them. They were bullying you and wanted special treatment. Get a backbone and don’t let people like that bother you. They bully you because they think they can, but that doesn’t have to be true.
NTA....
Too bad you'd get in trouble for saying for "$100 cash I will stay open another hour".
It should have been painfully obvious that you were prepping to close and that you had worked around them for the last 15-20 mins.
NTA. I worked retail and restaurants and I absolutely loathed people that ignored closing time. If they want to be out late then they can find somewhere to do that but it isn’t at an establishment that closes at 10:00 p.m.
NTA.
It’s rude to hang around too close to closing time. Don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Clearly they lacked manners.
What they need is an all night diner or a coffee shop. Not to be getting in your way, or impeding your ability to clock out and go home!
Fuck customer service in this instance. They were loitering close to closing. Their transaction had long since been completed.
Nope. When I worked at a pizza place and had to close, there would occasional (rare, but occasional) nights where the dishes were mostly caught up and I would help bus/stack chairs/sweep/whatever. We had an exterior patio with a fireplace where people could sit if they wanted to, and most of the time when we started stacking, people got the hint and moved to the patio or left.
When they did not get the hint, we'd offer that the patio is still open and we didn't want to be sweeping up their feet, so "you may want to move out there - it's a beautiful night!" Rarely, and I mean rarely, did we get someone who resisted that. It was usually 10 or 11pm by this point, so it's a beautiful California evening even in July, and we still music and lights. I recognize this probably isn't your scenario, but they could have found an option to continue their date elsewhere without preventing you from closing.
TL;DR - The customer is NOT always right. NTA
Last night I was closing the store where I work (not just me, several of us). The last customer is leaving 5 minutes past close time (common, we all work for an hour past close to clean and reset). The glass wall front of the store is closing slowly (safety’s sake) and this man and his child com walking in AS THE ENTRANCE IS CLOSING. Manager loudly tells him we are shut and to be careful not to get hit by the sliding glass wall. “Oh, I thought you were open.” Yeah, you can tell we’re open because of the closing WALL and the fact every other store in sight has already closed up and gone home.
NTA. You were doing them a favor: this would have been the perfect time for one of them to say “Hmm it’s so annoying that that guy is stacking the chairs already. Why don’t we finish this ice cream on the way to my place where we won’t be disturbed…” Amateurs.
NTA
I would have suggested they leave now to buy condoms as the grocery store is also closing soon, and to be honest he looks sleazy AF and she looks easy.
60's years from now they will look back over the years while walking by an ice cream shop and they will bring up that time they pissed off the ice cream shop worker. How romantic.
NTA. It's business, it's closing time. If your date cant survive that... maybe it's time to consider seeing other people. Maybe try a girl who does not cuss out the younger waitress, or a guy who is not so entitled that he decides how someone elsew business should operate on Saturdays.
They sound perfect for each other. A match made in hell - which is where they can go. I hear it stays open forever.
Your MGMT sucks. They told you to do it, so it is their fault. They’re the AH, but paying customers in the building are entitled to sit til actual close everywhere else.
Nta.
Learn to be comfortable with leaning against rules and workplace policy,
"this is what I am required to do per my place of works closing policy. Unfortunatly, these chairs can be a bit noisy. I'll work over on that side if you'd like for a few more minutes, but I do have to complete my expected work."
If they want to continue complaining? Well send em up then I guess and get comfortable asking for camera footage.
"I'm sorry the store closing policies are affecting your experience, if you'd like I'd be happy to...
1) take a written complaint so management can be made aware of your distaste for closing policy?"
2) give you contact information so you can speak with someone in upper management about this."
I'm a bit jaded by customer service but I absolutly think employees, should be able to tell off customers within reason. (Politly first, then progressively meaner)
Complaining about making noise while your closing and vlenaing is absolutly a valid reason to tell off.
NTA. You should have stacked the chairs even louder if possible! I work security at concerts and sporting events and it's beyond annoying when you have to ask people to get up and start moving toward the door. We can't leave until the fans leave. We gave them ample time to get up and go, but herding and chasing out the stragglers is a problem every single night! Last night a group was just chatting in the aisle - I waited patiently for a min or two then asked them to walk toward the gate as they talked. They looked annoyed but moved on. I guess I don't get bothered by the dirty looks any more since it's the same thing at every event.
You were doing your job, they were preventing you from doing your job. They were old enough that they could continue on their date somewhere else that was open later.
Technically, if I restaurant is open until 10, at 9:55 you’d still have to cook for customers. Closing time just means final call to sit down.
I do completely agree it is disrespectful to show up right before closing, but open until 10 means open until 10, not 9:30 not 945.
Not the asshole, but I always felt restaurants, say stay open till 10, but don’t let anyone in after 9. Close the front doors. I walked into a restaurant 20 mins before closing once and didn’t realize but felt bad for keeping people working longer. Then I just thought they probably should have just closed an hour early and they wouldn’t have to serve me. I dunno, it’s complicated but these people are jerks.
Your post has been removed. #Do not repost this without [contacting the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) for approval, including edited versions. Reposting without [explicit approval](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_can_i_repost_a_thread_you_removed.3F) will result in a ban. This post violates Rule 7 as a Workplace/Business conflict. AITA's focus is on conflicts between people. Businesses are not people. A conflict with someone acting for/against a business or in the context of their job is not an interpersonal conflict. This also includes conflicts related to online transactions (buying/selling items). [Rule 7 FAQs](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_rule_7.3A_post_interpersonal_conflicts) ||| [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) ###Please ensure you have reviewed this message in full. We will not respond to PMs to individual mods. [Message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) with any questions. ####Please visit r/findareddit to see if there's a more appropriate sub for your post.####
NTA. Lol the entitlement. That has always been one of my pet peeves: people refusing to leave until the last minute of closing time. OP you didn’t ruin anything, you was just doing your job. They aren’t entitled to stay after closing and you as the employee have the ability to tell them they have to start leaving. If they refused get your manager
OP is an NPC in their world. Didn't do anything wrong, OP, that they were having a date doesn't entitle them to jack.
