A West Virginia customer ordered Papa John’s at 11 a.m., then a worker called from his personal cell ‘making sure you’re not outside of your mind’

A Papa John’s employee in Barboursville, West Virginia, left a voicemail for a customer that has puzzled viewers online. The worker, who identified himself as Richard, called the customer from his personal cell phone with a 681 area code to complain about an order placed at 11:00 AM. The order had reportedly been prepaid before he reached out.

The situation came to light after a TikTok user named Stove re-uploaded a video of the voicemail, as reported by BroBible. Stove claims he didn’t receive the call and shared a video captured by someone else in his town.

“Hello this is Richard again calling from Papa John’s on my personal cell, making sure you’re not outside of your mind ordering all these mediums at 11 o’clock in the morning,” the caller says. Richard then asks the customer to pick up the phone, adding that it “would be greatly appreciated.”

This driver could not believe someone wanted pizza that early

It appears that Papa John’s workers are permitted to use their personal devices to contact customers. However, many avoid it to protect their privacy, and plenty of service workers set firm personal boundaries on the job. Richard may not have broken any rules by using his own smartphone, since the viewer’s issue was the tone of his message.

The complaint about an 11:00 AM order also clashes with the store’s own schedule, as the Barboursville Papa John’s opens at 10:00 AM. Brandwatch notes that 7:00 PM is a major peak time for pizza demand. However, DoorDash data compiled by ShiftTracker shows that ordering at 11:00 AM is quite common.

ShiftTracker lists 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM as a standard peak window, alongside the 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM evening rush and late Saturday nights. Delivery workers losing their temper is nothing new online, as an enraged FedEx driver previously went viral for taking his frustration out on a package. Pizza demand also shifts throughout the year.

Comments on the X post expressed shock at the employee’s reaction, and many were also shocked by the amount of pizza bought. Many joked about what the employee said. One commenter said, “That GREATLY came from deep down.”  Another said, “Friend did zero wrong – my only gripe is use a local mom and pop shop… that sort of order pays a bill or two.”