I just can’t win. One night when I was working a cocktail shift I waited on a group of three Caucasian people. There were two men and one woman and every time I checked on them they would compliment me on how attractive I was and what a good waitress I was. They were sitting at a small, round, high-top table and barely had any room at all for the huge platters their entrees came served on, but they made it work. They looked really trashy and I didn’t expect them to tip me a lot, if anything at all, but I didn’t mind. I was really convinced that they were nice people.
I was wrongfully deceived under false pretenses. While the two men went to use the restroom, I asked the woman if there was anything else I could get for them, and she asked me to box up the rest of their food. Now, I know some restaurants do this, like Ruth’s Chris, and Olive Garden, but not my restaurant, especially not the bar! So I politely told her, “ Unfortunately, this is such a fast paced restaurant, that it is against our policy, especially here in the bar where it is open seating.” She didn’t seem upset by my reply and started packing up the two absent men’s left overs. I then jokingly told her to let them pack up their own food and just worry about hers and she said, “ oh, it’s alright.”
I returned to the table a moment later with the bill and the two men had rejoined the woman. As I dropped the bill off the woman’s attitude completely changed. She snatched the bill from me and said, “I want to pay the bartender!” I then explained to her that she had to pay me and she stomped back in my direction. I heard her mumbling something about we are all a bunch of #@$% , and need to go back to Mexico. I smiled at her and couldn’t help but to giggle. She looked at me and said, “I’m serious”, and that’s when I said, “Ma'am, I’ve never been to Mexico, I don’t think I can go back to somewhere I’ve never been.” She then told me she wanted her two dollar change back and left. The whole bar felt sorry for me and said they knew something wasn’t right about them, even assumed the possibility that they were on crack! Lol…
On another occasion I was waiting tables on the floor and I had a nice little Hispanic family in my section. We had already reached the point where they had their food, I had gotten them several refills, and even corrected a burritto that the mother forgot to tell me was supposed to have no cheese for her lactose son. All was good until I checked on them again and she requested some more tortillas (she ate all of hers already). “Of course”, I said. Unfortunately, tortillas were in the process of being freshly made, so I went ahead and took the order of a neighboring table. I got the first two bags of tortillas to be made and delivered them to the table. The husband was there by himself so I asked him if he would like another beer. As I returned to the table with his beer, my manager was leaving the table. I dropped off the beer and asked if everything was okay, and they all nodded. Something was up, so I asked my manager what was wrong? He told me that the wife didn’t want me to wait on them anymore because I was discriminating against them because they were Mexican. I believe she said something along the lines of, “Does she think we don’t have any money, we have money!”
I was livid. First I am told to go back to Mexico, now people are accusing me of not liking Mexicans! I just can’t win! I sure as hell went back to the table, I apologized that they felt that way but didn’t understand why and demanded an explanation. She told me I paid more attention to a white table and a bunch of other bull. Her margarita took too long, “that’s because you couldn’t decide what you wanted and asked me to go get the rest of your family’s drinks first, and by that time it was during the end of happy hour rush. I already explained the tortilla thing. Anyways, it isn’t important because either way I can’t win. They requested a different waitress and didn’t tip her a dime. Probably because my manager didn’t discount their bill as compensation for my discrimination. Lol…
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
No throwing things at the table! Or at people for that matter...
This particular incident happened quite recently to a couple of my co-workers. It wasn’t a particularly busy night but it occurred during our restaurants happy hour which always manages to get pretty hectic. From 3- 7pm the bar area of the restaurant is guaranteed to be packed. Guests are so desperate to take advantage of the ridiculously cheap prices that are only offered during happy hour, that they are willing to sit at dirty tables, share tables with complete strangers, stand, I’ve even seen people sit outside on the patio during rainy weather. You get my point.
