Serving jobs stink in my area have crazy demands.

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  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    Really? Never? Luckily, I have never had to be a server (knock on wood), but everyone I know who has says that it's the worst job they've ever had. I have worked in the retail/service industry, and some people are downright abusive to workers for no reason, and I do mean abusive, cursing, yelling, complaining to the manager who then apologizes even when it's clearly the customer being an outright a** and then the customer walks away all smug because they think they've "shown them" or something, I don't really know what goes through such people's heads. They like to try to exert power over others or something. And just being a customer in restaurants I have seen other customers be outrageous to their server. You can bet that if I know that customer complained to the manager and I witnessed what went on I'm going to say something to the manager, I'm not going to let someone get p***ed on by someone else who gets some sort of sick satisfaction out of getting a hard worker into trouble. (Not to say there aren't terrible servers, who definitely don't deserve much of a tip if any at all, but I have been witness to far more crazy customers).

    It's because they get a free meal. Just MENTION the word Corporate and the manager is fawning all over your table like you're the marry king of England.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Really? Never? Luckily, I have never had to be a server (knock on wood), but everyone I know who has says that it's the worst job they've ever had. I have worked in the retail/service industry, and some people are downright abusive to workers for no reason, and I do mean abusive, cursing, yelling, complaining to the manager who then apologizes even when it's clearly the customer being an outright a** and then the customer walks away all smug because they think they've "shown them" or something, I don't really know what goes through such people's heads. They like to try to exert power over others or something. And just being a customer in restaurants I have seen other customers be outrageous to their server. You can bet that if I know that customer complained to the manager and I witnessed what went on I'm going to say something to the manager, I'm not going to let someone get p***ed on by someone else who gets some sort of sick satisfaction out of getting a hard worker into trouble. (Not to say there aren't terrible servers, who definitely don't deserve much of a tip if any at all, but I have been witness to far more crazy customers).

    It's because they get a free meal. Just MENTION the word Corporate and the manager is fawning all over your table like you're the marry king of England.

    wow. You guys are working on another planet or sumthin.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
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    I always feel for wait staff. My mom had to hold a second job (waitress at local tex mex, but not a chain) when I was growing up when my dad got sick. I know how hard it is, not from experience myself but from what she went through. I am always sure to tip well over 15%, I just couldn't live with myself if I tipped below. I'm not bragging, it's not like I have loads of money either. But when I go out of my house and have some one wait on me, I should be expected to pay for that service. I pay for the meal yes. But the waiter or waitress should be paid for waiting on me because I was to lazy to cook at home :). I wish people respected others more than they do.
  • Lunakatrina
    Lunakatrina Posts: 7
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    I think it's crazy that they test you like that, I've never been tested anywhere I've worked, but all service industry jobs expect you to know about the product you're selling and in a restaurant/food industry job that involves knowing drink sizes (ounces), what goes into every food item which involves knowing how it's prepared, you have to know food safety and storage so you can recognize when something isn't right, etc. Where I work the tips are shared, but that's because we're busier at certain times of day and if you don't work at those time you may only leave with a dollar, and if you happen to work that shift the whole week you come out with five dollars...so we all divide them based on hours worked each week and no matter what shift you happened to be working you get a fair share of tips. We all think it's fair and when I work the shifts that don't have a lot of customer traffic I'm thankful that won't affect my income.

    I think so long as you know what you need to know, do your work, and aren't flat-out rude to people then you can successfully work in the service industry...but I think a lot of people on here don't really understand that this IS hard work! I can do it, and I normally enjoy doing it, but I have A LOT of obligations in my work and I make just over minimum wage...in fact, I shadowed some nurses to see if I thought I could be a nurse before jumping into college again, and I was shocked to see that the nurses there did basically what I do at my food service job (maintaining a strict level of cleanliness to prevent spread of deadly disease, walking/standing/running without a break or with just one break for eight or more hours, skipping lunches, sweeping, mopping, cleaning, emptying trash bags full of disgusting things that could possibly give you horrific diseases, having to clean people's poop, dealing with rude people that treat you like you're a retarded two year old but you're not a retarded two year old so they actually can treat you like you like you're **** on the bottom of their shoe, etc) and I thought to myself, why am I doing all of this for less than one-fifth of the salary a nurse makes? I will go to school and become a nurse.

