Whether or not you've ever had the personal experience of waiting tables, you have to hand it to us: we work hard for our money. Of course, some of us work harder than others but that will never stop us from banding together and talking about terrible customers between rushes.
In the event that you have not had the pleasure (it really is a pleasure, I promise) of working as a waiter or waitress, let me explain the struggles that come with the job.
In fact, what better way to describe the struggle of working in a restaurant than through the CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls.
1. That "one" coworker
No matter how much we try to deny it, every waitress has that one coworker that we just can't stand. Shifts with them are such a struggle because they just can't seem to pull their weight. This especially sucks when you pool tips. Nothing hurts more than being on your feet for 8 hours, working more tables than you ever imagined and watching a portion of your tips leaving with the waiter or waitress that sat around on their phone for the entirety of the shift.
2. Trainees
Perhaps the only thing that sucks more than working with lazy coworkers is working rush hour with a trainee. When things get busy, you get snappy really quick. You try your hardest not to hurt the new guy's feelings but he has to learn that you run a very tight ship sooner or later, right? The only thing you can do is hope that your tables understand that you are working with a trainee and your tips won't suffer because of that fact.
3. Cheap customers
Look, I get it. Times are tough and eating out is expensive. I understand that, I really do.
That doesn't mean that you have the right to try to "hack" our menu and make our lives a hundred times more difficult. Don't try to insist that you never got your refill because we know that you did and you just don't want to pay for it. Believe me, waitstaff have to have excellent memories and we can probably even remember when you came in and tried to order off of the kids menu a month ago, too. Please don't make us hate you.
4. Flirtatious customers
If you think your waitress is cute, compliment her. Perhaps come in a few times and let her know that you are interested if she's around the same age. I won't say that I haven't seen this work but just don't be creepy about it.
Shall I elaborate on the things that qualify as creepy? Well, please don't make comments about our bodies. Please don't make inappropriate comments about us. Please don't touch us in any way.
If you are significantly older than her, I beg you not to flirt with your waitress. It's just scary and concerning.
5. Rude customers
As I said before, waiting tables is hard work. You're on your feet and moving for hours on end, making sure that everybody has what they need in a reasonable amount of time. It's just as much mental work as it is physical work. Not only do we have to remember that the woman that came in thirty-five minutes ago is drinking Diet Coke mixed with Sweet Tea, but we also have to remember to bring twenty different things to the ten-top outside when their food comes to the table. Please, don't make it harder on us by being unreasonable. Your food may not be ready for you the moment you sit down. We may take a few minutes to go to the tables that arrived before you with their drinks before we take your order. Calm down, we will get to you.
6. Smiling through the rage
The only thing that makes rude customers worse is the fact that we have to ignore our internal screaming and smile. You want to speak to the manager about your food, even though it's exactly what you ordered? Sure, I'll grab him right away for you. You want another basket of fries right this second, even though you just watched me collect twelve orders that are just as hungry as you are? Sure, I'll get those right out for you. You want to move to a dirty table in the middle of rush hour, meaning we have to clean it in the middle of a huge crowd of customers? Let me just grab my rag and I'll have that ready for you in a jiffy!
Smiling through your anger can come in handy in other situations but at the end of a shift you are about to explode with rage.
7. Being sassy
Nothing will get you in more trouble with a restaurant manager or, heaven forbid, owner than being sassy to a paying customer. Sometimes they will side with you, especially if said customer is being particularly ridiculous, but you never want to take the unnecessary risk of being left in the dust. No matter how clever your remark may be or how much it will vindicate you, you're better off just playing it safe and biting your tongue.
8. Bosses
Not only do you have to smile and be polite to your customers, but you really have to be on your best behavior with your boss.
Okay, so maybe this one goes for any job. However, restaurant managers and owners deserve some credit for the work that they do, too. They walk a fine line when it comes to keeping both the customers and the staff happy.
