Confessions of a waitress

If you’ve ever worked in the food service industry, I’m sure you can attest to the fact your first job in a restaurant definitely changed your perspective on eating out. But for those of you who have never worked in any kind of restaurant, things are not at all what you’d expect on the other side of the table. Last summer, I had my first job at a restaurant being a waitress, and let me tell you, going out to eat has never been the same.

You’ve probably always heard to be careful what you say to those handling your food. While I’ve never spit in someone’s food, I can’t promise that I haven’t thought about it. First thing’s first: making any kind of nasty remark to your server is a big no-no. I can’t even count the number of rude complaints I’ve gotten for horrible service.

The speed at which the food arrives at your table is not our fault! And for your information, if you decide to dine and dash, that is coming out of our paycheck. I once had a table complain about the way their tomatoes were sliced; they wanted circles instead of wedges. When a restaurant is busy during a dinner rush, no one has time to re-slice your tomatoes. It all goes down the same way, so eat your wedged tomatoes and be happy no one spit on them.

Something you always have to remember when you’re eating out is the staff always talks about you in the back. If you’re friendly or tip well, then we’ll certainly have something nice to say about you. But if you’re rude, complain, or don’t leave a tip, we will be saying something nasty back in the kitchen. If you’re a regular customer and you’re rude, it’s not even a question that we’ll be talking smack as soon as we see you approach the front door.

All I am trying to say is, be nice to your servers. We get paid less than minimum wage to wait on you with a smile on our faces regardless of your rude remarks and complaints. I’m not writing this to complain or be rude; I actually love being a waitress. Serving people is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. But life on the other side of the table is different than you’d expect. It’s difficult. We get the blame if you don’t like your food or if you make a mistake on your order. Restaurants get really busy and we aren’t perfect. Your waiter or waitress is a human too. So remember, next time you go out to eat, tip well and be kind.