digg

Join DiggAbout

Donkeys and Elephants and Delegates,oh my!
Check out the most popular Elections 2008 content on Digg.

13 Things Your Waiter Won't Ever Tell You

rd.com — Waiters share insider secrets about restaurants -- from what days to avoid dining out to how much to tip.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • lucy22, on 07/13/2008, -38/+110Very useful to read before eating out. Funny at the same time.
    "we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen"- LOL
    • Soniti, on 07/13/2008, -31/+28I don't know.. Some of the tips on there seem pretty stupid... "Don't order 15 minutes before closing because carcinogens will get on your food."

      Things like that pander to the soccer mom who is so concerned about the safety of everything that they end up doing more harm than good. I take this article with a grain of salt..
      • h0ms4r, on 07/13/2008, -4/+31"I take this article with a grain of salt."

        I see what you did there.
      • iamnobody8614, on 07/13/2008, -6/+37Way to misquote the article. When you put quotation marks around something it is supposed to mean you are using it verbatim. The article also said that you should not show up right before closing time because your food is going sit under a heat lamp (drying up) instead of being served right away. Also, by showing up just before closing, you just extended a bunch of people's work day.
      • ckrickett, on 07/13/2008, -5/+21I'm a server and I can tell you everything is 100% true. 15 minutes before you close people start cleaning and packing up especially the kitchen, they see the check come through and they know they are going to be stuck there for another hour or so because even f ot takes you 30 minutes to eat it will take them longer to clean up, and trust me the kitchen can be very vindictive.
      • ganjamonsta, on 07/13/2008, -3/+18i've been in the industry for about eight years. i've seen pretty bad things happen to people's food when they come in right before closing time. they illustrate it pretty well in the movie 'waiting'. no one wants to wait an extra hour just because you're inconsiderate.
      • Expl0siv0, on 07/13/2008, -5/+14I agree with you guys. I work part time in a restaurant and almost everything in that article is true, or near being true. What I hate the most is when people come in 15 minutes before close. The fact is, if you get food that close to closing time it's going to be old and terrible and it's not going to have the normal quality. Then, you've just extended the nights of all the employees. I mean, don't get me wrong. In one way it's nice to get that extra money but I also have a social/school life to worry about. Customers staying late hurts us more than it helps us.
      • carguy84, on 07/14/2008, -22/+16Then close down the kitchen an hour earlier. Or don't work the closing shift. If your restaurant hours are 10am - 10pm, you should expect your day to end at 11pm and plan accordingly.
      • bigstinky, on 07/14/2008, -7/+32Carguy, you're missing the point. This has been the biggest issue in every single kitchen I've ever worked.

        Not all kitchens close at 11, nor can you just change hours around.

        But seriously, the issue is that cooks start the day by prepping their asses off for the dinner slam about to come, That in itself is a lot of work. Then the rush starts. Slow at first, then the crusher dinner crowd. Nonstop insanity for 3, 4 even 5 hours.

        After that you spend the rest of the evening prepping more for the next shift, (or washing dishes to cover the douche that called in). All the while orders keep coming in. As it nears closing, there's a ritual cleaning that begins. Tearing down equipment, pulling mats, cleaning all your gear.etc. Now it's 10 til close, just about everything is done, all prepped food is at it's safe limit...Baked potatoes look like raisins. Only emergency food is left out. Then you see a waitress turn into the kitchen area to say we got a table of six that begged to be let in. KITCHENS HAVE LAST CALLS TOO...But nooooo, the brainless 17 year old niece of the owner seats them...And to top it off they order 20 oz, well done strip steaks with baked potatoes.

        It's asking an awful lot out of your team to reverse the natural cooldown one experiences after working a full shift. It's like you see a light at the end of the tunnel and WHAM...Darkness.

        I'm an executive Chef and it destroys me to this day. You will never get quality food from a kitchen that just pulled 10 grueling hours 10 minutes before close. I don't care how sunshiny you make it seem.

        26 years in the business and I wish evil on every single razor haired dick and his way hotter than my wife, girlfriend that rolls into my joint. They know what they're doing. I will be honest, I have never tortured their food, nor do I allow it from my crew. No matter how much I'd like to.

        Karma is a bitch.

        Then again, a little floor pepper never hurt anyone.
      • ShakeWell, on 07/14/2008, -4/+22bigstinky, that sounds a lot like it should be more on the management to stop seating people after the cleaning process has started. afterall, you do have the right to refuse service even if it's still within the opening time.

        instead of torturing the clueless who pull in right before close, (after all, it is still BEFORE close), educate them, tell them to go down the road to that Wendy's. You can't expect everyone to understand that 10am-10pm really means 10am - 9:30pm. I would rather be refused to be seated than to get ill-prepared food. Blame the brainless 17 year old niece of the owner instead of your customers.
      • bigstinky, on 07/14/2008, -7/+12Shakewell, that's a given. I do blame the brainless one, because we do have a last call on food. I still do my best to put out a quality meal. It won't be easy, and I, nor will my crew be happy about it... But it will get done. Certain people think they rule the world. Courtesy is all I require. Everyone knows you should not attempt eating at a restaurant about to close, yet their arrogance says, "***** those idiots, I pay their check". And that very well may be true, but you tell the guy I'm paying 10-11 bucks an hour, with no bennies to care. That's why I let my guys go and put the meal out myself most of the time. It's so easy to judge and comment, til your there.

