Every service worker has that one customer, or in this case, a prank caller, that pushes them to the edge of their patience. For one pizza shop employee in a college town, prank calls had become a daily ritual. The requests were painfully predictable: “boneless pizza,” “Is this the Krusty Krab?”, and other recycled internet jokes.
But when his boss told him to “take every call seriously,” things spiraled fast. The next caller wanted 180 extra-large pizzas with triple toppings, promised to pay by check, and promptly hung up. What followed was a legendary shift that ended with five accidental pizzas, a frazzled boss, and an unforgettable life lesson about literal obedience.
After being scolded for hanging up on pranksters, one pizza worker decided to follow the new rule exactly
Handling prank calls is a surprisingly common challenge in food service, particularly in college towns or high-volume delivery areas.
In this case, the OP works at a major pizza chain and began treating every call seriously after management instructed staff to do so, even when orders were clearly absurd.
The result was a prank caller attempting to order 180 extra-large pizzas, which temporarily overwhelmed staff and created a chaotic, but ultimately harmless situation.
From a business operations perspective, prank calls present a mix of financial and operational risk.
According to the National Restaurant Association, while prank orders are typically rare, even a single large fraudulent order can tie up kitchen staff, inventory, and delivery logistics, creating potential for lost revenue and delayed service to genuine customers.
Malicious compliance, following instructions to the letter while highlighting flaws in the system, is a form of workplace problem-solving that draws attention to policy vulnerabilities without causing real damage.
Behavioral studies show that employees who interpret directives literally can reveal weaknesses in managerial instructions.
In this scenario, the directive to “take all calls seriously” unintentionally encouraged staff to process an impossible order fully.
This aligns with findings in organizational behavior research, which suggest that ambiguity in policy often produces creative or literal compliance as employees attempt to satisfy leadership while testing boundaries (Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2018).
Effective mitigation strategies include:
- Clear escalation procedures: defining criteria for when calls should be verified before processing large or unusual orders.
- Staff training: teaching employees to balance customer service with practical judgment, ensuring absurd requests are flagged.
- Technology safeguards: implementing order caps or prompts for exceptionally large orders, reducing the risk of costly errors.
In this case, the situation ended with no actual loss and even provided free meals for staff, illustrating the value of good-natured problem-solving and team adaptability.
It also demonstrates that policies without context can create opportunities for unintended consequences and highlight the importance of clear, nuanced guidance from management.
These are the responses from Reddit users:
These commenters roasted the prank caller’s immaturity and attitude, saying they deserved to be hung up on
This group shared personal pizza-shop stories
This commenter reflected on management flaws
These Redditors turned the “boneless pizza” joke into comedy gold, imagining it as an actual menu item worth trying
This user chimed in with a hilarious prank-call revenge story from working at a late-night adult store
Was the 180-order overkill gold or just greasy glee? How do you dough with dumb callers sans hang-up heat? Slice your service sagas below, we’re hungry for more!