    The worst thing about the food service industry though is dealing with people, you'll never know just how horrible people are to the hands that feed them until you've worked food service. Over the two years I've worked I've seen grown men and women pitch fits because they can, because they feel powerful and it's unfortunate that we can't treat them like the children they're acting like--we're FORCED to reward that behavior with free drinks, food, desserts because if we don't then THEIR choice to behave like that will get us fired. It's like your entire life is in the hand of little kids that find it funny to scare you into submission...now, this only happens several times a shift so HUNDREDS of people act like rational human beings and treat you nicely and thank you and ask you how your day is going and bring you gifts for outstanding service, and those hundreds of people make my job awesome.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
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    You should try Emergency Nursing. Nothing like that ever happens to ER, or other Nurses. /sarcasm.
    Good luck though! :flowerforyou:
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    Find another place or line of work. Sounds like all she's summed up are the negatives.

    What's her skill set? I'm a book keepery/accountancy/HR/paperwork/computer type of gal and waitress/customer service/sales is something I could not do. I'd book keep for a restaurant for bottom dollar if times got tough but never serve customers.

    Some people aren't meant to do it and others.... they need better tips!

    All based on personality because when it all comes down to it. You are blessed to have employment.:flowerforyou:
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    The worst thing about the food service industry though is dealing with people, you'll never know just how horrible people are to the hands that feed them until you've worked food service. Over the two years I've worked I've seen grown men and women pitch fits because they can, because they feel powerful and it's unfortunate that we can't treat them like the children they're acting like--we're FORCED to reward that behavior with free drinks, food, desserts because if we don't then THEIR choice to behave like that will get us fired. It's like your entire life is in the hand of little kids that find it funny to scare you into submission...now, this only happens several times a shift so HUNDREDS of people act like rational human beings and treat you nicely and thank you and ask you how your day is going and bring you gifts for outstanding service, and those hundreds of people make my job awesome.

    lol you must be on that other planet that Veganbaum and I are on.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    After a table has been displeased a server may assume they aren't going to tip so they care less about that table and pay more attention to the other tables.

    I'm a server, but I don't get tips, just get paid a higher hourly wage. If the kitchen or I mess something up, I try to avoid the table as much as possible. I attend to their needs but I don't make myself available, probably because I'm going to hear "miss? miss?" ten times!

    Some people are not cut out for the service industry - and it's pretty obvious who they are when you're at a restaurant.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    I'm the one in the kitchen....I wish we got tipped out. We don't. The servers work hard. So do I, to make sure that food is as good as I can make it. When we're busy, the servers are making more money, because I'm doing my job. I'm working my tail off...for no more money. Fairs fair.
    On the other hand, when I go out to eat, I don't hold the kitchen mistakes against the server in my tipping. I can tell the difference.
  • rebecky27
    rebecky27 Posts: 842 Member
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    Come on. Like I said earlier, I worked at TGIF for twelve years. No one ever yelled at a server. They may have been upset, but come on. They were usually either hungry or drunk. If ya can't take the heat, don't work in the kitchen.
    12 years and no one yelled at a server? Wow! My first day on the job as a server, a customer was upset at the size of the mini shrimp, started cussing and yelling at me, and another customer got up and punched him.

    Despite this, I stayed there for about a year.

    I agree with another poster, that bar-tending is a decent paying gig so it's quite competitive. You have to know your stuff! It probably wouldn't have seemed so drastic to her if she had some previous experience.
  • ComicBookGeekGirl
    ComicBookGeekGirl Posts: 202
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    Its not illegal to pay someone under minimum wage? i thought thats why they called it minimum wage?
    Most states allow it when it's a tipped position. hence, the importance of the tip.
    This is why I usually REFUSE to tip anyone in places like Starbucks. They get paid a lot more and still have hands out for extra money. I will break the rules sometimes if the server is super awesome, but I reserve my good tipping for people who actualy need it!
  • jeninabilan
    jeninabilan Posts: 369 Member
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    Hey guys, So.. I am the girl in this story and am shocked at some of the things I have been reading.

    #1. To all of you who are saying "maybe she's not cut out for this, she should just look for another job"- let me just say I was laid off and have been extremely low on money, unable to pay bills, had no money for food and was scrounging everything I had for my puppy and kitty. Instead of sitting on my butt and collecting unemployment/goverment aid, I went out every day looking for ANY kind of job until I got ANYTHING. I have been a server before, a barista, sales and marketing professional and a business manager, so it is definitely not lack of experience. It's called humbling yourself to serve people who will never appreciate you.

    #2. Minimum wage in Texas for servers is $2.13, when you don't tip, people starve.. Hope you sleep well at night.

