The ‘Gen Z Stare’ Is Real, and No One at Chipotle Will Make Eye Contact With Me

There’s a new workplace trend going viral, and it doesn’t involve quiet quitting, rage applying, or starting a side hustle. It’s just…staring. Wide-eyed. Deadpan. Unblinking. It’s showing up everywhere. And, quite frankly, it’s concerning. 

Dubbed the Gen Z Stare, the term has taken off on TikTok as millennials and older Gen Z workers describe trying to interact with younger coworkers and getting hit with what one user called “the blankest expression you’ve ever seen.” No nod, no “hi,” no smile. Just pure, frozen loading screen energy.

“They just look at you like they just saw a ghost,” said TikToker @185dashuaige. Others compared it to talking to someone actively buffering. And it’s happening in customer-facing roles. The hashtag #genzstare has racked up thousands of posts, some of which have gone viral with millions of views. In one, a commenter writes: “I get the Gen Z stare every time I thank them for bagging my groceries.” Same.

@185dashuaige

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♬ original sound – 185dashuaige

What is the Gen Z Stare?

I see it everywhere now. At the grocery store, I say hi, and get nothing. God forbid I stop by Chipotle. I have to prompt every interaction like I’m hosting a team-building exercise. And I know I sound ancient, but…do you not realize you’re at work? In a customer service job? You don’t need to sparkle. Just say hello.

I worked as a restaurant hostess in college, and we’d get chewed out for not smiling or just leaning on a counter. We weren’t even allowed to fold napkins if it meant ignoring guests. Now? You could set off fireworks in front of some Gen Z workers, and they’d barely look up from the register…or their phone.

To be fair, some Gen Zers are pushing back. One TikToker said the stare happens when customers ask something “stupid,” like whether the strawberry-banana smoothie has banana in it (which would probably make me glitch out, too). Another argued that we’re confusing the universal “customer service deadpan” with something uniquely generational. And they’re not wrong that Millennials got dragged for the “millennial pause,” so maybe this is a weird little revenge arc.

But even outside retail and restaurants, people are noticing this communication gap. TikTokers have described getting blank looks when they hold open doors or when they try to make small talk at work. Some say Gen Z’s social skills are stunted from missing key social years during COVID. Others blame anxiety, or just a culture that doesn’t reward fake smiles anymore.

Still, there’s a difference between being reserved and being unreadable. If you’re working a register and can’t muster a single word, people will notice. And in a job market that’s increasingly focused on soft skills, it might matter more than you think. Try baby steps…maybe a “hello” to start.