You ask for ranch dressing on your salad instead of blue cheese dressing. Your waitress brings you your salad and it had blue cheese dressing on it. The majority blame the waitress for the mistake.

Next time you are out to dinner, just take a minute to notice what a waiter/waitress does throughout your time at the restaurant. Waitressing is harder than it looks.

I did not realize all of the little things that add a lot of stress onto being a waitress. It is much more than simply taking orders and bringing food to tables. “Simply” taking orders gets complicated when the customer specifically asks for food cooked a particular way. Bringing food to tables gets tricky when there’s six people at a table and you only have two hands.

You need to familiarize yourself with that menu, you need to know everything about it inside and out, and on top of that, memorize the specials for that day. Also, you must be knowledgable about the drink list and the special beers on tap. Another responsibility includes wiping down the tables and setting up the utensils — which should be rolled up properly in a napkin — before customers arrive. The floor should be spotless so make sure to sweep it, and if there is rugs, vacuum them when customers are not there. The booths and chairs need to be wiped down after customers leave the seating area. Drinks need to be cold, so make sure that there is always enough ice available. Also, those drinks sometimes require a lemon, lime or orange on the side, so make sure you cut up a substantial amount of those in preparation. Make sure to-go containers and boxes are stocked up and within reach. Check the salt and pepper shakers regularly and refill those. Also, frequently check on the status of the ketchup and mustard bottles as well; customers will complain if you hand them an empty bottle.

Those are the first things that come to mind when I think of the little tasks that I had to do while waitressing, which sometimes aren’t terrible to do. They aren’t terrible to do that is, when the restaurant is not busy. When the restaurant is busy and there’s only three lemon wedges left and you need to cut more, then little things start to get chaotic. Customers ask for refills periodically and you must frequently check on your tables to see if everything is up to their satisfaction. Multitasking by getting a new table drinks while also bringing your current table their boxed up food and bill sometimes gets tricky.

If you have a good waitress, she will never let it show on the outside that she is stressed with all that she has to do. A good waitress must appear calm and collected on the outside with a smile on her face. A good waitress also must always — above all else — remember that the customer is always right.

So, next time you are out to eat and your waitress takes a minute or two to bring you a side of honey mustard, don’t freak out. Also, do not blame or yell at the waitress if you do not like your food; remember that they do not cook it. Most importantly, cut them some slack and appreciate that they are doing the best that they can to make sure that you have an enjoyable experience at their restaurant.