A group of about 5 women were lucky enough to have found a vacant table in the bar to accommodate their entire party, and on top of that, one of our best bartenders was working a cocktail shift that night and was their waiter. As the waiter approached the table he asked how all of the ladies were doing that evening and they completely snubbed him, which he was honestly used to, so just proceeded to take their order. At this point the ladies were just shouting things out at him as well as continuing to talk amongst themselves. In order to ensure accuracy and timeliness, a waiter needs to take control of a table, which is exactly what the waiter did in this case, but when he interrupted the chaos, one of the women got somewhat offensive.
Her demeanor was rude and arrogant when she said “either I’m going too fast or you just ain’t getting it.” Either way, she was implying something degrading. From that point on things just got worse. The whole table was demanding and mistreating the restaurant employees. They even began to behave inappropriately loud and disturbing to all of the other guests. I have to admit that the way these women were acting was nothing any restaurant server has never witnessed before, but what happened next, had us all gasping in disbelief.
The restaurant that we work in offers complimentary chips and salsa to all guest while dining in. This particular table of women kept the bar busser busy with their constant requests for refills of free chip baskets and salsa bowls. In one of her many dreadful trips to the table of ungrateful and greedy women, she once again discovered that they were in need of yet more free chips and salsa. She collected the empty basket and salsa dish and told the women at the table that she would be right back with more chips and salsa. As the busser smiled politely and turned to walk away she felt something hit her in the back.
The busser immediately turned back around, knowing that whatever it was that hit her in the back came from that horrid table of glutton women. She came to find out that it was a dirty balled up napkin that hit her! The busser then approached the table to confront them and one of the women tried to apologize by saying “I’m sorry, I was trying to make it in the thing.” Now, by “thing”, we assume she was referring to the chip basket. As obvious as it might seem, I just have to put this out there… A chip basket is not the same as a basket-ball hoop! Even my 4-year old son knows not to throw things at the table and even more importantly, he knows not to disrespect anyone, especially on that low of a level.
A group of about 5 women were lucky enough to have found a vacant table in the bar to accommodate their entire party, and on top of that, one of our best bartenders was working a cocktail shift that night and was their waiter. As the waiter approached the table he asked how all of the ladies were doing that evening and they completely snubbed him, which he was honestly used to, so just proceeded to take their order. At this point the ladies were just shouting things out at him as well as continuing to talk amongst themselves. In order to ensure accuracy and timeliness, a waiter needs to take control of a table, which is exactly what the waiter did in this case, but when he interrupted the chaos, one of the women got somewhat offensive.
Her demeanor was rude and arrogant when she said “either I’m going too fast or you just ain’t getting it.” Either way, she was implying something degrading. From that point on things just got worse. The whole table was demanding and mistreating the restaurant employees. They even began to behave inappropriately loud and disturbing to all of the other guests. I have to admit that the way these women were acting was nothing any restaurant server has never witnessed before, but what happened next, had us all gasping in disbelief.
The restaurant that we work in offers complimentary chips and salsa to all guest while dining in. This particular table of women kept the bar busser busy with their constant requests for refills of free chip baskets and salsa bowls. In one of her many dreadful trips to the table of ungrateful and greedy women, she once again discovered that they were in need of yet more free chips and salsa. She collected the empty basket and salsa dish and told the women at the table that she would be right back with more chips and salsa. As the busser smiled politely and turned to walk away she felt something hit her in the back.
The busser immediately turned back around, knowing that whatever it was that hit her in the back came from that horrid table of glutton women. She came to find out that it was a dirty balled up napkin that hit her! The busser then approached the table to confront them and one of the women tried to apologize by saying “I’m sorry, I was trying to make it in the thing.” Now, by “thing”, we assume she was referring to the chip basket. As obvious as it might seem, I just have to put this out there… A chip basket is not the same as a basket-ball hoop! Even my 4-year old son knows not to throw things at the table and even more importantly, he knows not to disrespect anyone, especially on that low of a level.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kids Eat Free, But It’s Gonna Cost You.
The economy is in a downward spiral so I understand that everyone is desperate to save a buck, and in my case, make one. A lot of restaurants, including the one that I work at, offer a day of the week dedicated to kids. Bring your kids in on the specified day of the week and one child eats free per every paying adult! It really is a good deal, and especially during tough times a lot of people take advantage of the promotion. Restaurant waiters and waitresses don’t mind it so much either. Like I said, times are tough and we’ll take whatever business we can in order to make a few extra bucks.
