I’m an employee of the service industry. I would like to say to all those people who think it’s okay to go into a bar/restaurant, treat the service staff like shit, make them bend over backwards to get every little thing you want, like an extra lime for your diet coke refill, and OH! I need you to wipe my table off for the fifth time, and I think my beer tastes like water… even though I just watched you pour it from the tap… Learn some manners!
Yes it is the service industry and yes I am here to serve you, but I am NOT your Bitch, some of you wouldn’t even treat a donkey like that, why do it to another human being… who is just working for a living just like you?
Maybe I’m not a executive of a company or a politician or a doctor, but if you want your drink and food in a timely matter without any foreign substances in or on it, maybe you should consider being just a little bit kinder.
Also those of you who don’t tip… if you tip the pizza driver or the coffee server, you should tip us, after all we fill your tummy and get you drunk so you can act like a 2 year old who doesn’t know how to use any of their limbs. —Server speaking out for all servers
This article appears in May 6-12, 2010.
Do ALL the servers you are speaking out for apply ‘foreign substances’ to customers orders because they are having a bad day at work, OP?
Maybe CCTV cameras should be mandatory in commercial kitchens everywhere to protect the unsuspecting from disgruntled servers who cannot handle the stresses of their jobs or contain their infantile retaliatory behaviour.
I am sooooooo freaking glad that I can cook anything at home!
Here we go again… “I deserve a tip”…
In this economy, you should be glad that you have a job in the service industry. Seriously.
Yet again, OP, I sympathize with you. And I just want to say I’m sorry for the onslaught of hate you’re going to get… lol.
Did you get that Coke or wipe the table without being
a dick or bitch, or mumbling under your breath?
Seriously though. You don’t sound like you’re cut out to work in this field, if you take it so personally that people expect you to do your job.
I worked in a bar. I worked in a restaurant. Just do your fucking job and suck it up.
I worked in the service industry so I feel you OP. But if you are being a bitch/dick you do not deserve a tip.
When I am at home and I spill something on the table while I am eating I wipe it up. Obviously diners are not able to go to the server station and grab a wet cloth and wipe the table themselves. They pay money to go to an eating establishment where cooks and servers are employed to feed and serve them. And I believe getting extra lime for a coke refill, wiping the table 6, 7, 8 or 9 times and listening to comments concerning the product is included in the definition of service.
I have worked in restaurants and bars….. sure, I have experienced diners and drinkers who are a little less than cordial…. but you know what? They are PAYING for service. Can’t re-iterate that enough. The fact that they are dicks and bitches just means that they will always have misery in their lives. Don’t let it affect you. In fact, counteract their dickness/bitchiness with superior service! I am a that what goes around comes around…. More goodness will be your return and the idiot customer of which you speak will be rewarded with more misery. As for the foreign substances comment, shame on you for even suggesting it. Not only is it dishonest, but you could lose your “living” should you be caught. Just grin and bare it OP.
And tipping is not a law. Some people don’t understand that it has become the norm and feel that it is within their right not to do so- which it is. Again, reply with absolute kindness and YES- bend over backward for them. Never know, more times than not it may make a non/cheap tipper rethink their decision and leave you a little extra. No, you are not an executive, a politician or a doctor but I suppose if you were making their salaries you would have no complaints with bending over backward. It may be time to re-think your employment situation or just improve the attitude and take absolute pride in what you do. Cheerfulness rubs off you know…….
i have never had the misfortune of working in the food service industry.
but i have noticed that it seems people dont treat servers like people. it makes me sick.
valid bitch.
I like the idea of having LCD’s TVs in the restaurant area for customers to watch the going-ons in the kitchen (like when they nuke a frozen meal and then claim it is fresh). Of course no restaurant would ever allow customers to see what goes on back there.
As for the server, I don’t treat them like mules, I just expect to just take my order and bring me my. I even stack the dishes on my table to make your life easier and pick/clean up any mess I might have made. I also don’t leave a tip on most cases because any ‘mule’ can carry a plate.
I’d like to see restaurants do away with servers…..replace them with an electronic menu on the table for the customer to use and for the customer to swipe their card, and then a pick up window in the restaurant for the customer to get their food. Servers are outdated….time for technology to replace them.
