Being a waitress is much more rewarding than it’s made out to be

I have waited tables for the last three years on and off in various locations, and while there are several downsides to having to serve people, I actually enjoy my job. Being a waitress requires having the ultimate people skills, and I have enjoyed getting to know, serve and communicate with people from all over the country about a wide variety of topics.

As a young woman pursuing a career in broadcast journalism, getting to know people and what interests, captivates and motivates them has given me a better idea of the issues and topics weighing on the public’s conscience. However, there are definitely downsides to my job.

A lot of people immediately assume that waitresses are unintelligent when in fact we are quite the opposite. As a college student, waiting tables allows me to make more money than most hourly jobs, and it helps me to save money to help pay for my education. I once waited on a table that I overheard refer to me as a college drop out, and they even mentioned how sad it was that I had already given up on my education to wait tables.

Some people also assume that they do not “owe” servers a tip because they are making an hourly wage. However, serving is the only job that the government does not require the workers to make minimum wage. Relying on the pure generosity of the public to make up for the mere $2.25 an hour that the government requires for servers is stressful and not tipping is disrespectful.

Last summer when waiting tables in the Outer Banks, I waited on a party of 17 people for two hours and was not left a tip because they were not from the US and apparently tipping your server is not always common in other countries. However, in the U.S. be sure to TIP YOUR SERVER. We work really hard, and I will never see a dime for those two hours of work. Even after I see that a table has either not left a tip at all or has left me enough change to buy a piece of bubble gum out of the machine at the end of the night, I have to keep a smile on my face.

While many people might think having to pretend to be happy for up to as long as 10 hours is a bad thing, it has really changed me for the better. I have had fights with my boyfriend and family members, I have dealt with deaths in the family, and I have been sick before and during my shifts; but I have had to pretend like I am happy to be of service. It sounds easy, but when working in the food industry, you do not have the ability to hide away in an office and work or reschedule a meeting; you are forced to suck it up. Now, even when I am not at work, I am more likely to stay calm and happy during difficult situations, and I know for a fact that I will not take my problems to work when I get older.

While I thoroughly enjoy carrying on conversations with people, I have definitely run into men who feel like they can flirt with me because I am forced to wait on them. Catcalling your server will not get you anywhere and while I would never spit in a customer’s food, the thought has definitely crossed my mind when waiting on certain disrespectful man.

Also, If you don’t plan on leaving me more than $2 then please do not try to talk to me for hours when I have other tables with their own needs. I have also had my boss refer to my fellow co-workers and me as “bitches.” Even though he didn’t mean to offend us, there is definitely an expectation that that all servers are females and because restaurant owners are not forced to pay their servers more than $2.25 an hour, they do not always value them as much as they should.

Another secret: for those of you who tip $8 on a $48 check, 20 percent is actually $9.60, but I forgive you because a lot of people can barely tip the basic 20 percent.

Overall, I appreciate being able to turn someone’s day around by giving good service and putting on a friendly face. But next time you go to a restaurant, try to think of and treat your server as an intelligent, hardworking individual and leave a generous tip. I guarantee, what comes around goes around, and as a customer, you too can make a server’s day.