Unless you've worked in a restaurant, you probably do not know much about what really goes on. A lot of times customers do not understand why certain things happen, why their food takes too long, or why they cannot be seated right away. Before you sit down at a restaurant, just keep these few things in mind, and hopefully, you'll gain a better sense of what it's like to work in a restaurant.

1. Hostesses/hosts don't always know the exact wait time.

If you couldn't already guess, it is almost impossible to correctly estimate a wait for a table if the restaurant is packed full of people. If your wait time goes a little bit over what was quoted do not get upset... the hostess is waiting for tables to leave. The last thing restaurant workers want is to upset a party by not seating them promptly.

2. Some restaurant workers will work 12+ hour shifts at a time.

This is a great thing to keep in mind if you see an exhausted server come by your table. They are trying to make ends meet and being on your feet 12 hours really can make you feel less than glamorous.

3. Just because someone works in a restaurant doesn't mean they're any less of a professional worker.

Many people have a career in the restaurant business, and that is completely okay! It is a real paying job and the workers deserve to be respected as business people, not as someone who "cannot get a job somewhere else" (not the case by the way). That's just toxic if you ask me.

4. If it is busy, there will be a wait for food.

If a restaurant is filled with people, expect there to be a delay in the timing of food. As tickets rack up on the food line it often can get hectic and, in general, just take longer because there are so many orders coming in.

5. If it is busy it is not the servers fault for slow food.

So many customers will tip their server poorly for slow food when there is, in fact, a backup in the kitchen. We want you to get your food on time! We know how much it sucks to wait so long, but we are human and don't deserve a bad tip for something that isn't our fault.

6. Servers make a living off of your tip, not the hourly wage.

This shouldn't come as a surprise for most... but it may shock you how many do not believe this. Average minimum wage in the United States for servers is around $2-3. Often times, because of taxes, servers do not ever see a paycheck. No paycheck from hourly wage means that everything you tip a server is what they are going to be leaving with.

7. Some restaurants make their workers pay for the fee associated with credit/debit card processing.

This means that every time a customer uses their card, a small fee is taken out of their wages. Now, it's only a few cents per swipe usually, but it can add up if everyone uses a card. Using money is often preferred for this reason.

8. You're supposed to tip-off of food AND alcohol.

I've had customers minus their alcohol and tip me off of their food price. That is okay, but what you don't realize is that we have to tip out the bartender. When you don't tip us the correct amount it takes away even more from our earnings.

9. Restaurant workers deserve to be treated like humans.

Yeah, It's sad I even have to say this. I have had people scream at me, tell me I'm stupid and treat me like I'm worthless. I have come home after many shifts and just cried because of how demeaning some people can be. I often have had to step outside or in the bathroom to compose myself during a shift because of how bad some people can be. Do not be that person.

10. Not tipping because "serving is not a real job" is NOT a valid excuse.

The fact of the matter is that I have worked with people who have had a rough life, lost their homes, lost their significant others, are single mothers and fathers and they are all people that are nothing but deserving of a job. The fact that they have a job shows that they are working on themselves, bettering their lives, and contributing to local business. Serving is not a shameful job, and it doesn't necessarily mean that someone has had a rough upbringing by any means. It is great for people who need flexible hours because of school or because of kids. You do not get a "bio" for everyone who will wait on you in your lifetime, but imagine if you did. Remember this next time... you never know where they have been and where they are now.