I'm going to let you in on a little secret today. It's one that I feel everyone should know, but for some reason, very few people have figured out. Once you hear it, feel free to share it with anyone else you might think will benefit. Ready? Here it goes: That voice? At the restaurant? Asking you what you'd like to eat? Well get this — it belongs to a person. A living, breathing, person, with thoughts, feelings, dreams and goals.
Just like you.
If this is coming as a shock to you, don't worry. Plenty of other people seem to feel the same way. While I've only been working as a server for one summer, I've worked at a restaurant on and off for about four years now, and it's been quite the enlightening experience. I'm happy to do my job and serve food, and I like to provide the best service I can, but there are always certain customers who have trouble differentiating between servers and servants. Not sure if you're one of those people? Check out this handy list and see how many apply to you.
1. Switching tables after being seated.
The hostess didn't seat you by that large party because she wanted to spite you for some indescribable reason, she sat you there because the waiter who is assigned to that section of tables needs more customers. They'll be able to provide you with the best service at the moment, because they are the least busy. By switching, you'll end up in a busier section and get less attention.
2. "Can you turn the AC down? I'm cold."
Sure we can, and before you know it, the heat from the kitchens combined with the body heat of the 60 other people eating and will create a whole new problem for you to complain about.
3. "It's just two adults — oh and I guess four babies."
Attention to all: Babies need to sit somewhere, so please remember to include them when you're asking for a table. There's a big difference between seating two people and six, so just make it easier for everyone and be upfront about your precious cargo.
4. Interrupting the greeting.
Immediately barking out your drink order to me before I've even finished saying hello is a bit disarming. How often do you just blatantly interrupt people in daily conversation, and completely ignore the fact that they were talking? Unless you're legitimately dying of thirst, just wait until I ask for your drink order, I promise it's coming soon.
5. "Customizing" your order.
If you order the baked chicken, and it comes with mashed potatoes, don't expect the price to stay the same when you ask it to be fried instead, sub the mash potatoes for mixed vegetables and add an extra side of potato salad. You didn't order the chicken. You had an idea based on the chicken, and I did the best I could to accommodate you. If you want a meal exactly how you like it, then you can make it in your very own kitchen.
6. Snapping your fingers to get my attention.
Do I even have to explain why this is wrong?
7. Expecting everything to be ready when you want it.
If you order your burger well done, it's going to take a while to cook it in order to make it, you know, well done. Don't tell me that the table next to you got their salads faster, because their salads took less time to make! If you want it fast, fast food is there for you.
8. Asking for something new every time I come over.
I don't mind getting things for tables when they need them, but if you ask for napkins, and I get you napkins, then you remember you wanted ketchup, so I go and get you ketchup, then you remember that Jimmy needs a refill on his Shirley Temple, so I get a refill, and finally you remember that grandma needs a new fork, you're putting us both through an unnecessary hassle. If you ask for everything at once, we can both get this done more efficiently and easily.
9. Destroying my table.
Eating is messy, but for some reason, people become monsters at restaurants. Mostly, cleaning up is just part of the job, but when people leave their used tissues lying on the table for me to take care of, that's when I get a bit grossed out.
10. Eating the whole meal then complaining about it.
Well, since you ate the entire salmon, I can't bring it back and get you something else, so why do you expect me to comp the meal for you? You ate it, after all.
11. Telling me you all want separate checks after you've eaten.
Splitting checks isn't a big deal for me, if I'm warned ahead of time that I'll need to do it. However, when you tell me that you want ten separate checks, but everyone has ordered multiple drinks, shared three appetizers and split four desserts, it's really not all that easy for me to divide everything up fair and square.
12. Being a bad tipper.
It's a part of American dining culture to tip at least 15 percent to your server when you go out to eat, so people who refuse to hand over even that little baffle me. Unless your waiter was blatantly rude, offensive or negligent to your party, you need to tip them at least the average amount. All of our money comes from tips, most paychecks for wait staff come out to about $0.00, so we live off our tips. And for those of you who complain that you can't afford to tip ... well, you could afford to eat out and buy three rounds of drinks, couldn't you?
I don't think any point on this list makes me out to be a particularly demanding or high-maintenance person. I understand that my job is to serve others in a restaurant, and I'm happy to do it. All I ask in return is that customers treat me like a person when they're out to eat.
