Ramblings

Waiters and waitresses….. What an interesting job. Here is a job that takes the attitude of a Saint to be successful. You must serve a customer with a smile and pleasant voice even though they are either in a real hurry or just want to sit and gab for hours over a cup of coffee and you have to keep filling the coffee cup. The customers can be demanding, rude or condescending, change their mind for what they want even if the order has been placed with the kitchen, want their food prepared a special way, claim they told you something when in fact they forgot to tell you. They then feign outrage. They blame you when the food is late, cold, not prepared properly….things out of your control. They’re mad at you when your water glass is not filled immediately after they have taken the last sip, yet do not want you “hovering” and interrupting their conversations when you have a question. You have to be part psychic, part psychologist, part Shirley Temple, part diplomatic, and very sympathetic and consoling when they are not happy. You are all of these things because of the “Tip”. The tips are the bulk of your salary. You cannot make a decent living on the minimum wage your employer pays. He is also counting on you receiving decent tips. You need the tips.
If you “Wait” in an high end restaurant, like Morton’s Steakhouse, your tips can be huge and you can make a great living……at an average restaurant like Applebee’s or T.G.I. Friday’s you can make a very nice living…..at a Ma and Pa diner, you will struggle to get ahead. The inequity is that you will probably do the exact same amount of work in each type of restaurant. In many Ma & Pa cafes you actually do more work as you have to set up and clean your own tables. It used to be that a “tip” was a little extra reward for exceptional service. Now tips are mainly determined by a % of the total bill, not the service provided. Customers automatically give a tip of 15-20% unless the service was pathetic.….then they will usually tip 10% or less…..but still tip. In some cases today, if you have 8 or more at your table the “Tip” (gratuity) is automatically added to the bill. Evidently it’s assumed that you have received exceptional service and they are just saving the customer time trying to figure how much of a tip should be left. Why don’t they just say ”if you are going to sit here, at one long table, with 7 other people we are going to charge you 15% more because large tables tip less than normal and the waitress’ do not want to wait on large tables. ”? Why say it’s a gratuity…be honest and say it’s a way to insure the waitress gets a decent tip. Note: I have been told that if you do complain about the automatic tip, the management will take it off.
Now the flip side. Some waiters/waitress’ are dumber than door knobs. They have no business serving customers……not if the owners want the customers to return. You can tell them what you want several times and they will still mess it up. “Oh I thought you said you wanted mustard on your mashed potatoes” Water? Forget it…you only get one full glass. How many times have you seen your order, at the service window, ready to be brought to you, hot and your waiter doesn’t see it? By the time you finally get it, it’s cold. Sometimes instead of staggering the food, they bring you the soup, salad and main dish all at once. There is hardly room on the table to fit all of it. Why?....because they forgot to bring the soup and salad separately and then remembered when the main dish was ready to serve. How many times does the waitress say “Who ordered their steak medium with hash browns? Or…..she brings you some other table’s food. She should know who ordered what…that’s part of her job! Typically these type of waitress’s are young, this isn’t going to be their full time profession and their mind is elsewhere. You are much better off having an older person serve you. They take pride in what they do…making sure they get the order right (after you order they repeat it back to you to make sure they understood)…..your satisfaction is important to them….they enjoy their work and earn their tips! Usually this is their full time job, and they want your dining experience to be enjoyable. They do deserve a larger gratuity!
Now my pet peeve! Waitress’s can be prompt, courteous, helpful, and cheerful when you first sit down, when you order, when the food and desert comes…….but …….where are they when it’s time for the check????? I’m done…I want to get out of here…..I want to pay and go…. Nothing lowers the amount of money I leave for a tip more, than having to wait for the check! That’s just me!