While being a server has its perks from being able to take money home right after your shift to meeting extraordinary people, there are also several day-to-day things that drive us insane. One would think that people would be polite and have common sense when ordering food at a restaurant but a lot of the time that's not the case. I urge you to take a look at this list and think twice when you're at a restaurant before disrespecting your server. While we want to do everything in our power to make your visit enjoyable, we are human beings and not your slaves.
1) "Diet Coke" is not a proper response to "Hi, How are you?"
2) Allowing your kids to make a salt & pepper mountain on the table is not our idea of "cute."
3) We do not decide the prices.
4) Everything that you need to know about the food is right in the menu. Please read it instead of asking us "what is on the menu?"
5) When we ask you if you need anything else, "a million dollars" and/or "your number" are NOT proper responses.
6) Talking on the phone and ignoring us when we are trying to take your order is extremely rude. Remember you are not the only table in the restaurant.
7) If something is wrong with your meal, please let us know. We would be more than happy to correct it for you but there isn't much we can do if you don't tell us.
8) Tipping is our main source of income.Our paychecks are next to nothing. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out.
9) If the restaurant closes at 12:00 and you come in at 11:59 you did not just "make it." You just caused every employee to have to stay way later on their shift just for you.
10) If you are with a group of 10 or more people all on separate checks and you all decide to pay for your $8.79 check with a $20 bill, don't get upset when it takes your server a while to get change.
11) If you have an allergy, please, please specify. We are not mind readers.
12) Also, if you don't like tomatoes, you can just ask for no tomatoes instead of saying you are allergic to them before proceeding to cover your fries in ketchup. It's insulting.
13) Please don't grab, snap or yell at us when we are at another table. Wait for us to be done and we will come right over.
14) Don't ask us to give you free things. We could lose our jobs and we do not have the power to do that regardless.
15) We are required to ID anybody that looks under 30, don't get upset if we cant serve you if you don't have your ID on you. It's AGAINST THE LAW.
16) Don't expect to eat in 20 minutes. We are a restaurant not a fast food joint. While we try to accommodate people in a rush as best as we can, sometimes it's out of our control.
17) While we appreciate compliments, you telling us we are the best server you have ever had does not make up for you $1 tip on a $45 check. Your compliments don't pay our bills.
18) Most importantly, communication is key. We want you to have an enjoyable experience and we work really hard to accomplish that. Please don't be shy if we did something wrong or if something is not up to your standards. We are humans too, we make mistakes but we would be more than glad to fix it for you.
