Throughout your life you will run into some nasty people. Working a minimum wage job for the summer as a hostess has taught me. The thing is to always be polite and try to make them happy to the best of your ability. The best thing to do is remind yourself maybe that person is having a bad or got some bad news and is lashing out in response. Even if they are just an asshole, it’s you job to be polite and make their experience at the establishment the best they have ever had. With sour lemons, you gotta add a lot of sugar to the lemonade. Here are a few things I have learned.

1. Gossip- If you’re rude and an unpleasant person, you bet your money we will talk about you with our other coworkers. We are just trying to make money and our on our feet for hours. The least you could do is be a pleasant human being towards us. We are people too.
2. Friends- You become friends with your coworkers and learn about their personal lives and get to know them. Jokes and laughter can make a shift go by a lot faster.
3. Regulars- We get a lot of regulars who come with their friends or family for dinner. Some of the regulars are super sweet and remember you, while others act like they own the place and need special treatment.
4. You will break something- No matter how careful you are, you will eventually break something. That’s just part of working at a restaurant.
5. People get mad- Many of our customers become unhappy when we no longer have space outside for them and will even leave if they can't sit outside.
6. Smile- The best thing to do is greet everyone with a smile even if you aren’t feeling 100%. The key is to fake it till you make it.
7. Help out the servers- Something when it gets really busy, it’s helpful to help the servers out and bus the tables if you have nothing to do. Or even take food to tables.
8. Do the best you can- Be a hard worker. Don’t work hard to get appreciation, but work hard for yourself. You’ll feel accomplished by the end of your shift.
9. Wear proper shoes- You will be on your feet for your entire shift, and if you don’t wear good sneakers, your feet will kill within an hour.
10. Dress nice- If you’re not feeling great the best thing is to look nice because studies show you perform by how you dress. So if I feel like I look nice it results in a positive attitude.
11. The smell- By the end of your shift you will end up smelling like all sorts of things. Food, sweat, condiments, and things that got spilled on you.

Even though there are some nasty people, there are also some wonderful people. For every nasty person, I’ve met 20 nice people. At the end of the day I love my job and everyone I work with. I’ve made some good relationships with my coworkers and employer. Even regulars who come in and remember my name or who I am. It’s always fun to strike up conversations with people about something interesting they are wearing. Or even just asking them about how their day has been going. The best is when families come in and they bring their kids. Kids are very cute and a great way to get a conversation going when I’m seating the family.