For about five years now, I have worked in the restaurant industry as your loyal takeout counter employee. It's not something that I want to do for the rest of my life but hey, it's money. Sometimes my shift will end way after most occupations do, or I may be done way before five o'clock rolls around. I will take multiple showers a day and will more than likely wash my clothes multiple times a week just to get rid of the overwhelming smell of pizza. Although this is a job that I know I won't always have, it has indeed given me some insight on how some people tick.

In today's restaurants, there are a multitude of ways for customers to give their input on their service. There are care cards, survey's, and even rewards they can sign up for, however, servers and takeout workers are never given the opportunity to express how their experience could be improved...until today.

After countless postings on our management wall about being the best employees we can be, it's important that we all have an understanding amongst us. So, without further ado,

Dear Customers,

Please remember these few points in order to see your disgruntled server as a person instead of someone who is shackled to serve you.

We are tired

We are tired and chances are our air conditioning is broken in the back, so please be patient. We are probably just as if not more anxious than you are waiting for your food. We feel the frustration when the kitchen doesn't get it out as quickly as we thought but in times like that, we simply just have to wait. So please, if you're not happy with the amount of time that your food is taking to get to you, please do all of us workers the favor of killing us with kindness and refraining form any rude comments because that will only make our jobs that much worse.

Tips are actual life

So for the love of God please leave a good tip. Chances are, this is our only job for the summer in order to make our ends meet. Laugh all you want, but a lot of people like myself are in charge of paying for their car payment, rent, groceries, and college bills. I know I sure don't have a career established yet, so your tips can make or break me. If you say I am such a pleasure, than please put your money where your mouth is. We appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Please remember where you are

I'm not saying that you are not entitled to go out to eat no matter your allergies or dietary preferences, but please take note of the restaurant you are in. If you don't like loud noise, crowds, or a lot of hustle and bustle, please do not walk into a family restaurant and complain about said factors. Also, please do not ask for high dollar drinks when you know you are in a small restaurant. Chances are we have no idea what you're talking about.

Take closing cues

If you see chairs on the table, people sweeping or vacuuming, please take note that we are CLOSING. Please, please, please do us all the favor and ignore the "Closing at 12" sign. What it really means, is that we are starting to shut down at 11:45pm. Please enjoy your meal and take the time to catch up with your friend and family, but please be courteous and start to clear out when you see us all closing up for the night.

Sincerely,

Your Dedicated Server