Waiters and waitresses are exposed to all kinds of individuals the spectrum of humanity has to offer. As going out to eat becomes a more common practice, servers have to learn how to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. The Regular

There's always a person or group that seems to stop by every week. They order the same thing every time, and it often feels pointless to even ask to take their order because you know it by heart. Regulars generally tip the same every visit. Servers tend to know more about the personal lives of regulars than other customers just because they've conversed so often. While being a regular isn't inherently bad, it can be a nightmare if he/she is also regularly rude, loud, or obnoxious.

2. The Stiffer

The definition of a tip is a sum of money given to someone as a reward for their services. Taking note of what food and drinks you want, putting in your order, delivering it, providing refills, and cleaning up your mess afterwards are all services you are provided when you go out to eat. Admittedly, some servers don't do a very good job. It is understandable to not monetarily reward a person for being horrible. But even if a waiter or waitress just provides adequate, mediocre service, they should still be tipped even if you feel they didn't go above and beyond the call of duty. In most places, servers have a lower hourly wage because they are expected to make up for it with tips. While you might have the opinion that the employer should pay the employee and not the customer, it should be common courtesy to reward the person who was literally your food servant for a short time. If you wanted someone to deliver you food and clean up after your meals at home, you'd have to pay them. The same principle applies to a server; the bill only covers the cost of what you ordered. Unfortunately, some people don't realize this, and it can be frustrating.

3. The Mess-Maker

This picture is no exaggeration. While many servers understand that kids are messy and sticky, that doesn't mean parents should get to watch their children throw food on the floor and not do anything about it. Mess-makers aren't just the munchkins; adults tend to leave tabletop messes like outside food and beverages, used tissues, empty baby food jars, etc. I once served a teenage guy who tried to chug a bottle of hot sauce on the table after being prompted by a dare from his friends. He proceeded to vomit all over the table. Guess who got to clean that up?

4. The Inquisitor

New customers often have questions about menu items, or maybe a familiar customer is seeking something new to try. While this is perfectly normal, servers appear to be the omniscient face of the restaurant with some of the questions they are fielded. No, I'm not sure what kind of farm our chicken comes from (I don't even know how to make the chicken, that's why I'm a server!). I can't name all of the ingredients in our balsamic vinaigrette off the top of my head. I don't know the exact measurement of spice the chef adds to the chili.

Inquisitors also include customers who have questions about almost every menu item that could be answered simply by reading the menu.

5. The Strange Request

The customers that stick in a server's memory are the ones who have a peculiar, unique request in their order or demand to have the food made an über-specific way. Take this waitress's story for example:

So our coleslaw was made with about 5% cabbage and 95% slaw aka mayo and other junk. It was goopy, delicious mayo-y goodness, and except for this guy, it was exactly what our clientele wanted. Instead of just ordering a salad without fries and toppings, though, Coleslaw Guy would order slaw and make whatever server he had squeeze it out until it was completely dry, because he "didn't want that much fattening mayo." We tried to give him just chopped up cabbage, but he wouldn't go for it. Lightly-dressed chopped up cabbage — no dice. He specifically wanted us to hand-squeeze all the mayo out of the prepared coleslaw. He would often send it back 2-5 times until it was squeezed well enough. Sometimes we would try to plan for when he was coming, or ask if he was coming the next day, only for him to say, "No, I won't tell you, because I want my coleslaw freshly-squeezed."

6. The Bizarre Character

People are weird - it's a common fact of life. Wait staff quickly learn how to roll with the punches when it comes to the peculiar and eccentric beings that walk through the door. For example, I once had an older customer tell me he was in touch with the metaphysical and that he could sense I had a very strong aura. He then proceeded to tell me that we had a very strong connection and that he could feel me in his mind trying to read his thoughts. To say I was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

7. The Forever People

Restaurants are a great place to sit back, relax, and have a great meal. But for some customers, their server feels like they might never leave. After the meal is finished, Forever People will sit there talking for upwards of an hour (the longest I've experienced was a table who sat and talked for 2 hours after finishing). This can be frustrating during busy hours when there's a waiting list to nab a table. It can also put servers in an awkward position. It's hard to tell if these people actually still need or want anything. Even if they say they don't need anything else when they get the bill, seeing a table of people still there can cause a dilemma for the waiter or waitress. Do I need to refill their drinks? It's been awhile, should I ask again if they need something? Or do they just want to be left alone? Why won't they leave?!

8. The Closing Time Customer

This one doesn't need much explanation. People walk in two minutes before close, and it's just frustrating.

9. The Surprise Benefactor

People can be surprisingly generous. These random acts of kindness can really make a server's day. It doesn't have to be $100; a $20 tip on a $25 check made me feel like I was walking on cloud nine.

10. The Cute Couple

To some they're heartwarming, to others they're too sickeningly sweet. It's easy for servers to spot who's on a date night. It's not just teens and young adults - seeing old couples together brings a smile to anyone's face.

11. The Condiment Consumer

Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, steak sauce, and hot sauce and other conveniences like salt and pepper are often provided to customers so that they can add the flavors they want. Yet there are always some who take the opportunity to douse their plate with outlandish amounts of dressing or make anthills out of pepper. Would you like some fries with your ketchup, ma'am?

12. The Nice, Polite Family

Being a waitress doesn't always involve dealing with disagreeable customers. Most often the people that come in are ordinary, understanding people. These are the easiest and most enjoyable people to serve.

Even though each individual is unique, it's easy for servers to quickly surmise if a customer is going to be difficult or easy to handle. It's an acquired skill. In the end, interacting with so many people is part of what makes every shift different and interesting.