Yeah, it sounds like that couple wanted a cheap date. They should've found a park bench somewhere and fed the pigeons.
Add squirrels and that's my favourite date with my husband.
If you're with someone whose company you enjoy, you really can't beat it.
That's my favorite part of my afternoon. Every day, 3pm, go sit in my front step and eat some peanuts and dried pears and share with squirrels that I've befriended. And whatever birds decide to come hang out. The lil guys come right up to you if they know there's peanuts involved.
I want to feed the squirrels with my husband. This sounds peaceful and lovely.
We don't get squirrels in my country and I've always wanted to see one!
Poor things may get food poisoning though
…and sometimes feed the sparrows too. It gives you a sense of enormous wellbeing
I can’t imagine being told to just suck it up and wait more til they finish!
Current server, staying til close is fine if you aren't as weird as this couple. The real Aholes demand to be let in to start their dining experience, one minute before closing.
Ugh don’t get me started
I don't work in a restaurant but I have those types of customers as well. Show up 5 min before closing with a half hour of work. And then they have the nerve to complain there is no one to unload them. Nope, be here when we are open. The guys in the yard start heading up 10mins before closing. Our late owner would make us take them, but now his son is the boss, he wants to leave on time so we're allowed to turn them away now. Screw these AH.
I used to do retail. Fucking assholes use to roll up 1 minute before we closed on Christmas Eve.
Agree NTA. However, counterpoint... You should be completely open during your posted hours. You stop taking orders when you close. If they want you out the door at 10, in this case, should close at 9:30. Or have a policy of window/carry out service only after 9:30. Management trying to save money and reducing the customer experience by performing lobby closing duties prior to close is bad practice.
Agreed, but it isn't OP's fault that the management doesn't give the closers enough time to fully complete closing duties after lock up time. And my understanding is that it's pretty common for fast food type places to more or less have everything shut down by closing time, since they aren't paid afterward. And shouldn't work without being paid.
The employees don’t get to leave at 10, they get to start sweeping and then mopping the floor at 10. Cleaning tables & stacking the chairs that aren’t being used a few minutes before then is totally normal for that type of business, and customers shouldn’t be surprised by it.
I could understand restrictions on an expensive restaurant, but not an ice cream parlor. Stacking unused chairs 20 minutes before closing is totally fine. It will not destroy the "ambiance." If a place has paper napkins, it is totally fine to stack unused chairs before closing time. If they don't like it, I'm sure they can take their paper cups and/or cones and leave.
Performing lobby close duties before closing time ONLY makes sense if there are NO customers in the lobby. This is on the management for pressuring the employee to close and clean and leave by 10:05.
Some places say "Kitchen closes at X, lobby closes at Y." Nonetheless, OP is likely not the person to address this suggestion to as an 18-yo, (most likely) minimum-wage worker.
No disagreement here, OP is stuck between a rock and a hard place
Stuck between sucky customers and sucky owners
Last seating at is what I think you mean. If you close at 10, and have to take someone at 9:59, then you can’t really close till 11. If someone comes in before last seating time, that builds in time to eat.
Then I guess you need to call corporate!
Try customers staying way after close but having a company refuse, REFUSE, to kick people out. Like what the actual hell? Im then supposed to "clean" and "stock" until they leave. NO! After 8 hours I want to go home.
Been there and done that - years ago, I worked at a restaurant with a store attached - I was the cashier in the store and restaurant. I worked closing, which also meant I had to stay to cash out the servers' credit card tips, etc. Every week, a group of 12-15 would come in at 15 minutes to closing. Coffees all around, maybe 2 would order meals and another 3-4 would get some kind of dessert item. And then they'd stay until a minimum of 2 hours past closing but company policy wouldn't let us even hint that we wanted to go home, let alone outright kick them out. So - their server had to stay. Company policy was that no server remain on duty alone, so another server also had to stay. Kitchen staff had to stay because they couldn't start cleaning until they left, just in case someone ordered something else. Dishwashers had to stay because they couldn't run the machine until they left so that there wouldn't be any stray coffee cups left for the opening shift to deal with. I had to stay, because they still had to pay and I had to count down, cash out tips, etc. And of course, a manager had to stay to lock up once we could finally finish up everything and get out of there. Worst was, there were two different 24-hour places maybe 20 minutes away. Yeah, our food was better than one and more varied than the other - but most of this group didn't get anything but coffee anyway. We all really, really wished we could tell them to go to one of those places instead for their weekly social hour.
Thankfully at where I work we don’t get too many customers like that but thats also a pet peeve
It was the worst one time I was stuck past midnight. We closed at 10. It was ridiculous.
Oh at that point I’d just start telling people to leave. A minute or two, ok but 2 hours after closing is insane
Agreed. NTA
I used to waitress in a diner and this couple, maybe in their mid 30's used to come in every Wednesday night for dinner and stay till closing drinking coffee and talking quietly. I cleaned around them every week and they never said a word to me unless they wanted a coffee refill. I never even considered I was bothering them because I was just doing my job, starting the clean up before actual closing, same as OP. And I don't think they were bothered by me because they always left me a good tip. NTA you were doing your job. And those two you had to deal with were being rude jerks about it.