        There's tons of 24 hour classy jonts in the area, they should be directed to them yes, but crap still happens,
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -5/+17bigstinky, jJust because a customer goes in to a restaurant and asks to be seated means they are arrogant and don't give a ***** about you? ShakeWell is right, there is about 5% blame that can be put on the customer, and 95% on your own employees. You can solve this yourself, easily. I'm sure many people don't even look at the business hours before walking in if the door is open. Open sign in window, open door: that means "we will serve you" in the world of business. Lock the door and/or put up the closed sign while the last customers are finishing if you have begun your breakdown process. This isn't rocket science.

        Nobody deserves *****/tampered-with food just because they didn't notice you closed at 10 when they walked in.
      • bigstinky, on 07/14/2008, -6/+9Dephex, who are you arguing with? I don't serve tampered food. It goes against everything I stand for. As the Executive Chef I have also set a standard that all food orders are to be in the kitchen 15 minutes before close. I'm not going to refuse guests that are seated before the set closing time. I don't have to be happy about it either. Seriously, as mentioned, this is an issue that has been going on for years. You're a bit off base. What kind of person doesn't ask themselves or at least the maitre'd if closing time is near especially if it's midnight? It is arrogance if someone rolls into a place 10 min before closing and expects the same experience they would have during normal business hours. THINK!

        I totally disagree with your assertion.
      • FairDinkumMate, on 07/14/2008, -1/+10DephexTwin you've obviously never worked in a restaurant in your life. Can you imagine how you would feel as a customer that has been dining since 8:30pm. everything is going well & then all of sudden at 9:30pm the service staff lock the front door & start breaking down the room? Wouldn't be quite the dining experience you expected I guess as you'd feel as though you were being not so subtly told to leave!

        Your mechanic may open until 5pm but that doesn't mean you can go in at 4:55pm & expect your car serviced that day "because the door was open"!.
      • thebigbradwolf, on 07/14/2008, -0/+6yeah. We close at 10, and have people walk in to START eating or ordering at 10, 10:05...10:35 last week. You can't vacuum with people in the store, you can't lock the doors with people in the store, you can't clean out equipment in the back with people in the store, if you have stuff already clean, you have to re-dirty smallwares, and especially in stores where you don't have a dedicated dishwasher, it means an extra hour for you.

        9 am to 10pm means most everyone is gone at 8, and the guy there wants to start cleaning at 9, and be outta there by 1030, not start cleaning at 11.
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -2/+2"What kind of person doesn't ask themselves or at least the maitre'd if closing time is near especially if it's midnight?"

        This is why you need some perspective from someone who does not work in the restaurant business. You are doing this routine every day, and you may be painfully aware of the time, but most people don't know how a/your restaurant works. They don't know that if they walk in and ask to be seated, you will seat them even though you are essentially closed. If the doors can't be locked, I don't know why the greeter can't say, "sorry, but our kitchen is closed". You can even have a sign, "kitchen closes at 9:30". Some places do this. A very small percentage of people who are there late might not give a ***** about you, but I bet most people don't want to ruin your night. It's just not so obvious to someone who isn't in the industry. Really.

        "Your mechanic may open until 5pm but that doesn't mean you can go in at 4:55pm & expect your car serviced that day "because the door was open"!."

        Mechanics aren't normally, repair-while-you-watch places. But, if I went in to the mechanic at 4:55 then I sure as hell would expect that I could drop off my car and schedule my car to get worked on, absolutely!
    • TekeeTakShak, on 07/13/2008, -7/+6I donno why Soniti is being dugg down. Who the ***** does half these things? There aren't THAT many assholes in the world, are there?
      • ganjamonsta, on 07/13/2008, -0/+19are you asking that about the waiters or the customers? either way, yes, there are that many assholes in the world.
      • BOFH2, on 07/13/2008, -1/+8I don't think this list is for 70% of diners it is for the 30% that don't understand being nice. Really would you like someone coming up to you at 15minutes before you go home and give you work that they expect your best on which means you will be there another hour?
      • TheMidnight, on 07/13/2008, -3/+9"Just leave 15 minutes before you usually do on Friday."

        "Hello Peter, what's happening? I'm going to go ahead and ask you to come in on Saturday. We uh...lost some people and we need to play catch up, so if you could be here at about uh...9 AM that would be great. Oh-oh, and I almost forgot, I'm going to need you to come in on Sunday....too."
      • WalkerTXclocker, on 07/13/2008, -2/+17I have been in the fast food industry before and still help out sometimes at my uncles pizza shop and call me the exception but I haven't and wouldn't ever do anything to somebody's food.
        1.) They are probably not the only people eating it.
        2.) Are we really that immature that somebody makes you mad and you do ***** to their food. Really?

