Sending someone restaurant food is a pretty common flirting tactic in the U.S. However, as one TikToker found out, the same can’t be said for the U.K.
In a series of TikToks, which have cumulatively amassed over 2 million views, Tatum Johnson (@tatumjohnson78) shared exactly how the low-key embarrassing moment unfolded.
The first TikTok, which seems to have been taken at the restaurant, consists of Johnson explaining via on-screen text that she and her friend spotted these “really cute guys” and wanted to send them something.
In the second, she flashed the menu to her viewers and confirmed that they were sending over the hashbrowns.
However, in the third TikTok, she confirmed that things didn’t exactly go as planned. Johnson called it the “biggest flop.” She explained how, after sending the food, she and her friend went over to speak to them. However, she described them as “rude” and noted how they didn’t really ask them more than one question.
“I left and we paid the bill so quickly and ran out of there,” she added. “That was bad.”
We reached out to Johnson via email.
Comments were mixed
For the most part, commenters weren’t exactly supportive. “So you went over and interrupted their dinner and THEY’RE rude for not continuing the conversation??” one asked. “Also it’s weird to send food to someone.”
“That IS pretty weird,” a second added. While a third chimed in, saying, “Oh, yeah you can’t really do that in London.”
However, other commenters reassured Johnson. A fourth wrote, “Omg I do not understand these comments! Maybe it was a flop but you made a human bid for connection and I think that’s fun. Better luck next time.”
One Redditor has done this all before
A Redditor, who was dressed in full cowboy gear, encountered a similar issue while at Wetherspoons — a U.K. pub chain.
“I saw a girl sat on her own and ordered a few sides of baked beans to her table using the Wetherspoons app,” they explained on r/AmITheA*****e subreddit. “My friends do this to each other in our WhatsApp group, we send random drinks and food to each others tables even from the other side of the country The bar staff brought her food and they were both puzzled.”
The user continued, “She looked around and saw me and I tipped my cowboy hat at her in a ‘Howdy ma’am’ kind of way. She was angry and told me to f–k off but I thought it was just a bit of fun and something that would be funny to tell her friends. I didn’t mean to embarrass her, I thought it was positive energy.”
The verdict was that the Redditor was, in fact, the “a*****e” because he was purportedly targeting a girl who was alone, which, some users claimed, might make her feel threatened and uncomfortable. Clearly, sending food to people in the U.K. works a lot differently from the U.S.
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