A Chinese Takeaway Printed Our Home Number On Their Menus, So My Dad Started Taking Fake Orders

We all know that patience is a virtue, but everyone has their breaking point. When someone is unreasonable, dismissive, or just plain rude, how long are we expected to simply turn the other cheek? Sometimes, the only way to get a message across is to make sure it’s delivered in a way the other person simply can’t ignore.

Recently, one person took to the internet to share a delightful story of how their father handled a business that pushed their family a step too far. And frankly, it’s the kind of story that makes you want to stand up and cheer.

The Offense

The trouble began with a simple typo. A family found their home phone number was just one digit off from the local Chinese takeaway. Unfortunately for them, the restaurant mistakenly printed the family’s number on a large batch of menus that were sent out all over town. Suddenly, their quiet home was transformed into a bustling call center, but only during their precious evening and weekend hours.

As the storyteller explained, “Friday, Saturday & Sunday we’d get calls trying to place orders.” Can you imagine the frustration? After a long week, all you want is some peace, but instead, your phone is ringing off the hook with orders for sweet and sour chicken.

The family tried to be polite, repeatedly explaining to callers that they had reached a private residence. But the calls kept coming. When they contacted the restaurant to fix the problem, they were met with a complete lack of concern. “The Chinese refused to do anything about it,” the post reads. The family felt they shouldn’t have to change the number they’d had for years, and I couldn’t agree more. Why should they be the ones inconvenienced by someone else’s mistake?

The Sweet Revenge

After being so rudely dismissed, the father of the family decided that if the restaurant wouldn’t solve the problem, he would. He stopped telling callers they had the wrong number. Instead, he started answering the phone as if he were, in fact, the takeaway. It was a brilliant, if mischievous, turn of events.

“My dad would take orders (putting on different voices), tell them it’d be 40 minutes for delivery,” the writer shared. You can just picture him, can’t you? Putting on a different accent for each call, scribbling down phantom orders with a little smile on his face. But the plan didn’t stop there. He anticipated the follow-up calls from hungry, impatient customers.

When they called back wondering where their food was, he’d apologize profusely, promising to “throw in some free spring rolls” and assuring them the driver was just leaving. The masterstroke, however, came on the third call. Fed up, the customer would call again, and this time, the dad would innocently tell them they’d called the wrong number all along.

Then, he’d provide the actual restaurant’s number so they could call and complain there. The restaurant was suddenly flooded not with orders, but with angry complaints. After a few weeks of this chaos, the menus were finally redone, and the takeaway even changed its own number to escape the mess it had created.

The Internet Reacts

As you can imagine, people online were absolutely delighted by this tale of clever vengeance. The comments section quickly filled with praise, similar stories, and even suggestions for taking things a step further. The reactions fell into a few distinct camps.

First, there was the “Standing Ovation” Crowd, who cheered the dad’s ingenuity. One commenter summed it up perfectly: “Great one. Your dad got a good revenge.” Another shared a similar story of a woman whose number was one digit off from a new hotel. After the hotel staff were rude to her, she “started taking reservations, a lot of them… Wedding on Sat? Sure.. Train expo on Sat? Sure.. Biker Rally.. oh on Sat? Absolutely!” She would then drive by to watch the chaos unfold.

Next came the “Taking Notes” Crowd, who saw the dad’s plan as a brilliant tactic to file away for future use. One person shared their own method for dealing with a similar pizza place problem: “I would take orders and tell them the delivery driver’s car broke down but if they come pick up it’s free.” Imagine the restaurant’s confusion when people started showing up for free pizzas they never made!

Finally, there was the “I Would Have Gone Further” Crowd. These readers felt the dad was creative, but they had even more devious ideas. The most popular suggestion was both simple and devastating. One user wrote they would have just said, “‘Sorry we can’t take any orders right now. We’ve been closed by the health department and don’t know when we’ll reopen.’” It’s a wonderfully wicked idea that would stop the calls immediately without frustrating any hungry customers.

The Etiquette Verdict

We’re always told that “two wrongs don’t make a right” and that we should rise above pettiness. In a perfect world, that’s wonderful advice. But what happens when you’ve tried the polite route and been completely ignored? This family was facing endless interruptions in their own home because of a business’s mistake and subsequent refusal to correct it.

While taking fake orders might not be in the pages of an etiquette handbook, I believe the punishment here perfectly fit the crime. The father’s plan was harmless to the callers in the long run and brilliantly targeted the source of the problem. He taught the restaurant a valuable lesson in accountability that a simple, polite phone call never could have.

Your Thoughts

Now I want to hear from you. Was this dad’s creative revenge a perfectly served dish of justice, or did he take things a step too far?