        And as far as the tip goes. I do my best to tip according to the service I've been given. I've left no tip and I've left way more then the standard 15-20%. But i guess i'm the exception.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -9/+8No tip? Tipping 10% if you have bad service is acceptable, not tipping is NEVER acceptable. It just proves that you're an *****. I've waited tables on and off for 5-6 years. I have never ***** with anyone's food. But if you aren't able to be respectful and courteous, guess what? you'll be the last one I get to every time, and I will talk ***** about you to my coworkers. Everyone in the restaurant will know you suck, and we won't do anything special for you and we won't hustle for you. Your drinks will stay empty and you won't be offered anything unless you ask. By acting like a jerk, I already know my tip will suck and I write it off. I don't need your ***** $10 that bad, so ***** it, I'll keep my dignity and not have to bust my ass at the same time.

        Just be pleasant and respond when I ask you things. Make eye contact and thank me even though you don't have to. Any server with experience is above teabagging or floor pepper. We simply don't give a flying ***** about you. Not the best person to serve your meal.
      • qazwsx1298, on 07/14/2008, -2/+10"Everyone in the restaurant will know you suck, and we won't do anything special for you and we won't hustle for you. Your drinks will stay empty and you won't be offered anything unless you ask."
        Grow up. Seriously. Do you think that the best way to react to someone giving you no tip for bad service is to give them even worse service? I guess pride comes before your income? Also, I've been in restaurants all my life. My entire family pretty much owns restaurants. I grew up in them. If you have an attitude like that, you'll never get any good tip. If your tip is bad, then try harder next time.
      • sofunnyithurts, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1waiting...
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1"Do you think that the best way to react to someone giving you no tip for bad service is to give them even worse service?"

        Yes?

        You don't typically get bad service because the wait staff is incompetent, when that happens they either get fired or the restaurant closes. You usually end up getting a night of bad service started by being a total douchebag.
    • FuckThaMeme, on 07/13/2008, -2/+20http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJwYaeolXc
    • sjl127, on 07/14/2008, -11/+5I'm going out to eat this weekend, and I will not tip at all, and will give the waiter a very hard time. I will leave a copy of that article on the table, with a note saying, sucks to be you, wrong place, wrong time. Chump. /sarcasm.
      • klipseracer, on 07/14/2008, -6/+2I don't understand the point of this. The funny thing, would be if the waitor leaves a note at your table saying: "I've spit and ***** in your entre because the last ***** left a note and no tip, Chump"

        Karma.
    • sh4rkb1t3, on 07/14/2008, -6/+7The only thing this article has taught me is that I should give $30 tips.
      • Tralobyte, on 07/14/2008, -2/+2And you can get cancer from eating out if you show up near closing time.
    • SOhp101, on 07/14/2008, -2/+5All the tips seem good, except for #8. "Splitting entrées is okay, but don't ask for water, lemon, and sugar so you can make your own lemonade. What's next, grapes so you can press your own wine?"

      That one just sounds like someone who wants to gripe.
      • Khangwin, on 07/14/2008, -1/+7believe it or not some restaurants need to make money. cheapasses who do this does not help.
      • mateo60, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3I've waited on a few people who have asked for lots of lemons, sugar, and water. Which means:
        1. They're cheap and won't tip.
        2. There is more of a mess left behind because they ALWAYS leave a sugar mess and empty packets all over the table.
        3. More work for me because I'm the one who has to make sure there are sugar packets.

        Granted, 2 and 3 aren't that big of a deal in and of themselves. But knowing that the person at your table is a cheap-ass makes it harder to want to do my job well. And, at this particular restaurant, unlimited lemonade only cost a dollar.

        P.S. It's a shame, but generally, christians don't tip.
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3I worked at a starbucks. There was a constant barrage of customers making what we dubbed "ghetto lattes", where they'd order a grande cup of ice, a double espresso, and then wander over to the condiment bar and empty the pitcher of milk in to it, to save $1.50 off the cost of an iced latte.

        Whatever, swindling from the company I don't give a ***** about, it's your own personal way of showing how low-class you are, but it means that now you being a total cheapskate means I have to pull one of my monkeys off the floor to go refill the pitchers , and it's usually in the middle of a rush meaning the rest of us have to work twice as hard for that time all so you can save yourself a dollar. Also you didn't tip so ***** you.
      • fudged71, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1it's starbucks, braininajar, overpriced ***** in a cup. Of course people are going to do that.
        And you're not making minimum wage anyways, so not getting a tip isn't reason to baww... you make drinks for ***** sake
    • Sogui, on 07/14/2008, -1/+19I want to add one:

      14) If you bring kids to the restaurant and they leave no mess, require no drinks or special foods (i.e. can he have some crackers?), or they order a full-price item, then tip what you would normally tip.

      However if your kid is like 99.9% of the kids I've had, they aren't like that. Some of my most nightmarish tables were the ones packed with like 2 adults and 6 kids. I would work my ass off making sure everyone got their food right, the drinks stayed full, the kids were happy and had all their napkins and such, I would endure their screaming and crying. I would make some special chocolate milk even though it wasn't on the menu and add Cherry AND vanilla syrup to their junior cup of coke and refill it 15 times. Then when they left I would clean up the food that would end up on the floor, the seat, behind the seat, the table and every kind of filth in every corner.