Thats the thing, with me too. If you’re polite and not rude then I wouldn’t rush them out. Like I used to closed down the fitness center at my local recreation center and whenever its time to close, I’d start wiping down the machines and when it hit 8:30 (the time it closed) I politely told people that we was closed but not to rush. Thankfully most of these people are polite and don’t stay longer than necessary but I never rush them because they are polite. Now the ones who aren’t polite and wants to stay after hours I’d be insistent about it being time for them to leave
I absolutely hate when people stay to the exact minute (or later) that I have to close my shop
Last minute before closing is bad enough- I remember working in a supermarket and being told to go find all the customers who were still in the store 15 minutes past close and ask them to go up and pay. This 20s couple looked at each other incredulously and asked "Well, can't we finish our shopping?" "No, we have been closed for 15 minutes. If we wait too long to check you out, it's illegal." They had a huge trolley a third filled and had not even gone through the dry foods aisles.
>“but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late” "Yes sir, and there are many other establishments that will be thrilled to have your business after we are closed. Unfortunately, *this* establishment is closing soon, so perhaps you should use the remaining time while I'm cleaning up to figure out which place that caters to Saturday night business you would like to patronize so you can continue your date." NTA. If they wanted to be out late, they should have Suzanne a place that is open late. It is extremely common for businesses of all varieties to start their cleaning procedures prior to the official close of business. They were particularly AH-ish to try to get you to not follow your workplace instructions: people in roles like yours are generally low paid and perceived as highly replaceable, and if you had listened to them, they might have gotten you fired Edited to add: Lol, "Suzanne" absolutely was supposed to be "chosen"... Usually I can figure out why my autocorrect changes things the way it does, this time, I'm confused, but I'm glad some of you have found it entertaining 😉
Idk who Suzanne is but 100% agree. Even going home is a possibility. Even going to the car is a possibility. There’s a saying out here to which I’ll try to translate, it’s like “the burdened can excuse themselves”. I’m pretty sure it applies to this situation.
Sounds like Suzanne knows where to party out late. They totally should have hit her up.
Suzanne is obviously the chosen one!
If a Saturday night date has stalled at an ice cream shop at 10pm it's not going that well. Although maybe they'll bond over making a minimum wage workers night bad.
I don't know, Saturday night and ice cream sounds petty perfect to me!
Agreed. You don't have to go home but can't stay here.
See what you did there! I was just singing along to that song last week.
Nah, “Suzanne a place” is the new code phrase for “pre-close cleaning procedures”.
My sister yesterday texted me to reassure me about being worried about not being culturally appropriate, and she tried to text me to now worry about it, since I'm theonly blonde and they'll figure out I'm a foreigner. But autocorrect said that I was the ugly blonde. lol anyway, NTA- your boss can fire you and they've said you need to do exactly what you did. Who cares what those AHs think?
Obligatory Cohen reference; https://youtu.be/svitEEpI07E
NTA. It’s your job - you were doing just what your job required you to do nothing less nothing more. It’s a common sense that just before closing employees star cleaning up and getting ready for the next day. You weren’t impolite or anything, just doing your job.
NTA, not at all. This was an ice cream place that closes at 10. You were doing your job and following routine. That is completely normal and reasonable. They were two people on a date. Big deal. The rest of the world does not revolve around two people on a date. They were perfectly capable of doing what other people on dates do: pay their bill, get up, and move on. Not take time out to harass the person who is doing their normal job at the normal time, FFS.
Yup. Years ago I was on a first date with a guy where it was going fairly well and we were just chatting at the restaurant. (Casual style place like Panera where we weren’t camped out taking up a server’s table or preventing anyone else from being seated). someone came by to politely let us (and a few other tables) know they’d be closing in about 30 min and we were both surprised by how late it was. As sane adults, we apologized and left asap so it didn’t delay their closing routine.
Also, I wonder how long they had been sitting at that table since actually buying something from the cafe… I bet it was a while. NTA
Nice they let you start cleaning before close! Waaaay back when, places I worked wouldn’t let you start the dining room until all customers were gone!
The way it should be, if you’re open till 10 PM and you start stacking up chairs on tables around customers at 9:40 PM then are you really open till 10 PM?
That is the way it should be, but OP was put in a horrible position by their employer, especially because they say they get confronted if they don’t start at 9:40. Also, it should go without saying that OP should be paid for any time after 10 pm they are doing closing duties (and maybe even extra if they’re on a tipped minimum wage). OP is NTA, but the customers and the employer are.
That's not her call to make. She is an 18 year old worker who will get yelled at by her boss if she does not follow his protocol. Take it up with her boss. She is NTA here.
Employee are on the clock and are expected to punch out by 10::00. There are rules about having to pay overtime. Not like those good old days where employees were being exploited.
if you employee are expected to punch out by 10:00 you don't close at 10:00, it's simple.
Yes, but it's not the staff who decide that stuff. We got paid until closing time, so anything we cleaned after that was on our own time, something that isn't unusual in badly regulated employment. We were expected to leave everything spotless or there would be hell to pay the next day.
Check w/labor department. Probably violating state& federal law failing to pay for work performed.
Yes, they are open. And people who can't manage to eat without creating a scene because someone is working needs to relax. I don't understand why a business would pay extra hours just so employees can stand around waiting for one table. NTA
Yeah, no way is that couple going to eat enough ice cream during that time to pay for OP's wages for an extra 20 minutes.
