After almost 2 years of waitressing at a corporate tourist trap, I learned quite a few things about the restaurant industry. I've had amazing days, I've had horrible days. I've met amazing people, and I've seen some wild situations. Unless you've worked in a restaurant, you'll never truly know what it's like, and it's so easy to get misconceptions about servers. So, here's 10 things servers will never say to you, but we wish you knew...
10. We are really happy to see you...
I mean besides the fact that we're hoping to get 20% of whatever your final bill is...you coming to eat here means we don't have to be twiddling our fingers, rolling silverware or doing side work so unless we've had a god awful day (and trust me, IT HAPPENS) our chipper dispositions are for the most part pretty genuine.
9. Food runners are not an excuse to not tip.
Can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been snippily asked why someone else delivered food to the table. More often than not when the kitchen is trying to get food out like wildfire, you have to get the food out of the window as soon as possible, and if your server is busy doing something else, you're most likely going to get someone else delivering your food to your table just for efficiency sake. It's totally normal and happens in every restaurant, it doesn't mean your server is lazy, so don't tip them less than they deserve.
8. This is our livelihood.
One time an old man told me a story about how he left a waitress a penny for a tip because he didn't quite like her and I almost cried. Just know that this is how servers put their kids through school and pay their bills, it's not a hobby. They're most likely getting less than $3 for their hourly wage (if they get anything at all), so how much they bring home really is dependent on you.
7. There's only so much we can do.
There are many other people in the restaurant besides the servers, but we get the brunt of the backlash when something goes wrong. You see the servers, the kitchen, the bussers and the managers have to all run the show together, and if someone along the chain messes up, we all suffer for it. So just remember, there's only so many things we can do for you.
6. "Diet Coke" is not a proper response to "How are You".
5. We will be a tad irritable if you show up minutes before close...
When the home stretch of our shifts start to extend into 10-13 hours, we may not be so chipper if you roll in 5 minutes before the kitchen closes. More often than not we already have everything cleaned and put away...but we'll grin and bear it just for you.
4. Taking a long time is not indicative of a bad server...
We're doing all that we can to get that extra side of ranch for you...and for the 6 other people in our section that just asked us.
3. 90% of your questions can be answered by reading the menu...
They're not just for kids to color on anymore! Menus are constantly being updated all the time and are usually pretty detailed. Don't ever assume something is going to be exactly the same as when you came the time before. We're happy to answer all your questions, but also remember it's all right there for you.
2. We're a business, not your mother's kitchen...
So please don't pull anything to see how much free stuff you can get. That's just painful for everyone involved.
1. We're people too...
Just remember, if you wouldn't talk to your mom, sister, cousin, dad, brother, uncle, neighbor, teacher, mailman etc. that way, then don't talk to a server that way. We're just doing our jobs, and we really do want to ensure that you leave happy. After all, that's why we work in customer service.
