[Salty language ahead 😉 ]
The Liberty Zone:
When I was in college, I worked at a Bennigan’s at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I loved that job. I had lots of fun, my coworkers were terrific. Customers ranged from demanding tourist a$$holes, to demanding, non-tipping a$$sholes from the projects down the street, to fun business people and cops – lots and lots of cops. Those guys were the best. They’d come over after they got off duty, order beers, and tell stories. SO many stories!
Dealing with people is hard. I fully understand that. Some people are just jerks, and they treat wait staff like their own personal slaves. And dog forbid you don’t immediately cater to their every whim!
Yo! I want that couch seat (booth). I don’t like this one.
Hey, can you have the cooks put exactly 1/4 cup of Alfredo on my pasta – no more, no less!
I forgot to ask you for another drink refill when you were here a minute ago. Get it for me now. What, it’s not here yet?
We all want frozen daiquiris (from a table of 10). Why is it taking so long?
There’s not enough rum in my rum and coke. Take it back.
Why aren’t you writing anything down? (I always just memorized the orders for tables of six or less, unless there were a lot of special additions I had to write down.) If you don’t get our order just right, you’re not getting a tip.
The rest is here. It’s an excellent rant.
My long standing rule; never piss off anyone that prepares and or serves your food….and the same goes double for anyone that has access to you while you sleep. It’s just good covfefe.
Excellent use of “covfefe”
I never send food back. If I can fix it at home, that’s where it will get fixed. I’m not a demanding customer, but there have been times where I’ve flipped the fug out. When that happens, there’s seriously something wrong. For example, ignore me for 15 minutes after I sit down, then when you finally come to the table ask me if I’m ready to order. No, I’d like a freaking drink!
It what if that ‘skinny bitch’ is diabetic or has some other sugar problem?
Rudeness is inexcusable. Perfect illustrations with snowflakes and antifa groups.
However, sending someone to the hospital is worse.
“I can’t taste no liquor in this”.
I used to hear that back when I was a CW. Frozen drinks often have less alcohol – and they are frozen/frappe. So unless someone ordered a double, they couldn’t really taste the rum, or what have you.
We used to tell some groups that they might want to order a shot on the side to stir in.
What pissed me off were snappy dressed men who would come in and order WATER all night until/if a woman started to talk with them. THEN they would order a drink – but not tip.
I believe everyone should work in the service industry. Just to see what it’s like. I guaran-frickin-tee you that people would treat servers better and make the world a little nicer.
I believe in tipping the shit out of servers. I’m not a wealthy man, but until one has worked in the industry, you wouldn’t understand. Even lousy service gets 15%. Why? Because who the hell knows what that server has gone through during the day. If anything, maybe that 15% will change the attitude of the server and give better service to the next people. Who knows.
I do know this; as a customer, being friendly on first contact and almost flirtatious even goes a long way. you will get super service. Trust me. I am an expert in this field.
I’ve always questioned the wisdom of people who are dicks to the people handling their food and drink. You’re just begging to ingest spit.
I try not to eat out.
I just don’t trust strangers, especially the youth of today, around my food
First job in a restaurant. Will always treat the staff well, generous with manners and tips. One night arrogant man, trying to impress a lady, said his prime rib was too rare. Chef dipped it in au jus 30 seconds, delivered again. This time it was over done. Chef grabbed it off plate, threw it on the floor and stomped on it. Turned it over, added some more au jus. It was just right.
I’m such an asshole I spit in my own food. That’ll teach me.
I did wait tables for a while. I ran into so many people in DC that went out of their way to be obnoxious and eventually realized that they were miserable bureaucrats that had no accomplishment and had to take it out on somebody that had no recourse but to take it.
Until one asshole called me boy over and over. He got more in his meal than he realized and it was my last night in the profession.
What tics me off in a restaurant is when they ask if everything is all right just the way you say “how are you” to a casual acquaintance and are taken aback if you are truthful.
Most places are pretty good at handling reasonable issues and I’ll tip even better if they’ve handled a problem well and I do not accept “we’ll take that off your bill.”
But, what really tics me off almost to the unforgivable tip stage is beverages. “Endless beverages” or “Free refills” means just that and beverages are usually the cheapest item with the largest mark-up. Don’t short me. Or I’ll deduct the price of 1 or 2 beverages from the tip.
Just call me petty (and I worked as a cashier/cook/server at Pizza Hut in college).
It’s an old technique, but when we gave final interviews to employment candidates, we took them out to lunch and watched how they treated the staff. If a candidate was a jerk to the wait staff, they were usually jerks to problem clients, lower level employees, and other outside staff employees, and we didn’t need that.
There are three groups of people I respect: military, police, and fast food workers. All of them put up with SO. MUCH. 💩.
Working with the general public is good experience. Just remember to keep that employment short to look for better ventures. Gubmint workers and their brat children can make your service life hell.
Yes Jerry, but only fast food workers get to spit on your lunch.
Tip to waitstaff. We are not old chums or fraternity brothers. Don’t come up to the table saying “how are we tonight, guys?” In my day the customers were ladies and gentlemen. Sir. Ma’am. That sort of thing.
Whoops. There goes that curmudgeon in me. We used to have respect for our elders. Not like I like being an elder, but it beats the alternative.
We owned a couple of restaurants, the last being in So Fla. We tried to hire kids for the back of
the house who were maybe lacking parental love/guidance, but willing to learn and work hard. It worked out well for us and I’d like to believe they benefited as well.
We hired one young lady as a waitress, who’s mother was a drug addict/prostitute and she never knew her father. She was terribly shy with low self esteem, but really eager to better herself.
She blossomed and turned out to be our best server and the customers loved her. She relocated to Chicago approx ’95 and took a job as a nanny for a wealthy a-hole attorney. Turns out he & his wife were besties with the obamas.
She still keeps in touch and visits occasionally.
Bongopoofter; Never disrespect the people who handle your food and drink WHEN YOU’RE NOT WATCHING
I once worked in food service. And while some people do have certain food allergies, no one has a “spit, booger or finger from my ass into your drink” allergy. So may I suggest you be decent to your wait staff or leave the fucking restaurant without consuming anything after insulting them.
Years ago, the Red Robin I would go to during happy hour served margaritas that were basically just a slurpee. Nothing like ripping off a customer.
I worked in my mom’s cafe as a teen. I learned how much
I could make in tips being polite and attentive. Easily five
times my measly $1.35 an hour wage.
Servers remember me, remember my tips, and love it when
we come back for another meal. Life is good!