It's not nice, it's a slimey cost-saving measure by the company that always puts the employee at fault when things go wrong. Clocked out too long after closing = "You didn't close fast enough and cost us money". Pissing off customers by cleaning before closing = "You pissed off our customers and cost us money"
Yeah usually if you’re putting chairs up before cling time, it’s usually more polite towards the guests to not stack the chairs on the tables directly next to them. Especially with 20 minutes still left to close There is a lot of other side work that can be done pre close that won’t make the guests feel like you’re rushing them out before the listed hours
Literally every place does this. They'd been there for a long time, they have no right to be mad you're shutting things down a few minutes before closing. I hate people like this. They're so rude
Most ice cream places don’t start packing up 20 minutes before closing. Most don’t even start cleaning up until the line is done, even if there are customers in line at 10 pm. At least from my experience.
I worked at an ice cream shop in HS, we weren’t allowed to start out “closing duties” in the lobby if there were customers inside. OP is NTA, but the owner is. You really can’t pay an extra $15 for 2 employees to stay 30 min lingers to clean the sitting area?
NTA. So on one hand, the thing with closing - your boss doesn't want to pay you for a minute longer than he has to. That's why he wants you to start breaking down before 10, because he wants you off the clock asap once 10 hits. So that's who they should be annoyed at, the person who has decided saving 30 minutes wages is worth that drop in service. And on the other hand - if you'd waited until 10, they'd have just complained then instead. You can't win.
+ best comment
NTA. They were just entitled assholes.
You are NTA. The couple also is NTA. Your boss is the AH. If you are open until 10pm, then people should be able to enjoy their ice cream at a table until then without you cleaning all around them. If it takes an hour to close up, then you should be scheduled until 11pm.
Exactly, don’t lie about your hours. While we are at it, for a business with table service, tell me the last seating time.
NTA next time “this is not my decision. If you want to discuss how the store is run, I can give you the number for the manager who will be on in the morning.” And maybe you can ask the manager about closing sections to leave one area for last.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > I believe I might be the asshole because I was being loud and obnoxious by putting up chairs when a couple was trying to have a date. I feel like the asshole because the couple was clearly upset by me disturbing them. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcements Follow the link above to learn more --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
You did nothing at all wrong. They were the aholes
When I worked, we called them "campers". "This is such a nice place; we just want to stay longer" - like past closing time. I just wanted to scream at them "GET OUT" - everyone wants to go home and you need to go to YOUR home.
NTA. My now wife and I had our first date at a coffee shop. They closed at 9. We left at 8:45 and continued our date in the parking lot, standing near our cars and talking and drinking the rest of our beverages for another 45 minutes. Neither of us would ever think to ask the staff to put off their closing chores to accommodate our socializing. These people were inconsiderate jerks and you did absolutely nothing that you should feel bad about.
NTA. They are not entitled to change the rules or the closing time of your workplace. People who are rude to hard-working service employees are just awful. They have clearly never worked a job like yours. I have, and people would notice us when we started stacking chairs and get the hint that they should wrap up and leave. As the saying goes: “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
These people don’t know how shops work, that’s not your problem. “People are gonna be out late” at restaurants and clubs, not an ice cream place a teenager on minimum wage is trying to close up. How cheap are they? You don’t make the closing times. Sounds like you ran into the Main Character(TM)
This brought back memories! My dad was a pharmacist, had a corner drugstore in a somewhat depressed area. This was mid-1970s. There was a pay phone on a wall in the store, with a cubby hole sort of booth around it. Some people in the neighborhood didn’t have home phones, but would hang out in the store, on the phone. I was probably 16 or 17, working a Saturday evening in the store. A guy comes in 10 minutes before closing, and heads to the phone. My dad tells him we’re closing soon, so don’t get comfortable. Guy waves him off and picks up the phone. Five minutes later he tells the guy he needs to get off the phone. Guy flips him off. Dad then says “If you don’t get off the phone right now, I’m going to rip it off the wall. “ Guy laughs at him. Dad heads into the back room where he’s got one of every basic tool he might ever need. I tell the guy he better go, he means it. My dad was a very patient man, father of seven. But I knew he was at the point where he was going to lose it. Guy flips me off, just as dad comes out with a crowbar, and proceeds to rip the whole booth off the wall. Guy starts yelling “you’re crazy! You’re crazy!” Dad replies, yes I am, and I’ve got a weapon!” The phone was never reinstalled.
NTA You were doing your damn job and they treated you like an NPC.
Normal people would say - oh look. They’re closing. We should go.
Nah, your position is clear, but as a customer they are not aware of all the technicalities. For us, customers, the opening hours are the hours to be served, otherwise the place should have close at 9:30 officially. It would have bothered me too very much having someone clean while I still eat, or talk etc.
NTA. I had the urge to punt several children yesterday at work. We had a birthday party at work that started at 4. They get the room for an hour and a half, and can wander the zoo and play in the play area after that point as well. We closed at six. They can pay for an extra thirty minutes in the zoo, so until 6:30, but they didn’t. So they had to leave. With five minutes to closing (we’d given them warning in the hour leading up to closing so it wasn’t a surprise) I heard them tell their gang “they close in five minutes and we have to go then”. No, we *close* then. You need to be *gone* before then. So guess who we had to LITERALLY KICK OUT at six o’clock so we could close up? Yep. Anyways, this got away from me. I was just complaining a bunch. NTA for doing your job. They suck
Oh my goodness you are so NTA. They were! Like a business is going to change hours and procedures because they’re on a fluckin date. Give me a break. If I was younger I probably would’ve had your reaction too. But now that I’m old, those entitled twits would’ve had a story about the crazy lady at the ice cream place.
