Hello again and Happy (belated) New Year!! Please accept our humblest apologies for not posting as often. We are currently playing with new designs and layouts for the TipYourWaiter initiative among other things, and have met some challenges along the way. Stick around kids!! It only gets better!
Lets dive in. Shall we?!
December 31, 2013 is a day that will forever live in infamy in the "serversphere" (I made that up). One of the things that servers fear (you like that don't you) is serving a party of 8 or more and not being tipped accordingly. For that very reason the 18% rule in restaurants has been in place to protect us from such nonsense. However on this day the 18% rule has been outlawed in the United States.
I'm bothered, befuddled, and bewildered that this has taken place. Firstly, there are no laws to protect the server. Second, there is no tip etiquette education provided to patrons whom frequent fine dining establishments. My final beef is that the people who passed said law have probably never served a day in their lives, and are ignorant to the wages and day-to-day business of the modern server. This is an outrage, and a huge slap in the face to the people they depend on to make their dining experience a pleasant one. I could stress the hackneyed refrain ,"servers only make 2.13 an hour". By now everyone knows that. However what I want to remind people of is that we are SERVERS and not SERVANTS!! We are not beggars, paupers, vagabonds, panhandlers, or slaves. We are the face of the restaurant that you choose to stuff your face and be accommodated, and so much more! The treatment of servers is less than human as is, then in walks a law preventing us from getting our "just due". Nobody outside of the restaurant industry considers the nuances that come with serving a party of 8 or more. Many people barking out orders, switching seats, trickling into the restaurant later or earlier than the rest of the party, refills, questions about the menu ( all of which the answers of said questions with have to be repeated over and over again because nobody was listening). The list goes on forever. I didn't even mention the time it takes to split checks and take payment. We are doing more than serving the table. We are the photographer, baby/kid silencer, and personal somelier to 8 or more different people!! 18% isn't reasonable?! 18% is against the law now?! For taking care of your needy asses and annoying ass kids?! The origin of the word "tips" comes from the acronym " To Insure Proper Service". Restaurant goers used to place cash at the edge of the table during the meal that was specifically for the server. This was to give the server incentive to do a great job on the table so they can reap a generous reward for a job well done. Times have definitely changed, and people want proper service without rewarding their server. Something for nothing. To those reading this that are not servers I'd like you to be considerate of people's livelihood. Stinginess weighs a ton in the realm of Karma. ALWAYS tip your waiter. There's never an excuse not to. There's never an excuse to lowball a server's tip during a party. Don't assume that just because you're in a party and somebody else tips that you don't have to do so. That server served you too. Tip 20% on the total of YOUR bill. It's about respect at this point. Servers stand your ground the best you can in this fight. You're not alone. *salutes*
*sigh* As uncomfortable as it is to discuss, this is an issue widely discussed among the customer service community. Do you agree? Don't be scurrd. This video doesn't "necessarily" reflect the views and opinions of the good folks at TipYourWaiters. Viewer discretion is advised.
You aint slick. Water with a bowl of lemons? Sugar? Ok. Just don't all upset when I charge you for lemonade. I do less work getting you a lemonade from the fountain... Tellem Tom
Servers are not perfect. As infallible as we like to think we are, there are some things we can work on. Things that our guests cannot see. I've compiled a small list of a few common foibles and bad habits servers have that makes our experience a rougher ride. Though serving is not the ultimate career choice for most of us, it is still a means to an end. You are still apart of something greater than yourself and you should give your all. Hopefully after reading this you will be inspired and make an extra effort to be the best server you can be. Don't be the server that runs their own food and no one else's.
No one else will run your food and as a result your food goes out lukewarm at best.
Don't be the server that doesn't do running or closing side work.
You will be public enemy number one. All eyes will be on you, and your incompetence will lead to less shifts. Your fellow waitstaff will not respect you.
Don't be the server that complains about everything and everybody
Your fellow waitstaff will hate to see you coming! Always a victim. Its never your fault. Everyone will eventually see you cry at least once and will never take you serious.
Don't be the server that broadcasts all of your good deeds and hard work
So what you you've done everybody else's side work? So what you're running everybody else's food? We see you! The proof is in the doing and not the saying. Humble yourself. Hard work never goes unnoticed.
Don't be the server that brings their home issues to work.
Your dog died. Your gf/bf left you. Your toilet is stopped up. I get it. It sucks, but you also have a job to do. You'll get your sympathy, but please keep the moping and moaning locked up. Especially if you're a man....
These are just a few. Feel free to add more and discuss in the comments section. *salutes*
A couple barrels in to an Italian restaurant on a brisk winter's day and are craving soup. The husband at first glance would be perceived as a hard working country man lookin' fer some good eatin'. The wife maintains that slightly annoying disposition of routinely being polite. The young man serving the table politely attempts to give the couple a tour of the menu. Upon reciting the featured favorites, the wife interrupts the young man with "UH UH! I jist wont summa yawls French Unyin Soop"! The server quickly retorts with, "I'm sorry ma'am, but we only have minestrone, ITALIAN wedding, and SICILIAN chicken noodle." "WELL wha dontchall have French Unyin anymower", belched the corpulent and disgruntled woman. The server then looks to the husband to interject and soothe his untamed wife, but the husband is disturbingly entranced by his phone and slinging a portly red bird into a wall with a green pig hiding behind it. The server then fights the internal fight that servers all over struggle with everyday. To unleash the inner jerk and weave a thick quilt of sarcasm, or politely allude to the poor woman that one receives Italian cuisine in an Italian establishment. He goes with the ladder, but the lady just cannot fathom that Italians don't specialize in French "Unyin" soup. She then professes to the server that someone made it for her before and demands to see a manager. The server obliges. As the manager approaches the table, he acknowledges both the husband and wife. Only the wife responds verbally as her beet red cheeks shake like a Sweet n Low packet. The husband is still fingering his device while biting his bottom lip. The contents of the conversation between the manager and the woman are unclear. However it ends in the couple leaving and the manager giving them free appetizer vouchers.......... -_- Upon walking out of the store the husband wheezes ,"Have a blessed day". It is also unclear why the manager would want them to even return as it is clear that they are inept, and are not the type of clientele who spends big money. My take away from this experience is the next time I order Chinese, I'm going to attempt to order a slice of Mexican Cornbread and see what I'm offered... #CorporateLife *salutes*
