Misogyny masquerading as humor is like a terrible knock-knock joke – it’s neither clever nor funny, and it leaves everyone wishing they had stayed far, far away. Add a sprinkle of male bravado, and the discomfort levels soar.
That’s exactly what went down when one woman encountered a restaurant owner whose outdated views and cringe-worthy remarks ended up costing him a staggering $11,000. Let’s just say his attempt to impress backfired spectacularly – unless, of course, you count landing himself in a heap of trouble. Now that’s what I call an expensive “joke.”
A woman was mocked and insulted by a misogynistic restaurant owner during a food tasting, ultimately walking away from an $11k deal.
The woman and 3 male colleagues participated in a food tasting at an Indian restaurant where they were planning on organizing an event
The restaurant owner spent the entire night insulting and mocking the woman, assuming she was just one of the men’s wives. Little did he know, she was actually the one holding the credit card.
The restaurant owner was left stunned when he realized the woman he had insulted all night was actually the one holding the purse strings, causing him to lose an $11k deal.
Our protagonist, a quiet but clearly capable woman, was attending a food tasting with her three male colleagues. Together, they were scouting out an Indian restaurant for a professional event. That’s when they met the restaurant owner, who immediately assumed the men in the group were in charge, leaving her to be treated like little more than an accessory.
From the moment they sat down, the owner unleashed one misogynistic joke after another. First, he asked one of the men if she could cook, making a snide comment about her slim figure, as if body type determines culinary skill. The woman remained silent, giving him a look that could make even the most confident person squirm.
The next gem? An ageist comment about how “younger ones” like her might be wild party animals. For context, she’s a practicing Buddhist who doesn’t drink—something one of her friends pointed out. But the owner wasn’t deterred. Instead, he went even further, implying that her friends must be party girls. Real classy, right?
Despite the increasingly uncomfortable situation, our protagonist stayed calm, letting her disapproval speak volumes while her male colleagues shifted uncomfortably in their seats. By the time the owner brought out the spreadsheet and card reader, his behavior had shifted from awkward to outright offensive.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, the owner “joked” about her paying a £500 deposit (just over $600), laughing at his own audacity. Honestly, I’d probably be throwing plates at this point, but our protagonist stayed composed.
Most people would’ve walked out by now, but she remained professional. Politely declining the venue, she cited legitimate concerns like capacity and overlapping events. But let’s be real—the owner’s attitude sealed the deal. When he turned to her male colleague for confirmation, her friend delivered the ultimate mic drop: “Well, it is her event.”
The look on the owner’s face when he realized the woman he’d spent the entire evening insulting was the decision-maker? Priceless. That awkward “oh no” moment? Definitely worth every penny of the $11,000 he lost.
To learn more about the situation, we reached out to the original poster for comment. She told Bored Panda that she hasn’t heard from the restaurant owner since the incident and that he never apologized for his comments. She also mentioned that situations like the one in this story, where someone underestimated her role or authority, are extremely rare for her.
When asked about her colleagues’ reactions to the owner’s remarks, she shared that they didn’t step in, but that’s because they know she prefers to handle things on her own. The remarks were subtle, and her colleagues respect that she has her own way of dealing with such situations. She didn’t want anyone to swoop in to “rescue” her or escalate things unnecessarily.
We also asked if she would have handled the situation differently if given the chance to go back. Her response was clear: “Silence was definitely the perfect response. There’s this narrative that you have to ‘teach these people a lesson’—but that’s not my job, and I am not his mother. A 30-minute conversation with me is not going to undo the 60+ years of misogyny he has under his belt.”
The poster also wanted to add some personal thoughts: “I think I’d just like to point out that the majority of women have been working shoulder to shoulder with men for decades. This is not a new development by any means, so it doesn’t make sense to still have the assumption that men are the sole breadwinners anymore.”
She further emphasized that this isn’t just a feminist viewpoint – it’s a fact, and people should take a moment to observe their own workplaces. “At this point, it’s not just a gender issue; it’s a refusal to accept the reality that women have been building careers and earning money for decades.”
What do you think of this story? Would you have handled things differently if you were in the OP’s shoes? Let us know in the comments!
Netizens are praising the woman for how she handled the situation, particularly for not engaging with the restaurant owner. Many have shared their own stories of encountering misogyny and admired the OP for keeping her composure.
