"Are you fucking kidding me?"
This is a question I find myself asking on minimum about 142 times every time I work a shift at my restaurant. About 94 percent of the time, I'm referring to the customers that enter a restaurant and decide that, due to the fact that I take their orders and fill their waters, I am to be treated as less than a human.
Let me be perfectly clear: I am not a servant, I am a SERVER. If you have never worked in a restaurant or any food industry career and you consistently tip like shit, you are the worst type of person.
I have been working at restaurants serving very unpleasant people since I was 18. Don't get me wrong, there have been several moments where I've been introduced to wonderful humans and experienced beautiful acts of giving and compassion. But this article is in reference to those numerous moments that I have been demeaned and treated poorly due to my job choice.
When you come into a restaurant with a crap-tastic attitude, your server can tell immediately. And no, it's not because we're all highly intuitive wizards. It's because you take out whatever frustrations you may have on us. It would be amazing if I could simply serve you your food without being berated about the fact that the room temperature water you ordered is "too cold".
I'm here to tell you that your server will be more likely to want to help you when you simply smile and treat us with a general politeness. I know, it's a wild concept, but consider it the next time you're in a shitty mood and yell at your server for bringing you three lemons instead of four.
While we're on about the issue of politeness, let's discuss the best way to go about fixing a mistake that occurred with your order. It didn't turn out the way you wanted it? Is it under or over cooked? You need something else? Well, here's a secret to getting all of the things you could possibly want from your server, without them wanting to spill hot coffee on your lap: BE FUCKING NICE. A wild idea, but hear me out.
The next time you get angry that something didn't turn out the exact way that you want it, let's stop and consider something: everyone working there is human. Do not jump to conclusions by blaming your server, it's not always their fault. Errors occur. And 9 times out of 10, they are easily fixed. There is no reason to make someone feel horrible because your lettuce is a little soggy or your burger is more medium than medium rare.
Let's get into the heart of the issue at hand when it comes to terrible treatment of servers in a restaurant: tipping.
I realize that every restaurant is a bit different when it comes to how they divide tips and pay their workers. Therefore, I will only talk about the personal experiences I have had. My hourly wage as a server is $2.13 an hour. This large number is the exact amount that is taken out for tax purposes, so can you guess what my paycheck is every time I receive it? No?
Well, not to brag, but every two weeks I get to open a big fat check for a whopping $0. So I really hope you are able to understand my immense frustration when I walk by tables who say "No! Don't tipthat much, they make money outside of tips." LIES. When I tell you the only money I make is based on tips, I'm being completely honest.
Don't get me wrong, I can be empathetic to those who have had terrible experiences at restaurants where everyone seems to be incompetent at their jobs. I've been there, and it's not fun! In which case, a lower tip is more than expected. However, if your server has done nothing but fill your water consistently, laugh at your terrible jokes, and got you your food out correctly in a timely manner and you decide that a 10% tip is acceptable, think the fuck again.
Serving is an easy job, you say? Interesting. Yes, in a way you're right. I'm a people person who loves multitasking, so it is easy for me. But there is so much that we put up with and do that you have no idea about. We clean and clean and clean behind the scenes. And when it's slow, I'm making $0 an hour to clean bathrooms, make homemade lemonade, sweep, do dishes, and whatever other activities keep me busy. Then when I finally get a table, what happens?. These restaurant experts decide the work I do is easy and tip abysmally. REMEMBER: If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to dine out
Don't worry, I have a tip for all of you who have no idea what it's like to serve ungrateful, uppity bastards all day without a break. Simply put, treat your servers well. Don't assume every mistake is their fault. Don't make assumptions about the difficulty of their job. Treat them with the respect that you yourself would want. And before you leave a shitty tip, think about all they do and put up with outside of catering to you.