Hi there. I know this post isn't original, but I wanted to talk about the serving industry a little bit. I believe that servers -next to slaves, servants, or sweat-shop workers- are the most mistreated employees on the planet. In America, they live off of tips and this tipping policy isn't public knowledge, but floating hearsay. Foreigners who know nothing about this, leave zero dollars sometimes. Servers work between disgruntled hungry patrons and tyrannical bosses and sometimes for crazy hours. (I used to be a server where a 10 hour shift was every weekend night.) Their hourly wage is in some states below the minimum and because of taxes being taken out of that and their tips being taxed, sometimes their checks are next to zero. I just worked a full two week pay period and my check was only twenty dollars. What if everybody tipped me a little to zero? How would I survive? Not to mention the way that servers are treated. They are bullied by customers, because the server in all of his infinite wisdom can not fight back, because according to restaurant and corporate policy, "the customer is always right."
So I have come up with some rules based off of the Golden Rule about dining out. I think American public schools should teach this common sense in a short health unit or food science class or something. It should be common sense, but it isn't:
Server/ Customer rules:
1. Tip according to the service, but never below 15 percent, unless a server is going out of their way to make sure you have a miserable time dining. DO NOT EAT OUT IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD a 15 percent TIP!
2. A server is not leased to you for unlimited banter. Keep conversations light and try to be aware how much time your server can chat with you. A server is busy.
3. Don't ask your server his/her opinion, unless you want to hear it for real.
I believe this deserves some explanation. The other night I was serving a table of three women who informed me that they "would be a difficult table" and they were "mean." I took this lightly since almost anyone who declares this would be joking. However, I came to decide against this later when one of the woman asked me whether I "preferred" the risotto dish or the salmon. I told her that in customer popularity that they were equally liked, however, I would choose the risotto, because I am not a seafood person. She then decided to rebuke me, in her words for my employer, because I should never give my opinion, because nobody cares. My only job, according to her, is to sell the food. I was quite irate inside and kept my emotions below my reddening cheeks. This is what I wanted to say to her: "Okay Lady, I operate according to the laws of making the customer happy and since you had asked me a question, I decided to be honest with you." I wanted to tell her that there is some finesse that comes with serving and that sometimes it's better to be talking to a human who is looking out for your best interest than a commercialized robot, but I refrained. Wouldn't you rather someone tell you something to make your dining experience more pleasurable or would you rather a pushy server steer you into the most expensive dish? I concluded that this woman had some control issues in her own life and took some needless time to make me some sort of sick example for her friends. The long and the short of it is, your server is probably smarter than you and that leads to rule four:
4. Do not make a person who gives you your food angry.
Those are my only rules. If these are followed, all will be happy. Maybe it results in you not stiffing your server, because you only eat out when you can afford it. Maybe the world will be a happier place if all those that could treat others the way they wanted to be treated would. Think if the whole world of employment operated like the service industry:
"Geez, John, you messed up that fax. I'm cutting your wages today."
"I didn't like how you set that report on my desk, Nancy, no check for you."
"You were late, Betty, you aren't getting paid today."
"Why aren't you a perfect robot, Arnold? How about no lunch, I yell at you for a few hours, and we take 20 dollars off of your check!"
But people aren't perfect. They get angry. And they don't learn. Maybe we could do the world a service and stop breeding before we destroy ourselves. That'd be a hell of a tip, if I could give one to the world. But alas life goes on in all it's wasteful, destructive glory.
So I have come up with some rules based off of the Golden Rule about dining out. I think American public schools should teach this common sense in a short health unit or food science class or something. It should be common sense, but it isn't:
Server/ Customer rules:
1. Tip according to the service, but never below 15 percent, unless a server is going out of their way to make sure you have a miserable time dining. DO NOT EAT OUT IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD a 15 percent TIP!
2. A server is not leased to you for unlimited banter. Keep conversations light and try to be aware how much time your server can chat with you. A server is busy.
3. Don't ask your server his/her opinion, unless you want to hear it for real.
I believe this deserves some explanation. The other night I was serving a table of three women who informed me that they "would be a difficult table" and they were "mean." I took this lightly since almost anyone who declares this would be joking. However, I came to decide against this later when one of the woman asked me whether I "preferred" the risotto dish or the salmon. I told her that in customer popularity that they were equally liked, however, I would choose the risotto, because I am not a seafood person. She then decided to rebuke me, in her words for my employer, because I should never give my opinion, because nobody cares. My only job, according to her, is to sell the food. I was quite irate inside and kept my emotions below my reddening cheeks. This is what I wanted to say to her: "Okay Lady, I operate according to the laws of making the customer happy and since you had asked me a question, I decided to be honest with you." I wanted to tell her that there is some finesse that comes with serving and that sometimes it's better to be talking to a human who is looking out for your best interest than a commercialized robot, but I refrained. Wouldn't you rather someone tell you something to make your dining experience more pleasurable or would you rather a pushy server steer you into the most expensive dish? I concluded that this woman had some control issues in her own life and took some needless time to make me some sort of sick example for her friends. The long and the short of it is, your server is probably smarter than you and that leads to rule four:
4. Do not make a person who gives you your food angry.
Those are my only rules. If these are followed, all will be happy. Maybe it results in you not stiffing your server, because you only eat out when you can afford it. Maybe the world will be a happier place if all those that could treat others the way they wanted to be treated would. Think if the whole world of employment operated like the service industry:
"Geez, John, you messed up that fax. I'm cutting your wages today."
"I didn't like how you set that report on my desk, Nancy, no check for you."
"You were late, Betty, you aren't getting paid today."
"Why aren't you a perfect robot, Arnold? How about no lunch, I yell at you for a few hours, and we take 20 dollars off of your check!"
But people aren't perfect. They get angry. And they don't learn. Maybe we could do the world a service and stop breeding before we destroy ourselves. That'd be a hell of a tip, if I could give one to the world. But alas life goes on in all it's wasteful, destructive glory.
1 comment:
tall latte
tall latte
grande coffee
regular coffee
"what size"
regular
yeah what size?
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