    #3. I am very outgoing, care about people, was a 4.0 student in high school and 3.8 in college, leadership committee and volunteered over 1500 hours in one year. I LOVE people and am really outgoing, but it's really hard to care about someone who insists on ruining someone else's day because they got their burger medium instead of medium rare. Life really should not be that uptight. I understand a customer wanting their order corrected and getting what they pay for, but I do not understand someone who cusses, yells, throws a fit and doesn't tip. People act like children these days and just need a good spanking.

    #4. It is not that I am an idiot or just don't want to learn how to do my job or what's expected of me, but it is hard to learn in 4 days. My sales and marketing job was less demanding and I made 3x what I'm making now. It's not about the money, it's about getting respect from other people. Out of 6 trainees that started training on the same day as me, I was the only one to pass the final the first time and pass all of our other tests. So, it's not just me. We had two other trainees walk out today that currently work restaurant jobs, so obviously they are more than qualified.

    #5. Not everyone's experience is going to be the same as yours. If you've never served, you have no right to speak. And if you have, count your blessings if your experiences are better than mine, but don't judge me..

    I am doing what it takes to make ends meet, survive and make a good home for my puppy and kitty. I will get back on my feet and will have a job that I am more qualified for. But until then, I am your server, and just like many servers, have a lot more going for me than my apron and pen, so please be kind, treat me with respect and I will treat you with respect and don't judge me.

    Thanks,
    Jenina :)
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    Its not illegal to pay someone under minimum wage? i thought thats why they called it minimum wage?
    Most states allow it when it's a tipped position. hence, the importance of the tip.
    This is why I usually REFUSE to tip anyone in places like Starbucks. They get paid a lot more and still have hands out for extra money. I will break the rules sometimes if the server is super awesome, but I reserve my good tipping for people who actualy need it!

    I hate when people use things like this as examples. Places where there is a tip jar, it is OPTIONAL. Either leave a tip or don't. I don't know why people get so offended about this.

    #4. It is not that I am an idiot or just don't want to learn how to do my job or what's expected of me, but it is hard to learn in 4 days. My sales and marketing job was less demanding and I made 3x what I'm making now. It's not about the money, it's about getting respect from other people. Out of 6 trainees that started training on the same day as me, I was the only one to pass the final the first time and pass all of our other tests. So, it's not just me. We had two other trainees walk out today that currently work restaurant jobs, so obviously they are more than qualified.

    This. Maybe servers would b*itch less and work harder for people if customers showed them a bit more respect. A lot of table just start blurting out orders before the waiter even introduces themselves. That line they give about 'would you like to try such and such' is required by corporate so let them get it out before interrupting.
  • nataliefamily3
    nataliefamily3 Posts: 190
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    At my work our servers only tip out bussers and bar tenders. They do not make drinks or run their own food. they make $4.50 an.hour. This is in florida. A lot of times after paying taxes on credit card tips their check ends up being like ten bucks..i run food And make $7.00 plus tips from.bar...so.maybe its just your a
    rea here it is still very simple. Not that some customets arent jerks..
  • LilynEdensmom
    LilynEdensmom Posts: 612 Member
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    The worst thing about the food service industry though is dealing with people, you'll never know just how horrible people are to the hands that feed them until you've worked food service. Over the two years I've worked I've seen grown men and women pitch fits because they can, because they feel powerful and it's unfortunate that we can't treat them like the children they're acting like--we're FORCED to reward that behavior with free drinks, food, desserts because if we don't then THEIR choice to behave like that will get us fired. It's like your entire life is in the hand of little kids that find it funny to scare you into submission...now, this only happens several times a shift so HUNDREDS of people act like rational human beings and treat you nicely and thank you and ask you how your day is going and bring you gifts for outstanding service, and those hundreds of people make my job awesome.

    lol you must be on that other planet that Veganbaum and I are on.

    LOL I'll join you all on the planet. I used to be a server, I still work with the public and the general attitude of people dealing with service workers is horrible..I mean its customer service not customer slavery... Though walmart was probably the worst job I had for dealing with irate customers.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    The worst thing about the food service industry though is dealing with people, you'll never know just how horrible people are to the hands that feed them until you've worked food service. Over the two years I've worked I've seen grown men and women pitch fits because they can, because they feel powerful and it's unfortunate that we can't treat them like the children they're acting like--we're FORCED to reward that behavior with free drinks, food, desserts because if we don't then THEIR choice to behave like that will get us fired. It's like your entire life is in the hand of little kids that find it funny to scare you into submission...now, this only happens several times a shift so HUNDREDS of people act like rational human beings and treat you nicely and thank you and ask you how your day is going and bring you gifts for outstanding service, and those hundreds of people make my job awesome.

    lol you must be on that other planet that Veganbaum and I are on.

