“So I need to get table 30’s drinks from the bar, then do a wine presentation for table 31, and then… oh wait I just got sat at table 32 so now I need to go greet them first. Table 33 keeps staring at me like they need something, but I need to greet 32 first so…don’t make eye contact, don’t make eye contact…”
This is what my mind sounds like on a busy weekend working as a waitress at a fine dining restaurant. As a waitress in any restaurant establishment, whether it be fine dinging or a seafood grill, you are most likely going to experience the same type of things. Some customers fail to realize that you are their server not their servant. They also think that they are they only table you’re waiting on—wrong. Here are a few things every server can most definitely relate to.
1. Your paycheck is based upon a person’s generosity.
Louisiana doesn’t have its own tip and wage laws so we must follow the federal tip credit rules. So as a waitress in Louisiana, I make $2.13 an hour, which is probably the amount taken out of my check for taxes. So really, I’m making whatever you feel I deserve based on the tip you leave. We always hope you know how this whole eating at a restaurant thing works, which means you leave a 20% tip, no lower then 15%, but that’s not always the case. I’ve been “stiffed” plenty of times after giving my table the best service, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
2. The Weeds.
For those of you who have never worked in a restaurant before, no I am not talking about marijuana. Being in “the weeds” to a server refers to the feeling of being overwhelmed and occurs when the server is at their busiest. You have no time to chit chat or use the restroom when you’re in the weeds. So when you see your waitress obviously in the middle of doing something important for another table, you shouldn’t flag her down just to tell her you would really like your glass of wine right now. Which brings me to my next point…
3. The restaurant wouldn’t be running without Teamwork.
When you don’t have enough time to run your bar drinks to your table, that’s when your co-workers come in. It’s unbelievably reassuring to know that other servers will run your drinks or food when they notice it’s been there for a while. They understand you’re too busy to do it just from the look on your face. The life as a server is never slow-paced, and it’s not easy. But it is easier with the best staff always having your back. You all eventually become more than just co-workers, you become a family.
4. Customers will complain to get a free meal.
Countless of times I’ve had someone at my table get his or her meal comped after already eating more than half of it. They claimed they “didn’t like it,” after I asked them how everything was during the meal. It’s only when I bring out the check or when the hamburger is half eaten when they finally tell me it didn’t taste that good. That means I waited on a table for an hour and a half only to receive half the tip I deserved because you claimed, “you didn’t actually like it.”
5. That one awesome table will make up for all the unpleasant ones.
Overall, not all shifts are bad shifts. Most of them are pretty good. The pretty good shifts are usually made up of awesome guests. The guests who will joke with you, even though it’s the corny joke we servers always hear—“I think there’s a hole in my bowl cause the soups all gone.” Those fun guests are what make my shift enjoyable, which makes me want to give them the best service. There will always be that one table that will have an awful time no matter what you do, even after you offer them free desert. But you’ll also get those awesome guests who get you through the shift and are one of the reasons you keep and love your job.
#ServerLife