As a former server I beg of you – please don’t stack your dishes at the end of the table!
I know you’re just trying to be helpful, and I appreciate it.
However, there is actually a right and a wrong way to clear the dishes from the table and stack them on your arm. A big pile of dishes at the end of the table makes it incredibly hard to do that. Just leave them in front of you, and we’ll take care of them.
sebastian_: You’re wrong on one front. There are plenty of restaurants that have open concept kitchens here in HRM. I was the sous-chef of a high end steakhouse here in Halifax for 2 years that had the line right in the dining room. Customers were able to come right up and watch if they wanted to.
HH, now you see, that is actual good advice, Thank you.
I agree, they are here to serve you, not to be your slave. And as for not tipping your server, that’s just rude. Tipping is their livelyhood, don’t neglect your server. If you get above and beyond service, tip them generously.
Tipping is their livelihood? And what about their salaries? What about those that make the same wages as them but work in retail? Tipping is an added bonus, not something they should depend on in life. Fuck… it bugs me when people say tips are their livelihood. I think people have become so greedy these days and expect far more than they deserve.
I worked at Subway and as a cashier for years and I really think I should have gotten tipped…you know, I actually made you your food and rung things in and bagged it for you, etc but whatev.
I am with you though OP. You just have to keep a good attitude, even though you’re being treated like shit. I dealt with some pretty messed up people which ending up with me in tears and sweats by the end of it, but I managed to keep it together for their..benefit? I guess.
I was thinking this the other day; when I was younger, and I got up in a fuss because I didn’t get what I wanted, I was grounded and such. But if a grown adult does this sort of thing at a restaurant or retail store, they get what they want. We are giving them CASH for acting like 2 year olds? WTF.
grin and bear it, and say fuck em’ all, o.p.
Fuck the tips, OP. Just be glad to see the ass end of these tossrags lurching out the door. Working in a bar, you aren’t going to encounter crowning examples of Darwinism anyhow.
Minimum wage for tip earners has always been lower than minimum wage for those who don’t earn tips.
Tips are not and should never be mandatory, but neither is “good” service. The server’s job is to bring you the food/drink that you ordered and clear away your dishes/glassware/etc when you’re done – that’s it. That is what the server gets paid minimum wage for. Listening to bullshit, wiping the table 9 times, adding extra fresh limes to drinks are perks that a “good” server does to get tips.
I’m tired of hearing people say it’s the server’s “job” to do all this crap. Look up service in the dictionary as it applies to the job. No customer should be obligated to tip and no server should be obligated to go above and beyond bringing you your food and cleaning up your table when you’re done. The double standards of “it’s your job to give me good service but my choice whether to tip you” and/or “I deserve a tip just because I’m your server and do the bare minimum” are both bullshit.
Some restaurants may demand that you give “good” service as part of your basic duties but any good manager or owner will stand behind their staff if the customers are being unnecessarily abusive or demanding. Check out some international cities where you can find career servers and go into some of those restaurants. Customers that act like douchebags in these places are put in their place pretty quickly.
If your place of employment does not support you in doing your job OP, I suggest you either: perform your basic duties and don’t expect any tips or look at serving somewhere that values their service staff.
You had me till the gimmie tips issue. You were doing so welllll OP.
Oceanlady: uh, minimum wage is minimum wage for everyone in NS. CRFA is talking about freezing it to match the tip differential for servers but the govt hasn’t bit yet.
wanna share your story of the service industry, I was handed a piece of paper by a fellow server the other night, he said he started a blog called tipthis-crackerjack.blogspot.com, I haven`t contributed to it yet, and he said I`ll need to register a google account for free to do so, but could be fun to have a local Halifax server bitch site.
I`ll have time this weekend to hopefully add my “bitches” and I am sure after Mother`s Day, there will be many servers with war stories too.