      But since they ordered off the kid's menu, the tab would be relatively small for a table of 8 and "15-20%" would end up being a relatively small sum considering you gave me a tip worthy of a table of 3-4 for the work of a table of 20.
      • M724, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4When I go to a restaurant, I make it a point to sit as far away as I can from any table with children. I'm the kind of guy who likes a calm place to go and eat in silence while I think about this or that. Any kid who approaches me with a big mouth (or if one is seated nearby after I sit, then makes a lot of noise) gets an evil glance from me which scares them into shutting the hell up.

        I feel bad for the restaurant staff. I, as a customer, can cut my dinner short, pay up and leave. Restaurant staff have to be in their best behavior throughout their working hours.

        As one loudmouthed friend of mine said to a waiter, "You have a 'no pets allowed' sign outside. You should add 'no children under the age of 15 allowed' above it."
    • Leit89, on 07/14/2008, -0/+7Check out the author's blog http://waiterrant.net/

      I think he's an awesome writer with a lot of entertaining and thought provoking stories.

    • Thinbev, on 07/14/2008, -4/+1All this waiter talk is making me hungry for this hysterical video:
      http://digg.com/comedy/Best_Man_Surprise-_Funny_Sp ...
    • jenel, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2mmm, eating out...
  • NewsFeed, on 07/13/2008, -8/+180I am always careful how i ask for things or talk to waiters... never want to worry about the spit in my food.. Hah
    • jggube, on 07/13/2008, -1/+57Good to know I'm not the only one, I thought I was just being too paranoid - I've had roommates who've worked in the service industry, they always verify my feeling - always be nice to people who handle your food.
    • Yodaisking, on 07/13/2008, -1/+10 I learned this lesson a long time ago. at age 15. My friend would always be mean to the people at the drive-thru, and I worried and told him the same. fast-food to fine dining always be nice to the people who handle your food.

      • Bith8654, on 07/14/2008, -1/+6Yeah being impolite to a drive-thru person is pretty much begging for them to mess up your order. I mean c'mon they already get it wrong about half the time, and that's when your polite!
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1Another starbucks story...

        If you order your drink and are a demanding ***** about it... guess who's getting decaf and sugar-free (with/avec Aspartame ), and probably lukewarm stale milk if we have any kicking around ?

        That's right... it's Mr. "umm yeah, i want a vanilla latte... that's a latte with 4... FOUR pumps of vanilla... with really good foam" ***** you, i know what the drink recipes are...
      • fudged71, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1braininajar.... your are a pompous douchebag
        they are paying enough as is
        and you're not giving what they asked for.
        ***** you
    • btschul, on 07/13/2008, -0/+21Just eat at places like Chipotle where they make the food right in front of you and you won't have to worry about it. (Or just don't be an ***** to the waiter)
      • weech, on 07/13/2008, -28/+2exactly...and in this case, you'd know you were eating rat meat so you wouldnt have to worry about anything else.
      • btschul, on 07/13/2008, -2/+20weech: what the hell are you talking about?
      • ParanoydAndroid, on 07/13/2008, -8/+32It's funny you mention that. I worked at a Chipotle, along with occasionally getting sent over to help at others in the area, and I can tell you of all the places I've worked at, Chipotle is the one restaurant where the employees where happiest and people bought into the corporate philosophy the most. We really do care about the quality of the food (I mean really, we take our guac seriously), we really strive to make customers happy, and it was the cleanest cooking environment too. I always have, and always will recommend Chipotle as one of those restaurants that every has to try at least once- they always become converts.
      • Danby123, on 07/14/2008, -13/+6^ buried for Chipotle Spam.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -10/+1same
      • nugz85, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1when i worked at quiznos, i would set aside buns that i put in the garbage/dragged on the dirty, dirty quiznos floor for assholes who thought they could be assholes because they knew i couldnt do anything while they are watching me. jokes on them... i would just screw up their first order, then make them a new one with the bread i messed with. so, i guess im saying, dont be an ***** because you think they can't mess with your food... because we still do
      • bownasterm, on 07/14/2008, -3/+2Dont eat at Chipotle that place is so damn cliche....

        FREEBIRDS FTW!!!!
    • raskali, on 07/13/2008, -1/+161If a waiter is rude to me I spit on their tip.
    • alwilson, on 07/13/2008, -11/+17Spitting on food is an urban legend. You stand a better chance of getting killed driving to the restaurant than having your food spit on. If you DO have your food spit on, then you are eating at a ***** place... or you're an ***** and probably deserve it.
      • antonio97b, on 07/14/2008, -1/+5So... you're agreeing with the article?
      • SoulRebel23, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3exactly... if you're an *****, you'll have your food spit on and you probably deserved it.
      • Willotree, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3It's spat on not spit on.
      • LocalDocal, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2So to summarize your post: Restaurant spitting in food is lie, but if it does happen to you, then it's really your fault.
      • sakuraz, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3so....it's NOT an urban legend
      • xXIrsotehkewlXx, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Damnit, someone snopes this.
      • TheLogic, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1The amount of people I know who have worked in the restaurant business that have actually spit in food is quite high. Not an urban legend, it gets done all the time at fast food and casual restaurants. Not so much high, pricey places, but at a TGI Friday's, where the waiter can expect to get stiffed on a tip by at least three people during their shift, it's not too hard to flip out and spit in someone's food.
      • mateo60, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1I worked in a couple of restaurants. While I never did it, I saw food being spit in because the customer was being horrible. Most times, it was right before closing too. I've seen a waiter pull a piece of broccoli off of someones plate, put it down his pants and rub it all around, then put it back on the plate and take it to the offending customer. And this was a fairly respected establishment.
    • crazycraka, on 07/13/2008, -13/+4heh I used to work in a 5 star restaurant and one day, a customer was being very annoying and one of my server friends actually took his bandage off and rubbed it against the rim of every glass before handing the obnoxious people their drinks.. I mean I gotta say thats pretty ***** disgusting but wow i was laughing my ass off and puking at the same time watching them drink. Also, don't order fries we touch them with our hands and just throw them on your plate at least 50% of the time, we don't have time to use the tongs..


