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A former server at a long-shuttered Upper East Side restaurant has gone viral on TikTok after sharing an unfiltered account of what it was like to work at the upscale establishment in the early 2010s–and it’s equal parts hilarious, jaw-dropping, and deeply relatable (if you’ve ever waited tables or been on the receiving end of an almost cartoonish level of entitlement).
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In a 2-minute, 40-second video that’s quickly gaining traction, Nathan Ramos-Park recounts his brief stint at the Atlantic Grill at 76th and Third Avenue–which closed in 2018–painting a vivid picture of life in fine dining on the UES.
ALSO READ: Upper East Side Doorman Reveals Craziest Encounters
Here are the highlights:
- A wealthy diner sprinting past the hostess stand yelling “Google me!” before tossing $200 at a busser and forcing him to crack five pounds of stone crab at the table “like a toddler.”
- A dying customer who reportedly collapsed mid-meal—and whose fellow diners responded by asking, “Can we order when you get a second?”
- A Hurricane Sandy meltdown involving a woman furious the restaurant was out of branzino the day after the storm (never mind the limited menu, or that the server had walked all the way from 140th Street to make his shift).
- And, of course, the TikToker’s favorite UES couple—apartment hunting exclusively for units where the elevator opens directly into the living room.
The TikTok ends with a rallying cry to fellow Be Our Guest employees (the former hospitality group behind Atlantic Grill): “Tell me your craziest story, because I need to hear it.”
We don’t know who needs to hear this, but if someone screams “Google me!” at you over dinner—maybe just eat somewhere else.
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We live on the UES and have noticed that the more upscale restaurants tend to treat first time or infrequent diners like second class citizens. Last summer we celebrated my 70th birthday and made reservations at such an establishment. We were nicely dressed and my husband politely gave our name and we were ushered to a table close to the rest rooms. Since neither of us drink alcohol, we really became pariahs. The food was terrific but the server’s dismissive tone tainted our celebratory mood and I suggested to my husband that we pass on their dessert menu and get something from one of the hundreds of bake shops that have opened since the pandemic.
Needless to say, they are on our “Never Going Back There Again” list