The Muffin Wrapping Chronicles: When Coworkers Are the Real Front Desk Challenge
If you think working the front desk at a hotel is all about glamorous guest check-ins and free breakfast buffets, you’ve clearly never spent three minutes speed-wrapping muffins while dodging unsolicited advice and even more unwelcome comments about your facial expressions. For those on the hospitality front lines, the real test isn’t the reservation system—it’s surviving shift changes with That Coworker.
Let’s take a muffin break and dive into a tale from the trenches, inspired by u/InformalCulprit’s viral Reddit post, “Coworkers! No thank you.” Grab your cling wrap and prepare for some secondhand exasperation.
Meet Your Coworker: The Smile Police
We all know that coworker. The one who’s always got something to say, who has an opinion on everything, and who, for reasons unknown, believes it’s their duty to remind you to “smile!”—even (especially) when you’re wrestling a stubborn reservation system. Our protagonist isn’t new to this brand of workplace nonsense, but tonight, she’s on the receiving end of a double-dose of “helpful” banter from the weekend relief guy.
He’s the kind of colleague who’s never seen a process he didn’t want to “improve,” and never missed an opportunity to tell women to smile. (Spoiler: It’s never appreciated.) As our front desk hero battles the login screen and her will to live, he’s there with the classic, “You should smile more!”—which, last we checked, isn’t a required skill for muffin-wrapping or monthly invoicing.
Muffin Mayhem: The Wrapping Ritual
Let’s talk muffins. In the world of hotel breakfasts, the humble muffin reigns supreme. But in this post-pandemic era, there’s a new ritual: clinging to cleanliness by literally cling-wrapping every single pastry. No shortcuts, no pre-wrapped options—just a system honed by experience and necessity.
Our narrator? She’s got it down to a science—three minutes, six muffins, one tiered stand, and a roll of cling wrap with the tape already in place. But does the coworker see efficiency? Nope. He’s convinced it takes hours—a claim disproven by a literal demonstration. Yet, he persists, suggesting management change suppliers, systems, or possibly the laws of physics themselves, all to avoid the horrifying specter of manual muffin-wrapping.
Change for the Sake of... Ego?
Here’s the kicker: The coworker in question isn’t even sticking around. He’s going back to school soon, but that doesn’t stop him from advocating for sweeping changes to a process he neither understands nor will have to endure for much longer. Classic temp energy: “I’ve been here for three weekends, let me overhaul your entire workflow.”
It’s not just this one guy, though. Weekend warriors everywhere seem to think their way is the highway—even if the regular staff have figured out the smoothest route through Muffinville. As the saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t let Chad from night shift try to fix it.”
Unsolicited Advice & The Art of Not Smiling
Back to the smile saga. After the third “You should smile!” (seriously, who are these people?), our narrator finally lays it out: “Never tell a person to smile. It’s rude af, and a man doing it to a woman is horrible.” Preach. There’s a special place in customer service purgatory for those who think a forced grin is the solution to workplace woes.
But does the coworker take the hint? Of course not—he pivots to complaining about late morning relief staff, as if our narrator moonlights as a time cop. (She doesn’t. She just wants to wrap muffins in peace.)
The Real Front Desk Challenge
As our hero escapes to her muffin-wrapping duties, audiobook queued and patience stretched thin, we’re reminded of an important truth: Sometimes, it’s not the guests who test your hospitality mettle—it’s your own team.
So, next time you’re at a hotel breakfast, spare a thought for the person behind the front desk. Their biggest battle might not be the reservation system or the coffee machine—it could just be surviving the shift change with their sanity (and their muffins) intact.
Have a Front Desk Fiasco of Your Own?
Ever had a coworker who made you want to wrap yourself in cling film and hide behind the breakfast bar? Drop a comment below with your own tales of workplace weirdness, or share your secrets for surviving those “smile more!” moments. Let’s commiserate, caffeinate, and keep those muffins wrapped—one shift at a time.
Original Reddit Post: Coworkers! No thank you