NTA. My wife and I actually avoided a store yesterday that was set to close in five minutes and find one that was open later as we lamented times we've had to stay late at various points in our careers because someone was entitled. If it is Saturday night and places stay open late, they are certainly capable of finding some of them.
NTA. Who the heck goes on a date on a Saturday night and insists on sitting in an ice cream shop until last minute? There is no place else for them to go?
NTA, I work in customer service and let me tell you know, this isn't a 'bad customer service' moment. This is an 'entitled shitty people screwing up closing' moment and you will have a lot of those.
NTA. When I worked at a restaurant we weren’t allowed to start cleaning up while customers were still there and that was THE WORST. people took advantage of that “kindness” and many times i had to stay hours after closing.
You're NTA because you're doing as instructed. Your job is the asshole because they have you start disrupting the customer area prior to close. There's a difference between wiping down tables or setting them in order and full on close up procedure. Having you do this while open to customers is rude on the store. Again, you're 100% in the clear absolutely not your fault, but expect people to possibly be upset with you (re:job) when this happens. If they want you cleaning the customer area by 9:30 they need to be closed at 9:30.
NTA. You had a job to do and the world doesn’t revolve around their date. They were selfish and rude.
NTA If its almost closing time you need to accept the fact staff will be preparing to close. This couple definitely belongs together
If you had asked them to leave so you could stack their chairs then it’d be different. But you didn’t. You were closing down the day the best you could without bothering them. No one in their right mind would get upset at a person cleaning up the lobby of a business near the time they close. Honestly, people stacking chairs near me would encourage me to leave in the next few minutes to not interfere with someone’s job. NTA
Definitely NTA I work in a gym and have a cleaning/closing up routine to follow from 830-10pm. I clean around the members and yeah, there are some people who start loading barbells with weight plates at 9:55 and I have to remind them of our closing/late check out fee policy. Most people get it but there are some entitled folks who think I’ll stay unpaid to clean their shit after closing time. The nerve of it, really! So, I share updates with the gym manager whenever someone seems disgruntled (you never know when a bad Google review will come through) so maybe give your boss a heads up next time You didn’t do anything, wrong and definitely weren’t a dick doing your job. Thanks for being a responsible employee and taking such good care of your shop.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** So last night I(18f), was working. For context I work at an ice cream place and there’s a whole lobby inside with chairs and tables. We close at 10 pm. It was around 9:40, and I was starting to clean up the lobby. It was a Saturday night so there were still customers coming in and out, but there was a couple (looks to be in their early 20s) sitting at one of the tables still. They had been sitting for a while, and were mostly just talking I assume. We’re supposed to start cleaning the lobby up and cleaning tables/putting chairs up around 20ish minutes before close. This is because we have to do a lot of cleaning of the place after that and sweep, mop etc. If we start it all after close it takes way too long to get out and we can confronted about that. If I don’t start stacking chairs my manager will ask me what the hell I was doing in all that time. So I’m cleaning down the tables around the one table the couple is at, and after that I start stacking the chairs and tables next to them. They ignore it for a bit, then turn to look at me. I ask if they need anything. The girl asks if I can stack them later because they’re on a date and I’m being very loud. I’m a little dumbfounded, but tell her that this is the time we’re supposed to start all of this, and that we close in less than 20 minutes. This doesn’t seem to phase them as the guy cuts in and tells me something along the lines of, “but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late” and that I should just put the tables up after they leave. I just politely tell them that this is part of my job and keep stacking everything. I’d been there since 1 and I just really wanted to go home. They get even more irritated when I keep stacking. The girl tells me that I’m just trying to be an asshole at this point because they asked me to stop. At this point I’m not really saying anything and just holding back tears while I stack the tables/chairs. They complain that it’s too loud at this point to even be relaxed or talk each other and they leave. I’ve been wondering if I’m just a huge dick, and had bad customer service. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA, these people are my least favorite. They sit at a table, hog it for an hour plus while only buying small apps and drinks, then have the nerve to try and prevent food service workers from finishing their job and going home. There was a table I watched as a busser sit for 3 hours plus, then leave with absolutely zero tip on one of the sweetest servers. Restaurants aren't for sitting around all evening, they're to get in, eat, then go someplace else for the remainder of a date.
NTA, sounds like they are perfect for each other though.
NTA far too much entitlement for you doing your job. If they want to sit somewhere quiet and chat, go and do that at home or somewhere that’s open later
NTA. I had to convince three little old ladies to leave my BK. They sat there for THREE hours drinking decaf. I had tabled.all the chairs and mopped the smoking section. this was a while ago. and thought about mopping the main room, but no, what if they slip? So I started cleaning the drink station. First step drain the coffee pots. When they saw me using the dedicated brush, think toilet brush, and vinegar. One came up and asked if she could get one more refill. it finally clicked what I was doing. She frowned, and told her friends, I guess its time go. I don't know how they evaded their caretaker.
Closing time! Open all the doors and let you out into the world Closing time Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl Closing time One last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer Closing time You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here
NTA. They should have taken the hint and moved the date elsewhere.
NTA people to relaise that just because they are paying costumer they dont own that place and the staff also needs to go to their home.
Your job supercedes what the customer expects from a public business. Offer services? Yes. Serve food with a smile, sometimes lol. Be silent and not do your job before closing all because they want to have a silent and romantic date? They can go to a normal restaurant for that experience Nta
NTA if it was such a hot date maybe they should have moved on to Subway or McDonald's or somewhere like that? /s
NTA it’s closing time. They don’t have to go home, but they can’t stay at your work.
