Hello, my name is Karlie, I will be your server...
I really should be writing a paper right now. However, I choose not to.
So I've been working in the restaurant world for quite some time now and I've decided that I DO NOT want to make a career out of it. Many people enjoy the hustle bustle of a busy night, mostly because they look forward to making sweet cash money. And there is potential to make this money, it's out there, and we servers are hopeful that if we bust our asses, you the patron will leave us an nice tip. What is a nice tip you ask? 20% of the total check. That's right, 20. Unless of course your server is completely shitty, but I know I'm not a shitty server, so you should leave me 20%, thank you. I think the general public should know that servers in most restaurants only make a whopping $2.33 an hour, so basically, our income depends greatly upon the little somethin' somethin' you leave behind on the table.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a waiter or waitress for life. I imagine these people just love meeting and interacting with new people, even if it is just for a short while. These people are also VERY tolerant. For every nice person or good tip you get, there will be some asshole or really bad tip. Being a server, you almost never know what you're going to make. Right now, I am living paycheck to paycheck and it's not fun. I hate it.
I generally like people, but sometimes I am shocked and appalled by some individuals who are blantantly rude or even just downright mean. I haven't run into too many mean ones lately, however I encounter rude people on a daily basis. Perhaps the most aggrivating are the elderly. Not all of them, some of my very favorite people are elderly, however, no one can make me feel downright stupid as an old man or woman can. Tonight I got sat with three tables around the same time. All of there were old people. All of them needed to catch a movie or a play. Aggrivation insued. If it is one thing it's another. I need, I need, I need! Every blessed time I go back to the table, someone needs something else. If by chance I interrupt, I get a very scolding look. One of these tables even insulted my intelligence a bit, perhaps they did not mean it, but this couple were going to see "Goodnight and Good Luck" and the old man said in jest to his wife that I probably wouldn't know who McCarthy was (yeah, what would I know, I'm just a waitress). I just looked at him and said, "I know very well who McCarthy was, I do go to college you know." Then they both chant "Ohhhh," in unison, "that's good, that's good." Perhaps this old man was just pointing out his age, not meaning to insult my intelligence, however, it didn't feel like that to me. I had gotten this old gent the wrong wine, white zin instead of red zin, so he probably thought I was stupid, so after that, he and his wife would complement me on everything I did. Shortly after the wine incident, I brought them waters and they both blurt out "Oh good job!" in a very poo poo voice as if I were a puppy who finally got the hang of shitting outside. At least in their success of making me feel mentally disabled, they managed to leave 20%. The other tables also did fairly well with tipping, much to my surprise. Even after, "What's taking so long, we have somewhere to be at quarter after seven?!""Don't forget my box, okay!" and the confusing and time consuming duty of running four credit cards at the same time when there's only one machine and other servers also need to use it.
No, I do not want to live in a restaurant for my career. No I do not. However, I have learned what hard work is. Being a server is not easy, and it is definitely not for everyone. I will never tip badly, unless my service is shitty, and I will not date a bad tipper. I will graciously thank all of my servers. I will be an advocate for good tipping and help to get the word out to those who don't practice it.
So I've been working in the restaurant world for quite some time now and I've decided that I DO NOT want to make a career out of it. Many people enjoy the hustle bustle of a busy night, mostly because they look forward to making sweet cash money. And there is potential to make this money, it's out there, and we servers are hopeful that if we bust our asses, you the patron will leave us an nice tip. What is a nice tip you ask? 20% of the total check. That's right, 20. Unless of course your server is completely shitty, but I know I'm not a shitty server, so you should leave me 20%, thank you. I think the general public should know that servers in most restaurants only make a whopping $2.33 an hour, so basically, our income depends greatly upon the little somethin' somethin' you leave behind on the table.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a waiter or waitress for life. I imagine these people just love meeting and interacting with new people, even if it is just for a short while. These people are also VERY tolerant. For every nice person or good tip you get, there will be some asshole or really bad tip. Being a server, you almost never know what you're going to make. Right now, I am living paycheck to paycheck and it's not fun. I hate it.
I generally like people, but sometimes I am shocked and appalled by some individuals who are blantantly rude or even just downright mean. I haven't run into too many mean ones lately, however I encounter rude people on a daily basis. Perhaps the most aggrivating are the elderly. Not all of them, some of my very favorite people are elderly, however, no one can make me feel downright stupid as an old man or woman can. Tonight I got sat with three tables around the same time. All of there were old people. All of them needed to catch a movie or a play. Aggrivation insued. If it is one thing it's another. I need, I need, I need! Every blessed time I go back to the table, someone needs something else. If by chance I interrupt, I get a very scolding look. One of these tables even insulted my intelligence a bit, perhaps they did not mean it, but this couple were going to see "Goodnight and Good Luck" and the old man said in jest to his wife that I probably wouldn't know who McCarthy was (yeah, what would I know, I'm just a waitress). I just looked at him and said, "I know very well who McCarthy was, I do go to college you know." Then they both chant "Ohhhh," in unison, "that's good, that's good." Perhaps this old man was just pointing out his age, not meaning to insult my intelligence, however, it didn't feel like that to me. I had gotten this old gent the wrong wine, white zin instead of red zin, so he probably thought I was stupid, so after that, he and his wife would complement me on everything I did. Shortly after the wine incident, I brought them waters and they both blurt out "Oh good job!" in a very poo poo voice as if I were a puppy who finally got the hang of shitting outside. At least in their success of making me feel mentally disabled, they managed to leave 20%. The other tables also did fairly well with tipping, much to my surprise. Even after, "What's taking so long, we have somewhere to be at quarter after seven?!""Don't forget my box, okay!" and the confusing and time consuming duty of running four credit cards at the same time when there's only one machine and other servers also need to use it.
No, I do not want to live in a restaurant for my career. No I do not. However, I have learned what hard work is. Being a server is not easy, and it is definitely not for everyone. I will never tip badly, unless my service is shitty, and I will not date a bad tipper. I will graciously thank all of my servers. I will be an advocate for good tipping and help to get the word out to those who don't practice it.
posted by karlie at 11:19 PM
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