I’m pretty sure most people in the service industry get paid minimum wage, Oceanlady, wether they serve food or not. So giving servers tips and not giving any other slave a tip for doing the same type of thing is not right.
servers jobs are living hell sometimes, true story : customer asks server for a small bowl right away she goes and gets him one, he proceeds to hack up some bacteria laden alveoli and sloppily shoves it back in her face with nary a care or regret; been in the busines for like 25 yrs and that’s a new low; servers deserve their tips big time
jonno, NO ONE works in the servuce industry for the wage it is all about the tips. Of course it is a two-way street, the tip should reflect the service quality. If you make someone run around at your beck and call then they should be rewarded, but if they they are a surly twat/dick that should reflect in the tip as well. Of course there are some people who are just cheap and NS is full of them, they wouldn’t tip even if you threw in a complimentary hummer. I spent last year in HRM and found in general service was lousy at best, but the few pleasant and thorough servers were amply rewarded for their hospitality.
I’m one of those people who never/rarely tips. You know why I don’t? Because I can barely afford the meal to begin with. But I like to be able to go out once in a while just like everyone else. I hate people who expect tips.
Oceanlady I think you’re confusing servers in the US with those here in Canada.
In the states, servers DO make a lower hourly wage to reflect the fact they earn tips.
In Canada, however, servers make the same minimum wage as cashiers, fast food employees, movie theatre attendants, etc.
HH- this isn’t entirely correct for the rest of Canada. In Ontario and BC they can pay them less if they’re serving booze, I think.
If you don’t have an extra $2/5/10 to reward an awesome server then stay the fuck home, especially when they have gone above and beyond what is normally classified as good service, but don’t get me wrong if they suck then they reap what they sow as well.
To the Subway guy I always tip a buck or two there just because. I went to a KFC an ordered a 3 pc combo, then I asked the guy where was his tip glass was so I could give them the $2.75 or so left over from the $10. He said they don’t have one so I told him to put the money in his pocket, then he went and got my to-go order and I left. When I got home I found that my 3 pc meal had turned into 4 KFC breasts, so I guess a little generosity never hurts no matter where…
Swamp Donkey your statement is untrue in BC for sure. I once had a customer say – If you don’t complain you don’t get good service, I wanted to reply – If you don’t complain you don’t get your food spit in. The customer is always right except where alcohol is concerned…
HH: I am speaking from experience as a server in Ontario where minimum wage is lower for those who earn tips as compared to minimum wage for those who don’t earn tips. It was the same when I was a server in NS several decades ago, though apparently that may have changed.
actually some servers make too much in tips ie: big boobed bimbos slinging beer in a happening joint i know for a fact they can pull in $200 + cash plus 9/hr and most of them wouldn’t know a lager from a ale etc.
on the wage note if you’re depending on/care about the small diff. from reg. min. wage vs. servers wages, probably time to look for another gig as the business is in trouble
Only tip when the tip is deserved. I would say that good service only happens 50% of the time for a multitude of reasons too long to spell out here.
Sometimes poor service is not the waiter/waitresss fault(not thier fault if the chef is bad) but a very well prepared and tasty meal is also not thier ‘fault’ but they reap the reward in the form of a tip.
If service was above and beyond and the food still sucked, sorry no tip. It is a team effort in a restaurant where the waiter/waitress reaps the rewards9or not).
Do waiters share thier tips with the cooks??????
melectric: I am not saying the wage/tipping situation in the service industry is practiced fairly. I know of a place that didn’t even pay a wage…servers worked solely for tips. I know of other places that require servers to pool tips to be split evenly at the end of the shift with kitchen/bar/bus staff, ensuring that those who worked less harder than others got an unfair share off the sweat of the harder working server’s back. Some places are now requiring a tip-out to managers/owners which goes way above what is necessary.
I guess those servers who feel they deserve to be tipped are always welcome to apply for a server job that does include tipping.
Personally, bar and cocktail service was always my preference because the tip-earning potential was always greater than in food service with less hassle and bullshit.
Oceanlady I agree with your last statement wholeheartedly. I worked in a pub which was unionized and we made $14+ an hour and tips which were never less that $500 a week. That was why I said the statement about the customer is always right unless alcohol is involved.
I had a customer order a Baron of Beef and after he ate it he said he didn’t feel well and got sick, I said yeah and it had nothing to do with the 10 beer I served you earlier…
Well said maximo.
