New York City is known as “the city that never sleeps.” It's one of the only places that you can walk outside at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. and still be able to find somewhere that’s open to buy a proper meal. I have had the privilege to travel and to do a lot of the things I love. But when I am home, I’m caught in the constant balancing act that is school, work and my social life.

School is a challenge but it’s bearable. Work is its own ballgame. It is stressful and it's also the main reason that I am always drinking a cup of coffee. I laugh when my coworkers and I all sit in the break room after our shifts. We talk about the annoying things, the funny things and the things that our customers said/did that they shouldn’t have. Sometimes, it’s the easiest way to get through the day.

1. When customers snap at you for things that aren’t your fault.

Or at least for things that aren't a hundred percent your fault. For example, when your guest wanted a medium drink along with a million other items but they failed to mention them to you. It isn't until you’ve given them all of their other drinks and snacks that they point out that they actually wanted an extra drink. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely forgetful customer myself but I wouldn’t yell at the person that is ringing me up for that.

I recently had a customer buy a bunch of food. Once I charged her and got her all packed up, she asked me about her other item. I tell her very nicely that I didn’t charge her for it but that I could easily do it right then.

I was given a lecture on how I don’t pay attention at work and how I need to listen to my guests instead of getting distracted by the things around me. Maybe she did say it and I simply missed it but sometimes guests don’t. It would be nice if people could realize that servers make mistakes too!

2. Getting mad at the servers for our prices.

I always try to counter this by joking about how expensive things are for me too but sometimes people don’t see the humor in it. I understand that I work at a place that has particularly pricey items. But please do not stand there and yell about how ridiculous the prices are. Trust me, I know this already.

Unfortunately I am only a server and have no say about the prices of items. Instead of yelling at me, go somewhere less expensive or just don’t buy any of our products. If by chance, you are going to buy the item anyway, don’t stand there and complain about it.

I promise you, it will make our interaction go by faster if I don’t need to awkwardly chuckle at your bad joke about how my job is making you broke.

3. Telling us off in general.

Why would anyone threaten the people who are making their food? I literally don’t understand why someone would do that. Don’t yell at me from the line. Please do not walk up to me and complain about how bad of a job we’re doing. If you choose to do this, there are more polite ways to do it.

Do not make me spend our entire interaction listening to you get mad about how terrible me or one of my friends is doing. I promise you, it won’t make either of us feel any better. It's better to be polite to us. We’re nicer and we are more likely to help you out if you make our lives easier!

Special shout out to customer service for helping me develop a lot of patience.