      Oh and to the guy above, me no its not an urban legend.. And no you don't have to be eating in a ***** place, I was in one of the top 10 restaurants in the US, and they'd do crazy ***** every now and then. Not often though, but it does happen.
    • ap44, on 07/14/2008, -1/+10Especially after watching Waiting... I have always been nice to waiters.
      • btschul, on 07/14/2008, -1/+4I went back and re watched that after reading this. That's a ***** funny movie.
      • somedirtbag, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3"It's so veeeeiny!"
    • arcticblue, on 07/14/2008, -0/+28I'd be less worried about spit and more worried about mold. I was a cook at Pizza Hut (Raleigh, NC. The one right outside Garner next to the porno store. Unsanitary restaurants don't deserve anonymity.) years ago and got in to a little spat with my manager over the Stuffed Crust cheese one time. The cheese for the crust comes in a huge box that isn't exactly resealable and that kind of pizza doesn't get ordered very often during the week so the cheese gets moldy. On a Tuesday night, I went to the back to get some cheese for an order and noticed that it was extremely moldy. My boss insisted that I just scrape it all off and continue to use it! That didn't settle well with me so I just threw anything that had mold on it away and just never told my boss. Basically, what I'm trying to say is don't order a stuffed crust pizza except on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

      The manager there at the time was a piece of ***** (who got promoted somehow to district manager the last I heard). Hopefully things are a little better now.
      • scyform, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2sadly, that place is probably better than the gumby's that used to be on hillsborough...
      • nugz85, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1throwing away the cheese was right, but just so you know, cheese doesnt go bad. some cheese have mold in them, like blue cheese. you can just take the mold off, and eat the rest of the cheese too. when thomas jefferson was elected president, a bunch of farmers created a huge wheel of cheese called the "liberty cheese" and it was on the white house lawn for all 4 years of his presidency, unrefrigerated, and people were eating off of it the whole time!!! they just scraped the mold off, then ate the cheese underneath.
    • Sogui, on 07/14/2008, -0/+11It depends on the kinds of person who have as a waiter. I've had complete assholes for customers and the thought of exacting revenge on them never even crossed my mind. Sometimes, not always, if you counter their rudeness by simply remaining humble and polite, they will tip more than usual. Also, I figured in a busy service station, getting caught spitting in food would be a quick grounds for a firing, and then you can't even use the references to that employment while searching for further jobs else they find out about it too.
      • LocalDocal, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3Funny you should mention that being nice to impolite customers might get you a bigger tip. Wasn't there an article a while back about this waitress who treated this extremely rude customer (who refused to tip) for many years with a smile, then when he died, he left her a fortune because she was so nice to him?
      • fudged71, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1an old digger! nice to meet you
    • jdunlop2179, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3I know a waiter who once took a piece of honeywheat (dark brown) bread and whipped his ass with it before he served it to the jackass customer.
    • greatpaimei, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5As a waiter, I can honestly say that I would never spit in a customer's food or in any other way contaminate the guest's food. It's not that I don't hate you, It's not that my ethics keeping me from doing so, it's not my boss and it's not my desire to maintain gameful employment. It's just that if I ever had enough time to find your food and spit in it, I'd be getting some of my sidework done.
  • samanathon, on 07/13/2008, -26/+360Hey, they're people too AND they're serving you. That's why you should treat them with respect!
    • joebus, on 07/13/2008, -6/+139This logic just doesn't fit me. I mean, sure we should treat waiters with respect but not because they are serving us. They are getting paid to serve us because it's their job. You should treat everyone with respect not just because they are bringing your food out to your table.
      • t0x2c, on 07/14/2008, -3/+5In my area waiters get paid minimum wage (7.65) if they make no tips, and with tips, their hourly drops to $5.50.
      • crimesofparis, on 07/14/2008, -1/+5Where I work, which is a nice restaurant, waiters only get 3.50 hourly, and their credit card tips are taxed 100%. Waiters don't make enough money to have people be assholes to them. They're lucky to get any money on a paycheck.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -1/+9In my area servers get their own special minimum wage- $2.72 an hour. Not kidding-- you get a paycheck every two weeks that's void- whatever hourly wages you made goes towards taxes, and every april a full-time server will owe thousands of $ to the IRS. You also tip out at LEAST 20%. Last night I made $200, but I paid out $65. That's a big chunk.

        and NO BENEFITS whatsoever. No sick days, no vacation although we are offered health insurance the employer will contribute nothing, so it's $350 a month. He is cool enough to offer a 401K, but you have to contribute out of pocket-- literally.
      • ZephyrNinety, on 07/14/2008, -3/+2Ever been a waiter before?
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2crimesofparis

        "Where I work, which is a nice restaurant, waiters only get 3.50 hourly, and their credit card tips are taxed 100%."