I’m a server and I don’t expect a tip all the time. If you come in and have one small thing off the menu for lunch, or just one drink, I don’t expect a tip. It’s very generous of the people (most) who do tip on such a small bill. But its a different story if you and 15 friends decide to walk in during our dinner rush without a reservation, meaning we have to drop everything we’re doing (which is a lot!), leave our other costumers hanging to go prepare a huge table for you and bring over 16 waters, etc etc. Or if you come in with your kids, I need to run around, get a high chair, find a space to put it, then your kids makes a huge mess for me to clean up. If you have a crazy dislike for our most used ingredient and I have to run out back and beg for your requests to be made by the kitchen staff… If I do all of this and also provide happy helpful fast service.. I deserve a tip!
People want their food on time, people want refills, people want their plates cleared, their bills delivered. It’s my job to ensure that they get all of those things as soon as possible while keeping a smile on my face the whole time. But really, if you come in with a bunch of extra, insane requests, TIP. As a server, I’m insanely busy the whole time at work. If you want me to go out of my way, why don’t I deserve a tip?
Think about it. When I go out to eat, I always tip probably minimum 20%. Not because I’m rich, or trying to show off, but because I know first hand serving is a actually a hard job where you put up with some stuff most people wouldn’t believe. If it wasn’t would I tip that much?
And to all those people who say “Well, what about retail? they don’t get tips. What about McDonalds? They don’t get tips.”, yes, you’re right! They don’t. But retailers get discounts and chances to move up and earn higher wages (unlike most serving jobs), and McDonalds gets health benifits which we don’t get! If you think it’s unfair for them, tip them! Us servers never asked you not too.
Exactly!
Go Habs!
A lot of restaurants have their servers “tip out” to bussers, dishwashers, cooks, and sometimes even managers. Some also enforce the “tip out” regardless of how much you made in tips and the percentage is fixed and based on your evening sales. In these types of places if the customer under tips (or doesn’t tip at all) the server actually ends up paying for your meal – whether the service was good or not.
Further, more often than not kitchen staff are paid more than front of house staff.
Like I said before, tipping shouldn’t be mandatory but some people’s ignorance about how the service industry (and the tipping system) work does not help.
Also, “big boobed bimbos slinging beer in a happening joint” make $200+ dollars a night because of drunk douchebags that think they’re going to get laid by tipping more – it has nothing to do with the girl or the service.
haha mr. blue the bear is watching…gohabsgo rawk heehaw
score…maybe the added heehaw
sorry mr. blue i’m a good witch…truly^^^
Thanks to reading The Coast over the years my tipping practices have changed. I rarely overtip and am sure to tip under 10% if the service is lacking. “Good Service”, though, results in 15-20%.
I’m the same, Cranky. I love walking into an establishment where I’m surrounded by non-tippers. Staff fly to my table = )
“Also, “big boobed bimbos slinging beer in a happening joint” make $200+ dollars a night because of drunk douchebags that think they’re going to get laid by tipping more – it has nothing to do with the girl or the service.”
…I think that I need to start beer slinging! Holy hell. Mmm, bimbos.
I’d like to know how many people in the restaurant industry *actually* claims every cent they make in tips.
Not many’s my guess.
Funny — when I worked as a cashier making min wage at a store that is super, I had to claim every dime I made…hmmm….
I’m a new server who’s been thankful to have been picked up by a restaurant that is known for its good service, so my training is above and beyond what I’ve witnessed other servers at different restaurants do.
As for tips, I believe it is totally someone’s right to tip or not, and am usually grateful for whatever I get. I just wish more people in this city realized that servers tip the kitchen staff, the hostesses and the bartenders that are also working. This is usually a set percentage that depends on the servers total amount of sales for the shift. SO, if you don’t tip, your meal is still a part of our total sales, therefore we end up paying for you to have come in and eat/drink. This is what sits poorly with me, but I have to remind myself that people just DON’T KNOW thats how it works. If you tip at least four percent, which really isn’t a lot usually (but can be to a server who has several non-tippers a shift), you’ll at least not have someone else paying for your night out. And if you don’t CARE if someone is paying out of their own pocket for you to eat out because you’d rather prove a point that tipping shouldn’t be normal, well, I’d imagine you’re not a very nice person to begin with, and perhaps quite stubborn as well. Go somewhere that tipping isn’t the norm and tipping out doesn’t happen and your attitude would be more understandable.