Weekdays have to be the worst, slowest days to work at a bar
or restaurant. Imagine not having any guests for hours at a time but not being
able to leave the premises because you might get lucky with one top (a table
with one guest). Then even luckier if you get more than $3, which I usually
cannot complain about because it’s normally over the standard %20. At least in my standard, everyone would tip at
least %20. How much do you tip and why? Does it depend on certain things other
than completely good or bad service? It can be so frustrating when you feel
like you did everything perfectly and you get hit with a %10. I kept your
drinks full, rang in your food correctly, cleaned up after you, talked to you,
and smiled at you. Is there anything else necessary for a great dining
experience? Just yesterday I had a guest who made me change her drink 3 times.
Once because it was flat, second because the coke “didn’t taste right” and
third because her friend convinced her to return it and get a beer. I really
did not mind too much until she paid me with $15.25 (no change needed) leaving
me with a whole penny for my tip. That wasn’t even worth the 10 steps I took to
the kitchen for the initial drink. If I know I did something wrong I take full
responsibility for bad tips, but not in situations like that. I guess it’s good
thing that there are also people who understand and tip well. It NORMALLY evens
out and you can make a good $50 in a day shift.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
It's not as easy as it looks
Being a server changes us... I mean, really changes us. We have to learn how to deal with all types of people from different cultures, places, and upbringings not ever knowing what kind of person our next guest is going to be. They could be rude, picky, talkative, nice, and sometimes maybe too nice and we have to know how to cater to every type of personality we encounter.
We are trained to stay cool and calm at ALL times no matter the situation. No matter how angry or pissed off we may be, if we react accordingly we're the ones losing because remember "the customer is always right", right!? Why do miserable people even leave their houses trying to make others miserable with them? On the other hand, if we're the ones having a bad day we have to walk into work as if we have no life outside of serving and plaster a big fake smile on ours faces.
Aside from dealing with guests, we also have to deal with each other. No matter how old we are, we all always act like a bunch of 13 year olds fighting about who didn't roll their silverware or who didn't sweep well enough. But it's acceptable; nobody wants to pick up someone else's slack because "they don't feel good" or some other way too common excuse. If i feel like crawling in a booth and passing out because I am too hungover, but still manage to do my job, then my coworkers should be able to too. Especially because I am usually the one that is hungover to begin with.
None of this job description sounds intolerable, or difficult at that, but unless you've been in the industry before, you don't really respect and understand the challenges and morality tests we're put through on a daily basis. It's a love and hate kinda thing where you love the money (when you actually make some) and good times you can have, but hate everything else. So I speak out for my fellow restaurant workers. You might not believe some of the stories you hear, but I guarantee the nonsense and stories we have to tell are nothing but true.
We are trained to stay cool and calm at ALL times no matter the situation. No matter how angry or pissed off we may be, if we react accordingly we're the ones losing because remember "the customer is always right", right!? Why do miserable people even leave their houses trying to make others miserable with them? On the other hand, if we're the ones having a bad day we have to walk into work as if we have no life outside of serving and plaster a big fake smile on ours faces.
Aside from dealing with guests, we also have to deal with each other. No matter how old we are, we all always act like a bunch of 13 year olds fighting about who didn't roll their silverware or who didn't sweep well enough. But it's acceptable; nobody wants to pick up someone else's slack because "they don't feel good" or some other way too common excuse. If i feel like crawling in a booth and passing out because I am too hungover, but still manage to do my job, then my coworkers should be able to too. Especially because I am usually the one that is hungover to begin with.
None of this job description sounds intolerable, or difficult at that, but unless you've been in the industry before, you don't really respect and understand the challenges and morality tests we're put through on a daily basis. It's a love and hate kinda thing where you love the money (when you actually make some) and good times you can have, but hate everything else. So I speak out for my fellow restaurant workers. You might not believe some of the stories you hear, but I guarantee the nonsense and stories we have to tell are nothing but true.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)