        All of my income is taxed...
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -2/+2Sounds like you need to find a better employer if they're not paying you enough. Welcome to capitalism.
      • crimesofparis, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1DephexTwin

        I mean that whatever they make in tips gets subtracted from their paycheck.

        I'm a hostess, but sometimes I get tips on credit cards for carry-out orders, and after SS taxes and whatnot are subtracted out of my hourly the tips are taken out too. If after taxes my paycheck is 200 and I had 10 bucks in tips I get 190 dollars.

        So for servers, the hourly pay is a joke.
    • Impeller, on 07/13/2008, -11/+5They're people, period. They deserve respect, but attending tables is their choice and they get paid for it, it's not like they're firemen, nurses or anything like that.
      • publiclurker, on 07/14/2008, -1/+7Last time I checked, firefighting and nursing are usually paid positions also.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -1/+5We get paid by YOU the customer. We get NO OTHER income. We get no benefits, and its as much a choice as any other job. Did you grow up dreaming of the job you have now? Not many people have. Whatever circumstances may be, are what they are; your comments lead me to believe that you have no clue what waiting tables is like. It is a very demanding job, involving strength, stamina, and intelligence. We are masters of multitasking and public relations. We have to give people anything they want or take a pay cut. I bet most of you suckers out there would crash and burn your first night...

        It's not about common decency - we actually deserve much respect. If you can't do that, your dining experience won't be nearly as nice as we can make it. Just don't be a dick, and don't take up all my time when it's busy. Then you have no reason to worry about your food or our service. Just like anything else in life. Don't behave like a jackass and everything should be fine.
    • lukas88, on 07/13/2008, -6/+7I think you are right. These articles always leave me queasy. A restaurant server is one of the last big examples of a server/servee relationship that is common in our society. People used to go out to eat because they could afford it and it showed that they had "class." A big part of that was flaunting how much they could afford to tip, etc. It is still considered a social blunder to give the impression that you can't afford something on the menu or to tip generously, or to even hint that you don't have much money in a formal restaurant setting. It makes me really uncomfortable and it is one of the main reasons I don't go out to eat very often. Sometimes (rarely for me) the server's attitude is a huge part of that atmosphere, hence the description of a "snooty" waiter.

      You shouldn't treat people kindly to show that you can afford to or that you have class, you should do it because it is the right thing to do. You should go out to eat because it is fun and a time to try unique food. Stop worrying about how much your tip says about you, it is enough that it says you are a fair person. If everyone had this attitude restaurants would be a lot better place.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1It is a social blunder to go to a restaurant if you don't know if you can afford it. That "snooty" attitude is probably the server knowing you're a pennypincher and therefore they can expect less income. If you typically go to restaurants with this defensive attitude, then proceed to order two waters and a single entree for two, then yes, you are a cheapskate. Even if you tip well, I've still lost a good chunk of income for the night.

        It all depends on the restaurant- if you are talking about going to Denny's or IHoP, the server being snooty could very well be they just hate their job. If you go somewhere kinda nice, it may just be cause of what i said above.
      • DuffyDirect, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3It's a social blunder to open a restaurant in a country known to have money conscious citizens. They don't like it? Open a barber shop and stop whining!
    • KingGorilla, on 07/14/2008, -5/+4Hey I'm a person too so treat me with respect not to mention they're getting paid to be courteous
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3no. we get paid to take your order, bring your drinks and make sure the meal is as expected. I'm courteous cause I give a *****. It also happens to be good customer service... so if your server isn't courteous, it could be that you're a dick. Or maybe they simply are bad at their job
      • DuffyDirect, on 07/14/2008, -1/+4Wow, you really have a lot of nerve being so pretentious when you claim to be a "servant". Assuming you are actually a waiter and not an online attention whore pretending to be one, you should really grow up if you expect ranting and raving to one guy on the internet is going to improve your customer relations experiences. Customer service is about calmness, control, submission, and doing everything in your power to facilitate your customer's needs. The only reason there are toothpicks in restaurants is because a marketing genius who wanted to sell them back when people would just carve their own paid restaurant patrons in NY to request them at dinner.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2that was an extremely confusing sentence/
    • S7aind, on 07/14/2008, -1/+4What I can't stand is when people think they are doing me a favor by ordering. "Well, if we can't have this, we'll just go somewhere else!" trying to guilt trip me.

