Some kitchens are where chaos reigns supreme, whether you’re trying to make a meal for your family or running a restaurant during lunch rush. Between handling multiple orders, executing them correctly, and doing so in a timely manner, it’s no wonder that not everyone is cut out for it. One woman was able to keep up with the task, though not without a bit of panicking.
Cady S. (@cady_s__) shared a TikTok video of a day in the life of a small-town café owner in Nebraska. The video starts with Cady receiving an order via the phone while her mom is busy in the background. Cady confirms the order out loud, saying, “25 cheeseburgers,” which sent her mom in a panic. Her mom was heard yelling a loud “What?!” before running around the kitchen wanting to get a head start on making the large order before her daughter even hung up the phone.
Cady continues to talk to the customer, saying, “And how many fries? And 10 fries? Okay. Give us about 20 minutes.” All the while, her mom was racing back and forth around the kitchen like Flash gathering ingredients. Cady couldn’t help but laugh at her mom, who managed to stay productive despite her panic. After hanging up with the customer, Cady repeats the order to her mom, which prompts her to ask, “Do they want anything on them?” Cady replies, “Everything,” which sends her mom into another panic frenzy, yelling, “Oh god!”
At one point, the mom can be seen running across the kitchen carrying a large jar of mayonnaise asking, “Mayonnaise? Do they want mayonnaise?” This sends Cady into a fit of laughter because apparently, they didn’t normally add mayonnaise to their burgers. She managed to tell her mom, “Extra pickles on all of them.” The additional information sends mom zooming to the refrigerator, saying, “What? Oh my god.”
The short clip amused users, who, like Cady, were endeared by her mom’s reaction. One commenter wrote, “She was sent into fight or flight mode,” while another said, “The running on to off frame, I feel like I’m watching Scooby-Doo.” A few cooks and chefs reacted as well, with one saying, “I’m literally a cook and her reaction was the correct one” and a line cook writing, “Yep. Full-blown panic and hitting turbo mode. But it gets done.” Another user posted, “I thought she was running for the hills, but she was getting ready for war.”
Cady took the time to answer some questions, one of which was why she only gave her mom 20 minutes to complete the orders. According to Cady, the grill handles 25 patties at once, while the fryer manages about eight orders of fries at a time. As for why she didn’t help, Cady said that after filming the 74-second video, she jumped in to help. A few questioned whether the call was real, and indeed, it was. She was given a heads-up about the order, which was from a farmer who wanted to feed his workers. She knew that her mom disliked big orders, which was why she didn’t tell her about it ahead of time, and decided to record her reaction.
The kitchen stress and panic weren’t new to her mom. After all, she owned the business from 2005 to 2010 before Cady took over. As for how it went, they were able to complete the orders — boxed and ready — in 19 minutes, a high-speed triumph in a high-pressure situation. Hats off.