This happened to me and a friend recently, and I still can’t decide if it was bizarre, funny, or outright rude.

We went to a new diner in town, known for its quirky menu and large portions. When the waiter came to take our order, my friend asked for one of their giant milkshakes (the kind with candy bars and donuts on top) and a double stack of pancakes. Pretty big meal, but it’s what they’re famous for.

The waiter laughed, paused, and then said he wouldn’t put the order in unless we "got serious." We thought he was joking, so my friend repeated the order, and the waiter straight-up refused again, saying, "Look, I get it, you want a photo-op or whatever, but I’m not wasting food for an Instagram stunt."

We tried explaining it wasn’t a joke, and my friend actually planned to eat the food, but the waiter walked off and came back a few minutes later saying we should "reconsider. We ended up leaving without ordering anything because the whole vibe was so awkward.

Is it normal for a waiter to refuse an order like that, or was this way out of line? Have any of you ever experienced something similar?