Being a server is one job that I think never gets enough credit or appreciation. As a waiter or waitress, you spend a good deal of time with each table you tend to, taking orders, bringing drinks, starting conversations and answering questions about everything from the menu, to the weather, to directions and tourist information for visitors. Every day, you clean the restaurant, restock supplies, take out the trash, help with dirty dishes, and count out money drawers. Over time, you establish regulars and create relationships with people who frequently visit the restaurant. Sadly, all of that has been interrupted or changed in some way due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This pandemic has been hard on us all, many being put out of work, and for those of us who haven't, the environment of the workplace has shifted entirely. Everyone wears a mask and gloves, and there are now plexiglass panels where they have never been before. It's like a whole new world when you walk outside and venture into a store or through a fast food drive-thru lane.

Only in recent weeks have restaurants begun to reopen in several states, many of which still not allowing for dine-in services. However, for those restaurants that do, I ask that you take the time to consider the extra work that the staff is putting in right now to ensure your safety and abide by CDC guidelines.

Restaurant staff members put a great deal of effort into keeping the storage, prep, cooking, and eating spaces clean and sanitary for the safety and pleasure of those who work and dine in the establishment. Day-to-day, they take on chore after chore to ensure that customers have the best experience possible and occasionally have to deal with unpleasant and rude customers.

Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, the addition of gloves and masks to their interactions during their shifts has become the new normal. Cooks, servers, and cashiers must wear them during their entire workday, whether they are back- or front-of-house workers.

Along with these being implemented nearly everywhere, restaurants have even had to change how customers can access things like salt and pepper shakers that normally sat on the tables throughout the day and how plates are given to customers at a buffet that is no longer self-serve.

I worked as a waitress at a restaurant in my college town, and even back in March while I was still at school and nothing had been shut down yet, we had already begun to make changes: cleaning the bathrooms every half-hour, no longer leaving condiments on the tables unless requested, handing out freshly sanitized menus to each customer rather than leaving them on the tables throughout the day, the list goes on.

So if you decide to go out to eat, take it easy on the staff. If you see a cook, cashier, or waitress take off his or her mask for a second to take a breather, don't get angry with the worker. These employees are on their feet or in a hot kitchen with their masks on all day. They can't breathe and their ears feel like they're going to fall off their heads. But these workers continue to do their jobs every day, and doing their best to ensure your safety all the while. Don't be a Karen just because your dining experience has changed. I promise you that these employees understand and feel for you, but they're taking the necessary steps to make sure that you remain safe in these unprecedented times. The last thing they should be forced to deal with right now is unpleasant and unappreciative customers. So be kind, tip your server(they live off tips!!!!!), and thank them for going the extra mile.