Picture this: You’re a valet at a high-end restaurant, and your job is pretty straightforward. But one night, you drive a car off to the lot and park it, only to spot an entire human being—sleeping—in the backseat. His reaction? “Oh, s—,” as he shakes himself off and walks into the restaurant. His friend had just… forgotten him. This story doesn’t just baffle—it raises a lot of questions.

Being a valet sounds simple enough, right? Grab the keys, park the car, hand it back when dinner’s done. But when the Thrillist website interviewed a team of valets on their wildest experiences it turned out that things can get sideways real quick. The strangest story may have been the forgotten passenger. Because the more you think about it, the stranger it gets. This dude wasn’t some catnapper in the front seat, mind you. This guy was fully sprawled out in the back, completely forgotten by his friend.

How does this happen? So the two are riding to the restaurant and the passenger says, “I’m climbing in the backseat for a nap.” So far, so good. But tou’d think someone making a dinner reservation would keep track of their guest. Did this friend book a table for two, waltz into the restaurant, and only realize mid-appetizer that his buddy wasn’t at the table? Or was it a total solo mission—“Sorry, Jeff, you’re on your own tonight, the car’s more comfortable anyway.”

Was this the plan all along? How could anyone leave a whole person behind in the backseat and not remember until they’re standing at the restaurant entrance? Did they just assume their friend was a little too quiet? It’s giving me Home Alone vibes: “Kevin’s still in the backseat!” Maybe mom made him bring little bro to the restaurant and he was hoping the guy would sleep through dinner so he could eat alone.

What was the conversation like after? The friend wakes up, groggily walks into the restaurant, and just… joins the table? I’m dying to know what his first words were. “Oh hey, sorry about that, just took a little nap while you enjoyed your filet mignon.” How did the valet not lose it laughing? Honestly, my best guess is some kind of practical joke. But even so, I’d tip the valet and say, “Could you lay on the horn once you have it parked?”

“I got into this one guy’s car, and in his rearview I see a little movement, so I kind of flip out. Turns out there’s some guy sleeping in there. He woke up and goes, ‘Oh, s—,’ and just goes into the restaurant. His friend just forgot he was in there. I always check the backseat now.”

Thrillist

Other Crazy Valet Tales

Speaking of, valets deal with a lot of strange situations. From finding mountains of illicit substances casually piled up on dashboards to being accused of stealing diamond earrings (that the driver forgot were in his own pocket), the surprises are endless.

Take the time a dog owner asked a valet to walk her pup while she went on a date—because apparently, that’s what valets are for now? You’ve got to appreciate the sheer confidence of someone pulling that move.

And then there’s the car swap: Two identical cars arrived at the same restaurant, and guess what? One valet handed the wrong car back to a guest. The family that left with the wrong car didn’t notice until after they’d been driving for a half hour. It all worked out in the end, but can you imagine the panic the poor attendants felt while waiting?

While the idea of leaving your friend napping in the car sounds ridiculous, it’s just another bizarre chapter in the life of a valet. So the next time you pull up to a restaurant, give your valet a smile—who knows what kind of shenanigans they’ve already dealt with tonight.