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One thing that I have never understood about guests in restaurants is their level of expectation. My job as a server is as follows: Greet guest, take order, ensure order is correct, bring the correct order, make sure guest is enjoying what they have ordered, take payment, all while maintaining an effective workplace “flow” which sometimes means running 20,000+ steps in a shift (I’ve worn a pedometer that shit is nuts, no wonder I can scarf down an entire plate of burnt nachos in record time and not gain weight) and keeping a kazillion things running smoothly all at once (fellow servers, you know what I’m talking about). But aside from the circus-performer-level multitasking, my basic job per table really isn’t all that hard. I bring you food, you eat. I really don’t understand how some people can write me off as a human because I won’t let your curious toddler try to climb under my shin length skirt and see my vagina; or fly off the handle because I can’t do math quick enough while juggling 80 other things in my mind that have to be done in the next 60 seconds. And what is it with men who think that having a server gives them the permission to ask said server if they would like to get fucked? And don’t expect me not to hit you if you decide it’s okay to cop a feel of my ass as I walk by with a tray in my hand. A lot of us servers already have enough going on: other server stealing our tables and tips off our tables, catty servers who hate their lives and take it out on us, managers who are never there and don’t even see the restaurant run but still feel like they have the authority to take shifts away from you because a guest complained that they’re food got cold (when they have been camping out at the table for two hours nursing a beer – of course it’s going to get cold). Again – servers have enough going on, so you problematic unrealistic guests who have no idea how working in a restaurant is – sit down and shut up. eat your meal and leave. For the rest of you guests who are RESPECTFUL thank you! You set the bar for how things ought to be.
—I wish I had a less degrading way to make money
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2015.
I had no idea that servers were required to show children their vaginas.
May I suggest a different job?
Ooooh, I had no idea you had so many high level responsibilities. Sounds like you’re qualified to run NASA. Makes me want to pay you even more than your $11 an hour plus the 20% tip you expect.
You should have stayed in school.
You should angry with yourself for staying. Old waiters never die, they just chronically complain until their leg veins explode.
We’d better watch our words, Babyfish Mouth.
We’re drowning in service industry dislikes. Can you swim to the white/blue collar shore or would you like a ride on the Tardis?
HAVING A SERVER
“And what is it with men who think that having a server gives them the permission to ask said server if they would like to get fucked?”
So what is it with those men? The answer lies in the phrase “having a server” which, for some, is the equivalent of “having a woman.” In other words, it is the lexical cognate of having sex with that woman. One thinks of the Japanese tradition of the “geisha” in which the server, among other things, served herself.
Of course this is not to suggest that those men who think that having a server gives them the permission to ask said server if they would like to get fucked. They have no idea of old Japanese customs nor do they wish to revive them. They are invariably members of the boorish, cultureless Halifax Underclass. They are just pigs.
A pleasure as always,
Cheerio!
OB, if you are at the point where you are feeling contempt for your customers, coworkers and management then it is definitely time to move on. The best scenario would be for you to go back to school and train to do something else.
If that isn’t possible then maybe you can find work elsewhere. Judging by the boorish behaviour of some of your male customers, I’m guessing that you work in a restaurant that turns into a bar late at night.
Maybe you would prefer a family style restaurant – one with more professional management. For example, I occasionally eat at a certain roasted chicken place and notice that the staff are the same ones year after year. When I commented on that the server volunteered that it was a very pleasant place to work. So, maybe a change of scenery would help you.
Good luck.
Dining out in good restaurants, and having the opportunity to enjoy foods and cuisines from all over the world is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Good staff are a large part of what makes the experience so enjoyable–so treat them with respect. They are not there to be targets of abuse or harassment; they are there to keep the meal going smoothly and pleasantly, which is a tough job to do well. Doing it well requires professionalism, confidence, grace, tact, quick thinking and most of all a flair for making customers feel welcomed and taken care of.
I am the first to admit that I would not survive even a single shift doing that job. It is a sad fact when some pathetic people cannot refrain from being jerks even for a single hour while someone brings them a nice meal. Such people do not deserve the privilege of dining out.
Have some respect for the people who work hard to keep your favourite restaurants in business. The place can’t run without them.
Judging by the comments above I would have to assume that these are the type of guys who would harass OB and wouldn’t think twice about slapping her ass. Keep up the misogyny guys, you’re a classy bunch.
cukes, can you point out the misogynistic comment?
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”