But I can only cut them so much slack sometimes. It's really difficult to see the good in your boss when they're yelling at you for something that was totally not your fault. Just take it and smile, your shift has to end eventually and you can't afford to get fired.
9. Stingy tippers
The only thing worse than clearing a table and finding two quarters as a tip for a $25 bill is clearing a table to find no tip at all.
To the people that are against tipping waitstaff, we are people too. We have needs and those needs require us to have an income. Sure, we get paid for just being here but that's almost never enough to cover all of the things we need, let alone the things that we want.
Seriously, I know some people that support an entire family on the money that make waiting tables alone. Please be nice and leave some sort of tip if you were even mildly satisfied with your service.
10. Being insulted
Look, we know we aren't your favorite person when you're hungry and the restaurant is packed. Quite frankly, if you're rude during this period, you aren't exactly our best friend either. Don't insult us because you are impatient. If you have somewhere you need to be, there are several fast food restaurants that will be glad to take care of you in a hurry. Just don't expect them to smile at you when you claim you didn't want ketchup on your burger.
11. Not caring
While this may not seem like a struggle, it really is. Being accustomed to insults is not always a great thing. Sure, letting it go in one ear and out of the other can have its benefits in the "real world" but it's not so great when it comes to relationships in your personal life. If you're so used to being treated like disposable waitstaff, you may find yourself being walked all over in your personal life too. Being emotionally hardened is both a blessing and a curse if you can't learn to wear it like you wear your apron.
12. "Regulars"
I work at a small, local restaurant so regulars come in all the time. Some of them I remember, some of them remember me and I have no clue who they are. Nothing is more terrifying than coming into your first shift back after a year off and receiving the question "you remember me, right?" It warms your heart to think that you did something to make them remember you fondly but you feel so bad that you have no idea who they are.
We see so many people in one day that it can be hard to remember our own names at the end of some shifts. Please don't take it personally.
13. The "Overshare"
Murphy's Law of being a waitress says that a chatty customer will come in during every lunch rush, regardless of how many times they've eaten there that week (or that day.) I'm sure you know the type and I sincerely love you if you are the type, but being friendly and talkative is not ideal for your waitress when they're trying to do their job. We'd love to hear the next chapter in the saga of spaying your pet dachshund but please...let us work.
14. The undying need to move
Being a busybody comes in handy when you're a waitress. If you can't keep still and always have to be doing something at least moderately productive, you should try your hand at waiting tables. However, this makes your off hours a lot less enjoyable.
When you get so used to constantly being on the move, you start to find yourself physically incapable of relaxing. You get home and all you want to do is sleep until your next shift but you can't stop thinking about that load of laundry. Before you know it, it's time to go to bed and you've cleaned the entire house. You think it's not a bad thing but your friends and family just don't understand why you keep asking them to do things "when you get a second." It comes with the job, folks.
15. Eating on the go
Let's look at a few key facts of this job, shall we?
You're up on your feet for a good amount of time. You're moving most of that time. By the end of the shift, you're bound to be starving, right?
Wrong. You're lucky if you make it to the end of the shift before your stomach starts growling. As a result, waiting tables requires you to learn to shovel quick mouthfuls of cold food and chew quickly before it's back out to the front to take care of customers. Sure, it's probably not great for your digestive system but it works wonders for customer service if you aren't hangry when you take drink orders.
16. Being a little too close with your coworkers
No matter how many times you run into each other or throw the blame around, you will always be close with your coworkers. Some days you want to strangle them and some days you both want to strangle the same particularly difficult customer. It's a delicate balance but when it comes down to it, you wouldn't want to struggle through a shift with anyone else.
Working as a waiter or a waitress can be a real struggle sometimes. The hours can be long and the work is usually really rough. You see the best and the worst in both your customers and your coworkers. For me, it's just a summer job and I enjoy it but for others it's a way of life.
To those that have spent most of their working life as a waiter or waitress, I tip my hat to you. That's an impressive feat and I wish you the best of luck in all of your future struggles.
