Anyone working in food service knows that the job is undoubtedly demanding. The physical toll of working 12 (or more) hour shifts on your feet, moving from table to table constantly, is gruesome. The emotional exhaustion of plastering a smile on your face in order to keep guest morale up even if you've had a horrible day is present. Plus, the embarrassment of wearing those hideous, hideous non-slip black shoes. These server struggles are universal, felt by both men and women.

I have found, through my time in the food service industry, that women have a unique problem of their own when it comes to serving: Objectification.

I know, before you roll your eyes at, yet another, article on the plight of female sexualization just know that: You're probably the worst for thinking that and the problem with objectification is real and ever-present to women who work in the food industry.

I'm not sure what it is about working in food service, but I have found that male customers feel like they have complete domination over the female staff. Other women feel the same way. A study conducted by ROCUnited found that 99 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment on the job. Over half of the female servers reported incidents as frequently as multiple times a week. Before I get hate comments fueled by male tears, angry because "not all men are like that!", I know. I know not all men feel the need to remove every part of social conditioning when dining out, but, in my experience it is mostly a male-driven and women-experienced issue. The problem is this guys: women serving you at a restaurant literally cannot say no to you. They cannot disappoint you. Their job hangs in the balance of your mood. They live off the tips you leave them if you're pleased. For this reason, it is extremely unfair to put servers in a position where they either have to accept the gross comments with a smile (yeah dude, she's not flirting with you), or suffer the wrath of your manager. I cannot count how many times I have felt extremely uncomfortable at the expense of a crude pick up and have been forced to grin and laugh it off. Guys, even if you say it "as a joke" it is still unwarranted and unwanted. We do not work for the payment of "compliments". I'm trying to pay tuition here. As far as I can tell this problem is expansive, affecting women in all restaurant atmospheres, and it is largely swept under the rug because people think it just comes with the job and that it's no big deal.

It is a big deal. Anything that makes a person feel lesser is a big deal. Anything that makes a person feel like an object, or meat, is a big deal.

Please, stop hitting on your servers. They are not on the menu.