    LOL I'll join you all on the planet. I used to be a server, I still work with the public and the general attitude of people dealing with service workers is horrible..I mean its customer service not customer slavery... Though walmart was probably the worst job I had for dealing with irate customers.

    I don't wait tables anymore but a lot of my friends do and I run a small local store, so I know all about the general attitude of people. I could go on for days and days. I could never work with the public at a place like Walmart, I feel bad for those people working the registers.
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
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    After my freshman year of college, I worked in a restaurant for a summer as a busser. One really good thing about the restaurant was that gratuity was built into every check, so the waitstaff knew that they were not going to get stiffed on tips.

    We didn't have the crazy demands that the OP talked about.

    I found that some commenters in the thread were rather insensitive. Telling the friend of the OP to get another job isn't the greatest thing to do. A lot of times they are trying to do better in life, but look at the current job market. It is even difficult to get waitstaff jobs. 50% of new college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. People in their 20s have to live at home now pretty frequently, though that trend started years before the current downturn. Something like this is just symptomatic of a sick economy.
  • budhandy
    budhandy Posts: 305 Member
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    If you are a good server I have no problem tipping but if you treat me like crap and then no, im not going to tip bad service
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    After my freshman year of college, I worked in a restaurant for a summer as a busser. One really good thing about the restaurant was that gratuity was built into every check, so the waitstaff knew that they were not going to get stiffed on tips.

    We didn't have the crazy demands that the OP talked about.

    I found that some commenters in the thread were rather insensitive. Telling the friend of the OP to get another job isn't the greatest thing to do. A lot of times they are trying to do better in life, but look at the current job market. It is even difficult to get waitstaff jobs. 50% of new college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. People in their 20s have to live at home now pretty frequently, though that trend started years before the current downturn. Something like this is just symptomatic of a sick economy.

    It would be nice to have a grat, but its usually only on tables of 8 or more because if the people at the table demand a manager and claim they had terrible service (even if they didn't) the manager has to take it off. Wouldn't want to involve corporate, would we?

    The demands suck but any low totem job will only train you three or four days and then put you out there. Training costs money and after you learn the basics they figure you can ask questions about the rest.
  • PapaverSomniferum
    PapaverSomniferum Posts: 2,677 Member
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    You're completely correct in your assessment of the food service industry.

    Also, the 100-a-night jobs are getting increasingly rare, as it's becoming common policy to overhire service staff and cut cooks/hosts/dishwashers and just make the overabundance of under-minimum wage workers do the job of the higher paid workers to save the business money. That isn't strictly legal, but neither is the not allowing of breaks (i've never heard of a restaurant allowing servers breaks), or the refusal to pay minimum wage if the server makes no tips (most restaurants will claim servers make well over minimum even if they don't and will fire any server who dares complain).

    It didn't used to be this way. I waited tables from '95 until just last year. In the late 90s, I was making very good money as a server, and even then the life-time-ers were complaining that tips weren't what they used to be. I didn't even work high-volume high-priced restaurants and 50 bucks was considered a no good very bad day.

    The culture of service has changed.

    Customers go out to eat with the sole purpose of bossing around and being cruel to the staff. People expect perfection in their service, which is different for every individual. One person will yell at you for not being attentive enough, and another will want to talk to a manager because you're being TOO attentive and those two people will have been receiving the same service.

    people do NOT tip they way they used to. Ten years ago, it was considered unthinkable to not leave a tip. Now, one out of every five doesn't leave a tip on principal. It's common for people to believe servers don't deserve more than half minimum, that other tables will make up for their stinginess, that servers are all druggies to steal money and don't claim taxes, or that customers shouldn't be expected to supply the wages of service staff.

    My last restaurant was a high-volume, nicer restaurant. I was averaging $5 an hour tips and wages, but i was getting taxed as if i were making $10 an hour. If you wanted good sections of tables, you had to blow the manager. If you got more than two tables over the course of a three hour period, you were lucky. If you were unlucky, you'd get the single lady with the unlimited soup/salad, who screamed at you because the soup was too salty, sat there for your entire dinner shift, and for a tip left nothing but crumbled up crackers ground into the carpet. (at least 3 of that lady eat out every night).

    No make-up? no tips. shirt baggy? no tips. you're black? no tips. you're the same gender as the table you're serving? NO TIPS. getting old? no tips. kitchen screwed up? NO TIPS AND ANGRY LETTER TO MANAGER AND YOU MIGHT LOSE YOUR JOB.

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