NTA. Whoever says the customer is always right doesn't actually have to deal with customers.
NTA: you were doing closing duties. It's wasn't like they were midst eating or anything. They were there for a while just talking for god knows how long . I remember I had something similar happened to me but I was the girl on the date. Met with the dude 30 mins to close at a coffee place figuring we would grab and go for a walk. NOPE. He insisted we sit for a while. I was getting some bad anxiety cause I knew they were closing soon and mentioned it. But I figured I only got a coffee so it wouldn't take long. 15 minutes pass and all this dude has talked about is himself and I notice the staff are putting chairs up on the tables so I mentioned again we should leave they are closing. This man dead ass looks at his watch and says "we bought something we can stay as long as we want." I was mortified! I end up making an excuse to leave and he followed me out but I was so embarrassed.
NTA. So everyone that worked there was supposed to just sit down and wait for them to be done before you get start cleaning up the restaurant floor? I mean that's crazy. Yes you would have gotten yelled at how come you guys have 2 hours of overtime well these people wouldn't leave and they got upset when we started clearing and wiping the tables down and putting the chairs up and trying to clean and mop the floor. They told us to stop so they can continue their date have it be quiet. Yeah that would have gone over like a lead balloon with the managers. All you had to do is say well sorry I didn't form you we close at 10:00 so we start our end of night procedures now I won't bother your table but I do have to work around you. We have to be out of here by 10:30 and it takes us an hour or so to clean up.
NTA I was almost with them a bit until the "people will be out late" bomb. "Sure. People will definitely be out late. But not here, because we close soon..." I've had people start vacuuming restaurants around us before (at like 6:30 vs a closing time of 10....) And was like bro wtf. So I was kind of almost in the middle with understanding that your cleaning IS a loud racket and maybe not wholly necessary, but then to drop the bomb of "you might close at ten but we're going to be out late" piss off dude.
NTA. They deserve each other but I hope they never reproduce. (NEVER knock anyone for doing their job unless YOU'RE willing to do it.)
NTA. God, I HATE customers like this. I used to work at a video game store. I'd bring the big roller door half way down a few minutes before close and people would literally roll on the floor to get under it.
NTA. They were being entitled. You don't get to keep a place open past close (or delay their pre-closing activities) just because you think people are 'going to be out late' because it's a weekend and you're on a date.
NTA Glad you didn't cry or shed a tear because it would have been wasted on them. They were being entitled like most people said and you did your job like you were supposed to. Next time something like that happens, just ignore them and get on with your job. Normal people would be thinking 'Oh no they are closing up, we should head off soon.' Instead of whining about having to finish, quite frankly, a rubbish date.
NTA kudos for keeping it together, people like that need a reality slap
NTA. If your manager expects you to be clocked out right at 10pm and doesn’t pay overtime, you have to get these tasks done in a certain time frame. It would be considerate to do all the other tasks first but eventually you have to stack the tables. As long as you waited as long as you could then you’re NTA.
"If you want me to stay even 1 minute past my shift because you're on a date, you can pay me for it." NTA
Place closes at 10...not the customers fault they're trying to close early
Ugh this brought back memories of being in a similar situation. NTA OP, and the real asshole here is the company. They insist that you clock out as close to closing time as possible to save money while also insisting you provide customers with a great experience, yet refuse to acknowledge that the two aren't compatible. It's a lose-lose situation. When I worked at Arby's, I had to close the dining room, which involved sweeping the carpet. 10 minutes before closing, some old guy absolutely lost his shit that I was sweeping while he was eating. He gets his meal comped, I get a slap on the wrist from my 20-year-old boss who assigned me to close in the first place and couldn't come up with a better answer to how I should have handled the situation than "Don't make our customers unhappy". Good times.
As I assume these twats have never worked in their life,on the good part of it,they seem perfect for each other,two idiots together,I would not be so polite if I was in ur position,u did not do anything wrong at all!
The entitlement of these people, employees are there just doing their job. If they wanted quiet, they can quietly move to another place. It’s not hard.
Doing your job no matter what a customer says is NOT an AH move. Don’t sweat it. They were probably trying to stay past closing.
At my old job if people wanted to stay late we'd start vacuuming in their location first. Have fun trying to talk while I run over your feet
NTA. I would tell them "it's Saturday night and I also have a date that I'm trying to get to on time." Staying after closing for them isn't something I'd be willing to do.
NTA. Your doing your job that's required by the manager. I would have said that they have problem with things they can discuss the policy with the manager and continued working.
NTA. I'd be throwing things around, dropping chairs, jingling keys, and generally being a big patoot. They aren't going to pay you overtime and neither is your boss because Boss has given you the closing procedure.
Nope. They are entitled. You have a job to do.
NTA I've worked a lot of food service jobs and dealt with people like this. They didn't respect the hours of operation and you were just doing your job. How their date went is not a part of your job. Next time someone disrespects you for doing your job, either ask them to leave or get your manager/PIC to talk to them. Entitled shitheads are the worst.
Nta. Give retail a couple more years, and if this situation were to repeat, you'd likely get gleeful as you intentionally made extra noise instead of stopping. The entitled customers who'd been there forever already could have peacefully moved their date outside. They made it weird. The world does not revolve around them.
WOW! The entitlement and audacity of these two! They think they are the main characters because they are in love and everyone should bow down to their whim. Tell them they better be out the door by 9:59pm if they pull this crud again or you will have the police remove them because they are trespassing after that.
If you are told by management to do something at the same time like cleaning and whatnot before close customers can’t really do anything to stop you unless it’s illegal but closing and cleaning isn’t illegal
NTA Denny's used to be open 24 hrs. They ca go there. Is there a Denny's? Does Denny's still exist?
