Whenever I start to get bummed about working in Corporate Human Resources, I realize that my life could be worse. I could be exposed to skeevy people with poor hygiene and naughty kids. In other words, I could be a waitress server restaurant worker. (What’s the right term, anyway?)
My friend, Sarah, is a member of a Facebook group called SERVERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO. The group’s main page has some information about how you should treat your waiter or waitress. Some highlights:
- If you have children, DO NOT let them open and dump anything on the table (i.e., salt, sugar, etc.). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD’S mess & to restock the now unusable and wasted items. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work.
- If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can’t seat it, we don’t make money.
- Telling a server they are the best server they’ve ever had is NOT a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don’t appreciate the praise, its just that if you say that and then leave a shitty tip it’s an insult.
- Prayer cards and any other religious pamphlets are NOT tips. Jesus doesn’t pay the bills!!
It goes on & on & on like this, which leads me to a simple conclusion: being a waiter or a waitress totally sucks and is today’s worst job in the world.
Well, it’s worse than Corporate Human Resources — and that says something.
I was a waitress once, just once….
We always tip well, and will sometimes add a little more if we notice our server having to deal with an extra-demanding table nearby (because it’s a fair assumption that the more demanding the customers, the less adequate the tip).
There are far worse jobs than being a restaurant server, but most of them involve being knee-deep in excrement.
depends on where you work. waitressing can also be fun and pay well.
having done some time as a waitress I notice that I tend to over tip. I also add “baby tip” % extra when my kids are around. There is no doubt it’s a really tough job. It also is true that the hardest place to wait tables (think breakfast diners) give fewer tips then the fancy dinner restaurants.
Laurie–this is pretty funny. I am currently a waitress/server/restaurant worker, and I JUST posted something yesterday on my blog (the beginning of a series) about all of the things people do to tick me off when I’m waiting on them. I titled my last post: “Eating at Restaurants: UR DOIN IT WRONG”, then credited YOU at the start of the post for my title
I’m thinking great minds think alike and junk.
http://fairgeraldine.blogspot.com/2008/08/eating-at-restaurants-ur-doin-it-wrong.html
I could never serve food. I’m sorry — because my world view is the prevailing view on this blog, I’m still voting for WAITRESSing as today’s worst job in America.
Tomorrow it will be ‘valet parking dude,’ I think. That job totally sucks, too.
Oh, I totally agree. My Waitress Summers were hellish. Actually, I read somewhere that waitressing and secretary-ing (and I use the most sexist and archaic terms for both on purpose here) are the two most stressful jobs that exist.
So I was a waitress briefly in college and decided it’s the hardest job on the planet. I sucked at it and only got pity tips and “you’re a cute college girl” tips. I was in a constant panic and had to quit promptly. Kudos to anyone who has the ability to run, remember stupid tiny details and CARE about the fact that there’s an onion ring in someone’s fries and they’re going to freak out if they don’t get a new batch (and this chair’s uncomfortable, can I get a new one? and… I’m cold). Any longer in that job and I would have had to karate chop diners in the throat.
I was a server for almost 4 years in college. It’s totally lame (especially at a sports bar which cleverly disguises itself as a nice restaurant). A couple good friends of mine are servers now, and I would NOT EVER trade them jobs! That being said…..perhaps it was my proving ground for the abuse/drama/crises that I’ve encountered in my Human Resources career.
i could never be a server/waitress/whatever… i would suck at it, and i’d have terrible tips. i do feel sorry for servers who get stuck with people who are terribly high maintenance or have a whole car full of screaming children to deal with. we’re very nice tippers, simply because i heard all my sister’s tales of woe when she used to wait tables…
i think telemarketing jobs must suck too… i’d never want to do that, but i have pity on the people who need to make a paycheck… i consider myself polite but firm. it’s not their fault they call me at inconvenient times… it’s their job, yo.
I wonder if guys have the same reaction to being a waiter? You know, guys who act as waiters make more money and tend to work at fancier restaurants. They aren’t serving hash browns and pancakes at Uncle Ernie’s on Sunday morning, that’s for sure.
Point 4 - Not true! Jesus is clearly paying Rick Warren’s bills, and quite a few others like him.