      Good, I don't care, there is a two hour wait, that table will be filled immediately.
    • Jorlwind, on 07/14/2008, -3/+6I used to cook for a living, and I HATE waiters. Greedy sons of bitches. They don't deserve respect.
      Waiters (and waitresses) will always -
      -Ask for food that isn't on the menu. (You have no idea how ***** annoying this is. Not only does it halt your momentum, but then the waiter acts like you've just ass-raped them by saying no.)
      -Short the entire kitchen staff on tips. "Well *I* earned it" they say. Howabout I garnish that steak with a rats heads, then we'll see who controls the ***** tips. 20-40% my ASS.
      -put up orders for old specials or items you ***** SAID at the beginning of the night were not stocked.
      -Bitch and moan about the order not being up and then leaving it sitting in the window until it's damn near frozen. Another popular act would be trying to steal other waiter's orders and giving it to their tables.
      -Make ridiculous requests like "Cut my customer's steak up." either you, or that old cheese ass out there can do it his ***** self. I am NOT cooking for a retirement home here.
      -Writing tickets that look like they were written in the middle of an Egyptian orgy.
      -Get pissed because you didn't do THEIR prep work when the owner specifically wrote it on the board. Oh, and then asking you to do it in the middle of the ***** shift.
      -Blame you for EVERYTHING. If something goes wrong, it's always the cook's fault, even if the waiters have left the food languishing, or wrote the ticket wrong. Guess who the pissed off customer will want to vent at?
      -NOT standing up for themselves and allowing customers to roll over them until they're cowing in the corner crying, asking me stand up for them, or allowing customers to weasel their way out of a ticket. (Not that I let them get away with that. If you ate the whole steak, you're paying for it or I'll shove this cleaver so far up your ass that you'll be flossing with it)
      - Cry like little bitches when you finally get tired of it and yell them out for failing at life AND their job.
      - Trying to leave the kitchen staff to do all of the final closeup in the serving area.

      And they do all of this for the tips. Whenever I eat out, I don't leave a tip. I worked at two restaurants for several years with tons of waitstaff, and each time they tried to treat me and the rest of the kitchen staff like *****. They can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. Greedy assholes. [I'm done ranting now]
      • sugarazor, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5I can't imagine why people wouldn't get along with such a warm, fuzzy person like you.
      • Jorlwind, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3At least I can laugh at myself. Dugg.
      • stupidStan, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2You obviously didn't smoke as much weed as our cooks... they were much calmer :)
      • helgers7, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Wow, Don't know what ***** hole you worked in, but we treat our cooks the same way we expect to be treated. That includes saying please when we ask for something and thank you when our food comes out.
    • OldGrandma, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1I think the post on how not to annoy your server saves you in most of these situations.
      http://digg.com/food_drink/List_10_Ways_That_You_P ...
  • BigE89, on 07/13/2008, -12/+271Never ***** with the people serving you food

    I can honestly say that this list is very honest, having been involved in a couple of incidents listed
    • petaganayr, on 07/13/2008, -13/+6I totally agree. These are the only group of people that I don't ***** around with.
      • joegibes, on 07/13/2008, -2/+33What about bears?
      • petaganayr, on 07/13/2008, -14/+4I don't know, you tell me...what about bears? Are bears people?
      • Carramrod72, on 07/13/2008, -2/+11They are attracted to period blood, that's for sure.
      • Goner, on 07/13/2008, -1/+13cops? homeless drunks? motorcycle gangs? you ***** around with these people?
      • Danby123, on 07/14/2008, -1/+11I ***** around with girls.
      • innocentsinner, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Don't forget the Postal Service
    • TheMidnight, on 07/13/2008, -1/+43Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we haul your trash, we connect your calls, we drive your ambulances. We guard you while you sleep. Do not ***** with us.
      • petaganayr, on 07/13/2008, -50/+1Is this a fight club reference? Your comment has potential to be funny. Yeah...I think It could be funny, if it has any relevance to my comment...I said "These are the only group of people that I don't ***** around with."

        Are you going to ask me about bears too, like that f-ing idiot, joegibes?
      • TheMidnight, on 07/13/2008, -2/+30@petaganayr

        I replied to BigE89, not you, so why should I give a ***** if my comment has any relevance to yours or not? Check the thread indentation, phlegm-boy.
      • BigBrasky, on 07/13/2008, -9/+4Simmer the ***** down.
      • petaganayr, on 07/13/2008, -17/+1I deserve that..my bad! :-) My bad!! I'll simmer the ***** down. I just thought the bear comment was really stupid.

        But still, it doesn't have any relevance to this thread because BigE89 said: 'Never ***** with the people serving you food"

