Recently, I took a job at a local cafe for some extra cash. Between college classes and my other job as an after school counselor, I figured that I would give waitressing a chance on weekends. Little did I know when I applied for the job, being a server would influence my perception of the world so differently...so negatively. To be clear, I'm not implying that there aren't good people out there, because I have met a few. But unfortunately, I deal with a lot more ill-mannered people with negative attitudes on a daily basis than I ever knew existed. I'm not writing this in hopes that others in the restaurant business will read it and relate (although I'm sure many of you will), but instead, I just want everyone- servers, managers, and especially customers, to rethink how they treat others throughout their day.

Here are some things to keep in mind next time you go out to eat, order takeout, or even order a cup of coffee:

We are human.

I cannot express this enough. Humans make mistakes, therefore it is very possible that we might get you the wrong drink, or make you a hot coffee instead of an iced. But here's the thing: all you have to do is tell us, and we will be happy to fix it. Despite what you may think, we don't sit around all day and plot what we can do to ruin your meal. Instead of shouting or speaking down to us, just use those old-fashioned manners that you (hopefully) learned as a kid, and calmly tell us what we may have done wrong. Most of us work long shifts and help so many people a day, it can be easy for us to make mistakes.

We cannot rush food to cook faster.

Just like in your home kitchen, food is ready when it's ready, we don't have some magic wand that can make things cook any faster or slower. If you are coming in on your lunch break, or trying to grab food right before you go to work, then you should plan accordingly. I have had customers come in, order food for takeout, and then when the food is ready, snatch the bag out of our hands and exclaim, "you guys take absolutely forever." Why is this appropriate? It's one thing if we are sitting around, chatting, and ignoring you as a customer, but it's another if we are simply waiting for the food to be cooked. If you don't have the time to get food without being late to work, then don't do it.

When we bring your food out, we are not interrupting.

The number of times when I've walked up to a table with a tray of food and had looks of distaste as though I interrupted a private meeting is really shocking. I have always been so excited to see my food come in a restaurant, but more than a few times I had customers physically shoo me away with a hand gesture or blatantly ignore me after placing their food down. Sure, it is our job to bring you your food, but why is it okay to not show us any sort of acknowledgement? Maybe my parents were old-fashioned, but I was taught to use "please" and "thank you", and to actually mean it.

There are only so many of us to take care of so many of you, have a little patience.

Obviously, I'm not talking about waiting some extreme amount of time for your food, or your drinks to arrive, but I am talking about giving us enough time (within reason) to help you. If there is a wait or a long line, we are feeling just as pressured as you. And trust me, we are trying to help you as quickly as I can. But like traffic on the highway during Labor Day weekend, if there are a large amount of people in one place at the same time, there will be delays. So have some patience, and we will help you as soon as we physically can.

Must I go on? Truthfully, what it all comes down to is being well-mannered and acting as a compassionate human being. Through these encounters in the last month, I have had some serious doubts about our future as a society, and about us as human race. How can we possibly move through time without giving the least bit of consideration for one another? Currently we live in a world where equality is so harshly fought for, and it has become easier for me to see why. Respect is valued, and that extends well beyond my rant about how servers should be treated with the same level of respect that you have for your mother, brother, daughter, son, husband, or wife. What would happen if we treated each others as we should? Prove me wrong. Let's turn this thing around, start with baby-steps in the right direction. We can work together to restore that faith, so let's do this.