On this particular evening things were moving pretty slow. Most of the servers were getting bored and anxious. The manager on duty was contemplating on sending me home but I begged him to allow me to take one last table (that is, if one came in within the next couple of minutes). He agreed, and before I knew it, the hostess informed me that at long last, that I received a table. I eagerly grabbed a couple of beverage napkins and took a deep breath; this was the only chance I would have today to make some money.
I arrived at the table only to find two little boys. At first sight I was a little confused, but quickly thought it over and assumed the mother was in the restroom. I decided to just go ahead and get their drink order and as I left the table I noticed the hostess giving me a funny look. “Are they here by themselves?”, she asked. “No way, they’re just kids, how would they have got here.” As I answered her question I came to a realization. “Wait a minute, didn’t you seat them?”, I asked her. She told me she sat them but it was just the two of them. Now I was confused, so I asked the hostess, “When you asked them how many are in their party what did they say?” When the hostess told me that the oldest of the boys said it was just going to be the two of them I wanted to ask her what was going through her mind when she decided to seat to unsupervised children, but as a parent, my motherly instincts kicked in and I rushed over to their table. Sub-consciously, I was hoping to find an adult seated with them, but wasn’t surprised when their wasn’t.
On this particular evening things were moving pretty slow. Most of the servers were getting bored and anxious. The manager on duty was contemplating on sending me home but I begged him to allow me to take one last table (that is, if one came in within the next couple of minutes). He agreed, and before I knew it, the hostess informed me that at long last, that I received a table. I eagerly grabbed a couple of beverage napkins and took a deep breath; this was the only chance I would have today to make some money.
I arrived at the table only to find two little boys. At first sight I was a little confused, but quickly thought it over and assumed the mother was in the restroom. I decided to just go ahead and get their drink order and as I left the table I noticed the hostess giving me a funny look. “Are they here by themselves?”, she asked. “No way, they’re just kids, how would they have got here.” As I answered her question I came to a realization. “Wait a minute, didn’t you seat them?”, I asked her. She told me she sat them but it was just the two of them. Now I was confused, so I asked the hostess, “When you asked them how many are in their party what did they say?” When the hostess told me that the oldest of the boys said it was just going to be the two of them I wanted to ask her what was going through her mind when she decided to seat to unsupervised children, but as a parent, my motherly instincts kicked in and I rushed over to their table. Sub-consciously, I was hoping to find an adult seated with them, but wasn’t surprised when their wasn’t.
I didn’t want them to get scared so I nicely asked them if they were here alone as I sat down their drinks. The younger boy happily answered, “My mommy’s in the car!” The older boy looked humiliated and it broke my heart, but I had to press on. “She sent you in here by yourselves?”, I asked them. The boys sensed that something was wrong with the situation and hesitated to talk to me there after. I informed the manager and he headed out to the parking lot to retrieve the mother. This irresponsible, clueless, not to mention cheap, woman was sitting in her car with her infant daughter.
Her excuse was, “I told them to get it to- go, kids eat free today right?” I was livid and so was my manager, so when I put the woman in her place, he didn’t stop me. I told her, “First of all, never send any child in a restaurant by themselves, we cant be held responsible for your kids, second of all, kids eat free per paying adult, and here’s the check for the drinks they ordered, third of all, how are two young kids gonna tip?” She didn’t like my tone so she asked my manager, “Well, can I get it to- go?” My manager took her order, and upon delivering her to-go order, he also delivered her bill… “Don’t kids eat free?” The dumb broad still didn’t get it! “Yes, they do, but per paying adult, and only while dining in”, my manager managed to say politely. The woman paid (No tip. Surprise, surprise) and took it out on her poor, already embarrassed kids.