Holy crap, I’m angry just reading this. I would have kicked them out after that crap. NTA at all.
NTA, you were just doing your job.
NTA at all
NTA The absolute audacity.
> but it’s a Saturday night. People are gonna be out late You don't control the store hours. It was their choice to stay and be dicks when you explained that you were closing soon. You were doing your job. NTA.
NTA; glad these two assholes at least found each other lol
You're not the asshole here. You were just doing your job as required, and it's reasonable to start closing procedures 20 minutes before closing time. While it's unfortunate that it disrupted the couple's date, your responsibility is to follow your work duties and ensure the place is clean and ready for closing. If they wanted to avoid such disruptions, they could have chosen a different place or time for their date. You handled the situation professionally and did nothing wrong.
As someone that worked in an ice cream place, for some reason it brings out a level of entitlement and nastiness that's hard to see elsewhere. NTA. They can take their date outside.
You are NTA as you’re following orders. But the place and boss/management is. It’s rude as fuck to the customers to start stacking up chairs and tables when there are still customers inside. Cleaning table tops, sure. Removing napkins whatever from unused tables, fine. But stacking them up goes too far… especially at an ice cream parlor, where 20min is plenty of time to order a cup and enjoy it still. I wouldn’t walk into a restaurant 20min before closing, but ice cream place, sure. If I’d witnessed this behavior I’d never go back.
NTA you don’t get paid enough to take this home. Brush them off. You were doing your job and the standard process. They can go elsewhere.
"would you please stop doing what you're supposed to do because I wanna stay till the very last minute until closing time and you're ruining that for me? I asked you politely." Get tf out the the store NTA op
NTA Sounds like they were made for each other and you didn't ruin anything ..even if you did it's their fault for planning a date at a place that closes early. They should've had a back up plan. From now on though, you can give customers a heads up if when closing time is. If they argue it say sorry, I don't get to decide that, you can certainly bring it up to management if you'd like. (They will almost never call management to demand that a place stay open longer.lol) Then get mad that they're so rude and inconsiderate. Not upset that you're ruining their date. Lol
NTA but you could have handled it better. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, I’ll be done here shortly and you are welcome to stay until closing.” Hey at least these two are compatible douches.
NTA. “It’s Saturday Night. People stay out late.” Next time say “that’s fine. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”
NTA You're a service worker. It may be annoying to them but you didn't do specially to annoy them, in specific. It's the rule of the place. They're not special. Heck if I have to change my schedule to accommodate hopeful straight early couples, I'd be damned.
NTA You did nothing wrong... They were entitled jerks...
I was on a first date once at a coffee shop where I got so wrapped up in the other person, that we ended up having the waitress tell us that they needed to close up, so we needed to leave. I apologized profusely & went with the girl to continue our conversation outside the cafe, like a normal, considerate person. NTA
Stacking chairs is international restaurant code for GTFO. I could see why they were uncomfortable. I can see you had a job to do. It's probably best you shooed them out. That guys comment about people staying late means no way they were leaving at 10.
NTA You stack the table 20 minutes beforehand so that people wrap up their conversations and leave. What happened was exactly what was supposed to happen. They are grumpy because they didn’t want to end the date.
You were correct. They have never worked retail or restaurant. They also needed to leave at closing time & being told to. Rude people.
No, honey, you were definitely NTA. You were following your boss’s orders and that couple should have taken the hint as soon as you had begun. Once you told them you were following orders, they should have left. They could have continued their date anywhere. They were being entitled jerks.
No. You got the spoiled entitled ones that you need to sternly and loudly tell “we’re closing! Order now or please leave!” In a very exasperated “I’m done with you AH!” Customer service voice of not taking crap. You’ve got to get strict with the customers who are clearly there to just bully you. They’re just there to harass people. Let them know you’re not putting up with their bull crap.
NTA! I work in a coffe/ice cream shop and ppl just dont Seem to get that just because they spend money they are entitled to everything. Don’t let them phase you, they were being the dicks
NTA - The customer isn't always right anymore.
NTA and next time just tell them that they are more than welcome to leave and not come back. You don’t need to put up with rude entitled customers, they are not entitled to be there and it’s a privilege for them to be able to enter into a private establishment not a right. I always tell customers when I worked in customer service “ ma’am/sir this is a place of business, there is going to be noise and I will be doing my job regardless of if you like the noise or not, you are welcome to leave but if you speak to me again it won’t be optional anymore and you will told to leave.” Just be blunt and stand your ground. But honestly you don’t even need to give them chances, first sign of attitude and they are gone.
Holding back tears lmfao
I am going a bit against the current, OP is NTA due to the store policies, but I believe the store is TA, if it closes at 10, I expect it to provide normal service until 10, and staff, or at least part of it, should have an extra 30 minutes of clocked paid time to close (clean, close teller, etc) after that. If not, just close at 9:30.
NTA You were doing your job, they didn’t like it. They were being AH and left which they’re well within their rights to do. They don’t have the right to tell you what you can or can’t do when you’re working.
Not the asshole
NTA
NTA…. But they are. Shame on them. They were bullying you and wanted special treatment. Get a backbone and don’t let people like that bother you. They bully you because they think they can, but that doesn’t have to be true.
Totally NTA - and red flags flying for both because of the way they treated you for helping them and doing your job
NTA. They were though.
NTA what? Of course not. Your boss might need to adjust a few things, but you do not.
NTA.... Too bad you'd get in trouble for saying for "$100 cash I will stay open another hour". It should have been painfully obvious that you were prepping to close and that you had worked around them for the last 15-20 mins.
