‘The way he jumped’: McDonald’s employee asks for customer’s phone number but then freaks out when he gets a reply he wasn’t expecting

When it comes to the ever-changing dating world, sometimes being forward and presenting confidence is a sure-fire way to connect with someone and possibly secure a phone number. For one McDonald’s employee, however, being too forward unexpectedly ended in absolute embarrassment.

For those of us who prefer the sheer comfort of being inside of our cars — and for the rest of us who are just lazy — relying on picking up things from the safety of our vehicle is often the most desirable option. But when a McDonald’s visitor by the name of Ella (@whosellabarber) over on TikTok asked for a certain poster from the restaurant, an interaction between the paying customer and the employee bringing the poster out to her was definitely not expected.

As the otherwise cheerful employee dutifully brings out the customer’s desired item, Ella thanks the McDonald’s worker as she happily takes the sign and prepares to drive away, only for the employee to catch her attention by asking for her phone number. Startled by the sudden question, Ella replies: “for what?” As the employee struggles to provide an acceptance answer, Ella quickly injects that she’s only 16-years-old, causing the employee to jump back and respond with a flat-out “no.”

Believe it or not, the employee’s in-the-heat-of-the-moment question left many TikTokers praising his politeness to the situation and applauding him for walking away without continuing to flirt. “At least he didn’t say anything else and was sorry,” one commenter insisted while several others pointed out that he was “respectful” and “sweet.”

Thankfully, this situation played out exactly as it should, with the employee understanding the customer was underage and respecting himself and her enough to apologize and walk away. Even for those above-age, there are absolutely certain right and wrong ways to flirt with others, with NPR releasing an article from 2021 about the key to flirting and how flirting should feel comfortable for the other person.

So while this particular situation might not have worked out in this employee’s favor, we applaud his politeness and respect. That being said, hopefully the employee will have a better flirting interaction down the line with an above-age, consenting adult purchasing a Big Mac.