People have been... well, not retarded.
So I'll write about OTHER servers. Does anyone else get really tense when eating out after working in 'the biz?' I know I do.
If the server isn't attentive or too much so (a recent waitress must have asked us literally every three minutes if we were okay. I wanted to tell her to shut up and go somewhere.) I either start justifying everything they do - "oh, she just got this big table at a bad time, she'll be back when she has a minute" - or think of how I could do it better - "why is everything on my plate the same temperature? how long did she let it sit there? I know she's not busy."
It's gotten to the point that I prefer takeout because I can barely enjoy my meal because I'm so absorbed in the dynamic of the restaurant. I wonder if they make good money, I wonder what the tip-out situation is, I wonder who disappeared for a smoke break and who's snorting a line in the bathroom, etc etc.
Just me?
I go to the same two or three places and get ridiculously good service because I tip stupid. I rarely eat out and when I do it's at a nice restaurant, and the server is getting at least 50 bucks from me or me and my brother. Just keep the ashtray clear, drinks full, walk by and look but don't keep asking "are you ok" (I guess just be available when I need you), and don't have suck (have an attitude, etc.) You will make great money, get a perfect check (very important to corporate types), a high check average (also important incorporate) and a nice chunk of change on a dead Monday or Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteBut I catch myself looking around....the floorplan is set up like a circus, it's a joke, those two are obviously drugged out, the key hourly is a bitch, I can tell by the way she looks, the bussers are cute, they probably get a lot of female servers, etc......and some days I don't have the energy to try and block out their dynamic.
So I order take out too.... =)
Hope your 4th went well!
I can't enjoy eating out anymore either. I'm always commenting on the service and/or making justifications for the way the server does things. It drives me crazy when I eat out with my extended family because not only am I watching the server...I also have to monitor my family's behavior to make sure they don't embarrass me. :-P
ReplyDeleteThere are only a few places I enjoying dining out at since I've been a bartender and server. But when the staff sees us walk in, the servers practically fight over who gets us in their section! We have kids, but since I've been in the biz, my kids are perfectly behaved because they know I will crack them on the ass right there in the middle of the restaurant. But I'm pretty certain that the reason the servers fight over who gets us is the 40% tip we leave. Its excessive, but if I'm going out, I want to really enjoy myself and those extra bucks ensure our great dining experience!
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