Her excuse was, “I told them to get it to- go, kids eat free today right?” I was livid and so was my manager, so when I put the woman in her place, he didn’t stop me. I told her, “First of all, never send any child in a restaurant by themselves, we cant be held responsible for your kids, second of all, kids eat free per paying adult, and here’s the check for the drinks they ordered, third of all, how are two young kids gonna tip?” She didn’t like my tone so she asked my manager, “Well, can I get it to- go?” My manager took her order, and upon delivering her to-go order, he also delivered her bill… “Don’t kids eat free?” The dumb broad still didn’t get it! “Yes, they do, but per paying adult, and only while dining in”, my manager managed to say politely. The woman paid (No tip. Surprise, surprise) and took it out on her poor, already embarrassed kids.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Welcome to "The Weeds." An Introduction to the Never- Ending Nightmares of a Waitress.
If you've ever seen the movie "Waiting", I have to tell you that it is quite the understatement. The portrayal of the restaurant business in the film was familiar, but absolutely did not do the ridiculous situations you find yourself in as a server justice. I’ve been in the restaurant business now for about 12 years and have enough stories to fill a book, but I thought a blog would be more fun. I know that my co-workers and I are constantly venting to one another about some of the most maddening things that we are put through as servers, but now through this blog, I want to bring the serving community together to share experiences that are relatable, and some that, luckily, are not so relatable. One of the most important things that I’ve discovered about surviving in this business is taking things lightly and not letting the many, many, many bad experiences eat away at you. Lets put it down in black and white, and laugh at it together.
For those of you that are not in the industry, and think that you may be the antagonist in one or more of our stories, it’s not to late to redeem yourself, and I’m here to help. If you don’t understand why you may have gotten bad service, or have a pre- conceived idea as of why you had a bad experience, I want to hear it. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding that can easily be cleared up, then again, maybe not. I’m not saying all servers are extraordinary at what they do, I’m just saying that it’s an unpleasant job but somebody has to do it, and most of the time it’s full time students, single moms, and people just like you, just trying to make a living. The point is we don’t do this for fun.
The best advice that I can give restaurant goers is be observant. If your server is goofing off, not paying attention, or simply not doing their job, then maybe you have a reason to complain. But if you look around, and see that the restaurant is overwhelmingly busy, there was a spill, or another table is being extremely needy, consuming most of you server's time, take that into consideration. The possibilities are endless, so the benefit of the doubt can often relieve a lot of pressure for the server as well as the guest's feeling of being ignored.
Fast money? Yes. Easy money? No. A lifetime of memories, good, and bad? No question. I hope this served as a suitable brief introduction to THE WEEDS, it can only get better from here, and by better, I mean worse, because the worse the experience, the better the story. Like I said, lets put it down in black and white and laugh at it together. Hope you enjoy my blog and remember to tip your waitress!
For those of you that are not in the industry, and think that you may be the antagonist in one or more of our stories, it’s not to late to redeem yourself, and I’m here to help. If you don’t understand why you may have gotten bad service, or have a pre- conceived idea as of why you had a bad experience, I want to hear it. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding that can easily be cleared up, then again, maybe not. I’m not saying all servers are extraordinary at what they do, I’m just saying that it’s an unpleasant job but somebody has to do it, and most of the time it’s full time students, single moms, and people just like you, just trying to make a living. The point is we don’t do this for fun.
The best advice that I can give restaurant goers is be observant. If your server is goofing off, not paying attention, or simply not doing their job, then maybe you have a reason to complain. But if you look around, and see that the restaurant is overwhelmingly busy, there was a spill, or another table is being extremely needy, consuming most of you server's time, take that into consideration. The possibilities are endless, so the benefit of the doubt can often relieve a lot of pressure for the server as well as the guest's feeling of being ignored.
Fast money? Yes. Easy money? No. A lifetime of memories, good, and bad? No question. I hope this served as a suitable brief introduction to THE WEEDS, it can only get better from here, and by better, I mean worse, because the worse the experience, the better the story. Like I said, lets put it down in black and white and laugh at it together. Hope you enjoy my blog and remember to tip your waitress!
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