The JTrain Podcast

Host: Jared Freid
Episode: Comping The Bill, Movies with Parents, and Not Upholding A Reservation - TICKED OFF TUESDAY
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Ticked Off Tuesday episode, Jared Freid dives into listener-submitted complaints with his signature blend of empathy, candor, and humor. The show focuses on validating minor frustrations and turning everyday annoyances—especially those around eating out, family gatherings, and hospitality missteps—into cathartic comedy. Jared shares his own gripes, tackles four major listener complaints from Patreon, and offers up memorable rants about social etiquette, generational quirks, and the universal desire to feel seen when things go wrong.

Jared’s Opening Rant: The Exhaustion of Over-Explaining (00:50–09:11)

Key Points

• Jared opens with the promise that every complaint, no matter how neurotic, is worthy of validation:
  “You shall be seen, you shall be heard. You shall complain. That is the promise of Ticked Off Tuesday. It is for your mental health. You’re welcome.” (02:00)
• First complaint: Today’s tendency for people online to over-correct harmless advice by raising “worst case scenario” objections.
  • Example: Jared gives dating app advice about being specific (e.g., mentioning a favorite coffee shop) but gets flooded with warnings about “not giving away your location to stalkers.”
  • Frustration with people treating public forums as if basic safety is unknown to adults.
• Second complaint: Overly detailed explanations required in modern life, including lengthy sponsor disclaimers and constant reminders that the podcast isn’t real therapy.

Notable Quote

• “I am so exhausted by the people who come on the Internet to act like we don’t have parents, we were raised by wolves.” (05:17)

Comedy Club and Bar Food Etiquette Rant (09:12–17:51)

Key Points

• Jared recounts a late-night experience after a series of comedy shows in Florida:
  • Encounter at a bar with an acquaintance who criticizes his demeanor:
    “Every time I see you here, you look miserable.” (12:25)
    • Jared’s internal monologue skewers unsolicited psychoanalysis from strangers.
  • Moves to a second bar, orders chips & guac with salsa—leading to a double charge and a mountain of chips.
    • Bartender jokes to another customer about Jared’s chip surplus.
  • Rant about how commentary from service staff (about food or how you look) can take the fun out of simply enjoying yourself.

Notable Quotes

• On being “the face of misery”:
  “Maybe you coming over to me saying you don’t remember me makes me miserable 10 out of 10 times.” (13:30)
• On unnecessary commentary from staff:
  “Big fatty over here’s got chip—the chip corner’s really chipping it up. Why don’t we all have some of his chips?” (17:20)

Listener Complaint 1: Comping the Bill vs. Surprise Desserts (20:23–22:30)

Key Points

• Listener recounts a dinner where a restaurant messed up an order, then tried to “make up for it” by bringing an extra dessert instead of comping the missed entree.
• Jared is fully on board:
  • Extra dessert is a token gesture for the staff’s benefit, not the diner’s.
  • The true sign of empathy is taking something off the bill, not foisting more food upon an already full table.

Notable Quote

• “The real gesture would be opening up the tab...You did the right thing. It wouldn’t be as, you know, with the dessert bring out. It’s—they get the moment. What’s this? Oh my god, you didn’t have to. The waiter did it for THEM.” (21:30)

Listener Complaint 2: Movies with Parents & The Dreaded Remote Pause (22:40–26:19)

Key Points

• Listener’s dad insists on pausing every family movie the second anyone moves—even to the adjacent kitchen.
• This results in awkward silence (and, on Thanksgiving, everyone hearing the listener pee).
• Jared expands, noting:
  • Boomers’ lack of devices means total, uncomfortable focus on the “absent” party.
  • Generational difference in how people occupy “paused” downtime.

Notable Quotes

• “Your parents are sitting on that couch like two eagles perched, just peering at you, watching that bathroom door as you’re peeing. And you feel it. You feel them waiting, hovering, asking. You done in there? You want to grab me something while you’re near the kitchen? Are you still peeing? Your stream sounds pretty light.” (25:20)

Listener Complaint 3: The Persistently Leaky Coffee Lid (29:34–30:42)

Key Points

• Listener is fed up with takeaway coffee cup lids that still spill or leak, ruining clothes and car trips.
• Jared agrees, riffing on the lack of innovation in cup/lid design since the “sleeve.”
• His suggestion: Large cups, half-filled, for car coffee—more space, less spillage.

Memorable Moment

• “Charge us half as much, put the coffee in a large cup and give us half a coffee. Hey, I want a car coffee. Give me car-size.” (30:19)

Listener Complaint 4: When Restaurants Don’t Uphold Reservations (31:00–40:09)

Key Points

• Listener’s family reserved a private room for Thanksgiving (booked six weeks in advance, confirmed day-of), only to find it given away on arrival.
• To add insult, management handled it terribly:
  • Accused the family of “abusing staff” and “stalking” the current occupants.
  • No effort to resolve; only dirty looks and no compensation.
• Jared’s analysis:
  • This is fundamentally a failure of hospitality; business should have communicated with both parties and offered minor gestures to ease the experience (champagne, apologies).
  • The misuse of victimhood (“I make $4 an hour”) is deeply manipulative and unhelpful.
  • The correct, empathetic resolution is modeled by Jared in an impromptu improv of “how it should have gone.”

Notable Quotes

• “No, there is no free dessert that will fix this issue. We do not want to sit in the middle of the room. We want to sit in a private room like we discussed.” (31:26)
• “If you want to use the victim card, you go to the 3:30 reservation room and you go, ‘Hey guys, you have had a great time. We do have another reservation coming in. We made promises...’ That is the shortest distance between problem and solution.” (36:56)
• “That is called service with a smile. That is not, ‘Well, I make $4 an hour so everyone can go f— themselves.’” (39:43)

Final Thoughts & Tone

Jared manages to blend genuine empathy for everyday annoyances with razor-sharp comedic delivery. His tone is high-energy, self-deprecating, occasionally profane, yet always focused on validating listeners’ frustrations. The takeaway: complaint can be a form of community—and, if you’re going to mess up, own it honestly, with humor and humility.

Useful Timestamps

• 00:50–09:11: Jared’s opening rant on over-explaining and advice culture
• 09:12–17:51: Comedy club/bar food etiquette and service industry rants
• 20:23: Listener complaint 1: Comping bills vs. extra desserts
• 22:40: Listener complaint 2: Movie pauses and family dynamics
• 29:34: Listener complaint 3: Leaky coffee cup lids
• 31:00: Listener complaint 4: Restaurants and broken reservations
• 36:56–39:43: Jared’s model “how to fix it” script for restaurant mishaps

If you love relatable rants and want the full catharsis of someone saying what you’re thinking—plus some genuinely useful social scripts for sticky situations—this episode is can’t-miss JTrain.