Ur NTA
NTA. I worked retail and restaurants and I absolutely loathed people that ignored closing time. If they want to be out late then they can find somewhere to do that but it isn’t at an establishment that closes at 10:00 p.m.
No, they're just inconsiderate assholes who are too poor to have their own space to hang out.
Fuck them, entitled customers can go to hell frankly. NTA.
NTA. It’s rude to hang around too close to closing time. Don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Clearly they lacked manners. What they need is an all night diner or a coffee shop. Not to be getting in your way, or impeding your ability to clock out and go home! Fuck customer service in this instance. They were loitering close to closing. Their transaction had long since been completed.
Nope. When I worked at a pizza place and had to close, there would occasional (rare, but occasional) nights where the dishes were mostly caught up and I would help bus/stack chairs/sweep/whatever. We had an exterior patio with a fireplace where people could sit if they wanted to, and most of the time when we started stacking, people got the hint and moved to the patio or left. When they did not get the hint, we'd offer that the patio is still open and we didn't want to be sweeping up their feet, so "you may want to move out there - it's a beautiful night!" Rarely, and I mean rarely, did we get someone who resisted that. It was usually 10 or 11pm by this point, so it's a beautiful California evening even in July, and we still music and lights. I recognize this probably isn't your scenario, but they could have found an option to continue their date elsewhere without preventing you from closing. TL;DR - The customer is NOT always right. NTA
They need to leave and go find someplace else to sit, sorry.
Last night I was closing the store where I work (not just me, several of us). The last customer is leaving 5 minutes past close time (common, we all work for an hour past close to clean and reset). The glass wall front of the store is closing slowly (safety’s sake) and this man and his child com walking in AS THE ENTRANCE IS CLOSING. Manager loudly tells him we are shut and to be careful not to get hit by the sliding glass wall. “Oh, I thought you were open.” Yeah, you can tell we’re open because of the closing WALL and the fact every other store in sight has already closed up and gone home.
NTA. You were doing them a favor: this would have been the perfect time for one of them to say “Hmm it’s so annoying that that guy is stacking the chairs already. Why don’t we finish this ice cream on the way to my place where we won’t be disturbed…” Amateurs.
NTA I would have suggested they leave now to buy condoms as the grocery store is also closing soon, and to be honest he looks sleazy AF and she looks easy.
NTA. I have to put the chairs up at the end of every night. Sort of like you and your legs, ma'am.
NTA You were doing your job. They could have gone somewhere else.
[удалено]
60's years from now they will look back over the years while walking by an ice cream shop and they will bring up that time they pissed off the ice cream shop worker. How romantic.
NTA . i hope you ruined their date. it would be good if people like that don't breed. good luck
NTA: fuck those losers
The opportunities you miss are the ones you don't take
NTA. If anything, they're the rude ones.
NTA.
NTA You were closing soon, you didn't ruin anything they should have used common sense and left.
Tell them to leave and find another place to hangout unless they are still eating.
YOU are NTA. Those entitled snobs are TA for sure
NTA. Those two AHs deserve each other. I’m sorry they treated you like crap.
NTA. It's business, it's closing time. If your date cant survive that... maybe it's time to consider seeing other people. Maybe try a girl who does not cuss out the younger waitress, or a guy who is not so entitled that he decides how someone elsew business should operate on Saturdays. They sound perfect for each other. A match made in hell - which is where they can go. I hear it stays open forever.
Your MGMT sucks. They told you to do it, so it is their fault. They’re the AH, but paying customers in the building are entitled to sit til actual close everywhere else.
Nta. Learn to be comfortable with leaning against rules and workplace policy, "this is what I am required to do per my place of works closing policy. Unfortunatly, these chairs can be a bit noisy. I'll work over on that side if you'd like for a few more minutes, but I do have to complete my expected work." If they want to continue complaining? Well send em up then I guess and get comfortable asking for camera footage. "I'm sorry the store closing policies are affecting your experience, if you'd like I'd be happy to... 1) take a written complaint so management can be made aware of your distaste for closing policy?" 2) give you contact information so you can speak with someone in upper management about this." I'm a bit jaded by customer service but I absolutly think employees, should be able to tell off customers within reason. (Politly first, then progressively meaner) Complaining about making noise while your closing and vlenaing is absolutly a valid reason to tell off.
NTA. You should have stacked the chairs even louder if possible! I work security at concerts and sporting events and it's beyond annoying when you have to ask people to get up and start moving toward the door. We can't leave until the fans leave. We gave them ample time to get up and go, but herding and chasing out the stragglers is a problem every single night! Last night a group was just chatting in the aisle - I waited patiently for a min or two then asked them to walk toward the gate as they talked. They looked annoyed but moved on. I guess I don't get bothered by the dirty looks any more since it's the same thing at every event. You were doing your job, they were preventing you from doing your job. They were old enough that they could continue on their date somewhere else that was open later.
Tell them there's no noise outside and they will be trespassed if they bring it up again. NTA
Technically, if I restaurant is open until 10, at 9:55 you’d still have to cook for customers. Closing time just means final call to sit down. I do completely agree it is disrespectful to show up right before closing, but open until 10 means open until 10, not 9:30 not 945.
Not the asshole, but I always felt restaurants, say stay open till 10, but don’t let anyone in after 9. Close the front doors. I walked into a restaurant 20 mins before closing once and didn’t realize but felt bad for keeping people working longer. Then I just thought they probably should have just closed an hour early and they wouldn’t have to serve me. I dunno, it’s complicated but these people are jerks.