Sometimes, it’s just a little too difficult to separate your work and personal life, and you experience one bleed into the other. So, here are five things that happen in your personal life when you’re a server.
1. Restaurant lingo.
It never fails. After working in a restaurant for a month or so, you start saying things that those not in the business may not quite understand. Your professor will answer your questions, and you’ll response with a “heard,” which will be swiftly followed by weird looks from your classmates. You’ll be in the grocery store and kindly let the person in front of you know that you’re behind them by saying, “behind.” Or, you’ll remind yourself that you’re out of something by saying it’s “86.” You’ll even start calling menu items by their abbreviated ticket names, and no one besides the staff will know what you’re talking about. It’s habit that will take a very long time to break, but it’s actually really helpful sometimes.
2. Stacking plates.
After a while, you become a pro at stacking those plates on your arms. Don’t worry, your family will be very impressed when you can clear the table at Thanksgiving with ease, and customers always love to see how many plates you can clear at one time, for some reason. You’ll start doing this method with other things too, just to see if it’s possible because the less trips the better.
3. “Server hands.”
Five half-full cups and three empty mugs? Not a problem. I called this mentality “server hands,” alluding to the fact that servers will try and bring as many things as possible to different tables without using a tray. It’s a pretty ridiculous game that we all play, but it’s also to help us get better. You truly find out how strong each of your fingers are, especially your pinky -- that one can be a lifesaver, and you find out some very interesting things about your body. Like the fact that if you spread your fingers wide enough, you can fit three cups in your hand and three mugs filled with scalding hot coffee in the other. You’ll start doing this with cups at your house and even other items like candles, video game controllers, etc. just because it’s way more efficient.
4. Tipping and service expectations.
This is the double-edged sword. After experiencing serving myself, you are guaranteed a minimum 15 percent tip from me, even if the service is terrible, because I know what it’s like to have off days where I’m definitely not on top of my game. I’ll forget to put in someone’s appetizer or mix up a drink order. I’ll be moving way slower than I need to be, and that’s just part of the game. And nothing sucks more than leaving a day of work where you really were trying your best with less than great tips (or what I like to call “my paycheck”). I understand that your livelihood is dependent on those tips, and because of that, I will always give you 15 percent. However, my standards for service are higher since I know what it takes to serve a table. It's a never-ending paradox.
5. Your kitchen is basically a bar.
When you work in a bar, it’s hard to not develop a taste for good mixed drinks. And you’ll want to make them at home, especially if you’re trained on the bar. So, forget cheap beer and those shots of straight vodka. You’ll have an entire bar tool set, complete with shaker and pour spouts. Different liquors will lines the top of your refrigerator or cabinets, and you’ll have different juices and mixers in your fridge waiting to be used. At parties, people will probably expect you to make the drinks too, and you’re totally okay with it because let’s be honest, it’s a ton of fun.
Overall, you can learn some pretty awesome and helpful things at work. Non-servers will probably think you’re a total nut job, but that’s okay because you definitely have a community of people who completely, 100 percent understand.