        Anyway...my bad!
      • TheMidnight, on 07/14/2008, -4/+7It is relevant, because the people who made up "Fight Club" are the people that are referred to by the article, and the fact that the parent poster said "don't ***** with them" made it an applicable quote.
      • Danby123, on 07/14/2008, -3/+2Looks like somebody needs to watch the Colbert Report more often....
    • helgers7, on 07/14/2008, -3/+12As a server myself, I have to say that I've seen peoples food get ***** with maybe three times in the last two years. If you're eating at a place where this happens on a regular basis, chances are it's such a ***** that the spit is probably the least of your worries. As far as adding a gratuity and not telling your table, you'd be fired from my restaurant for doing it, and only the lowest of the low would stoop to that level to get decent tips. I know it sucks when people are dicks and don't tip well (or in some cases at all), but if you have any pride in yourself or what you do, you don't do those things.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3I don't know, I've worked in a few places where the menu clearly states the grat is added on large parties- I've never verbally told them. I only add the gratuity as self-defense when I'm pretty sure they are bad tippers. So where I work i grat parties that are Europeans (notoriously low tippers), tourists in general (trying to save dough on vacation), and yammering happy-hour types who only want to use your tables to suck down a drink or two while they sit comfortably not spending money. Management supports me for this 100%, because bad tippers are typically not the ones keeping the place in business anyway.
      • notthatnoise, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3I add gratuity all the time, it says so right on the check, its not my fault they don't read it. And I WILL spit in your food if you act like a d-bag. My boss actually supports this and was the first to suggest it to me.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1You're income and the restaurants income are two separate entities. Just because you get stiffed doesnt mean the owner gets stiffed to.
      • helgers7, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1pr0carbine is right, and I can't believe your management supports you lying to the customers, that doesn't sound like a very well run place. As for notthatnoise, you are clearly just a poor server. It's no wonder you have to resort to crude tricks to make tips.
    • renegadeafk, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2I work in a kitchen as a dishwasher and this list is friggin perfect lol.
    • cmt5061, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Agree, I am a part-time chef and I know what goes on back in the kitchen/server station. It really is like the movie "Waiting.."
    • Spudster, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1A guy I knew would put down a massive tip on the table right when a waitress began serving, then tell the waitress that this tip would only remain if she did a good job.

      Dick thing to do, but I think it works.
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1nope. it's a dick thing to do and it means that his service will be ***** with in a more clandestine fashion. ( spit burger ) for trying to pull such a retarded stunt
  • Narrwald, on 07/13/2008, -11/+111On a slightly related note, don't ever eat off the salad bar at Big Boy. They bleach the lettuce that's left every 5 days to keep it looking fresh.

    And I would trust me if I were you.
    • publiclurker, on 07/14/2008, -3/+31I take it Big Boy restaurants are not known for their healthy eating clientele if they can't go through the lettuce in 5 days.
    • 5plic3r, on 07/14/2008, -1/+7Holy *****! Their lettuce looks fresh after bleaching it??
      • publiclurker, on 07/14/2008, -0/+9A classmate at collage worked at a local mall's food court. One of his jobs was to rinse off the hot dogs from the night before and add some pink color back into them.
    • MysticSavage, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1Hold on a second...people eat salad at Big Boy?
  • foxhaze, on 07/13/2008, -17/+84Don't have this problem at the good old McDonald's.
    • crazzy88ss, on 07/13/2008, -6/+115My colon does.
    • zephyr42, on 07/13/2008, -5/+71haha... true.

      At least when you go to McDonald's you *know* before hand the food and the service will suck.
      • addurobi, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2I don't know where you live, but the McDonalds in Ontario are very good, service and food...
    • thcobbs, on 07/13/2008, -9/+50Yeah, they spit in everyone's food!
      • MalDON, on 07/13/2008, -1/+9Actually, as much as it's funny to say that, often times they are far too busy to spit. If anything you'll end up with arm hairs or something.
      • 5plic3r, on 07/14/2008, -0/+7Spit costs an extra 29¢.
    • mojoel, on 07/13/2008, -8/+25Without exaggerating:
      McDonald's employees screw up my order 90% of the time.
      Maybe that's just MY McDonald's but that's a terrible success rate.
      • Rookbird, on 07/13/2008, -19/+10If you're ordering anything more complicated than "the number [whatever] meal, large size," you're to blame for their inaccuracy. If the article extended to include fast food etiquette it would have probably included a little anecdote like this: They're not paid enough to care about your tomato preferences, and you're not paying enough to complain.
      • xerigen, on 07/13/2008, -1/+28It's their job to get my order right. I don't care how much they get paid, it's not that complicated. Maybe an accountant doesn't feel he gets paid enough, so maybe he shouldn't pay attention to your taxes.
      • VelvetoneFusion, on 07/13/2008, -0/+18different McDs vary a lot more than people think
      • byrdgang, on 07/13/2008, -0/+6@mojoel, that's because you are not enunciating.
      • joegibes, on 07/13/2008, -0/+2Be sure you tell them every time -- Sure, they won't like being berated, but at least there's a chance they'll learn from their mistakes (or a manager/owner will get fed up with all the complaints).
      • FunFactor100, on 07/13/2008, -1/+7If they screw up your order so much, why do you continue to go there?
      • theguesser10, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2"@mojoel, that's because you are not enunciating."

        Ha! Haha! Hahahahaha! Great! Dugg!
      • Nysul, on 07/14/2008, -4/+5Here in Arizona we made a law that employers get fined if they hire illegal immigrants, and have to check each employee in a database. Since then not only is ordering fast food easier (since you can understand each other) but the accuracy skyrocketed as well (I don't think I've had a fast food screw-up in the past 6 months).
      • Sanooj, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3Yes, they have a terrible success rate. But look at it this way, they have a fantastic fail rate! 90% is pretty impressive.
      • f3l1x, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1@nysul

        Not sure why you got dugg down. Maybe the truth stings a little more to some people.
      • sugarhooker, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1@f3l1x

        Or maybe saying that illegal immigrants always screw up orders and American citizens get it right every time is extremely offensive?
      • cryslewis, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1
        @sugarhooker

        Or maybe everyone's a little too sensitive. They are simply stating an opinion, which everyone is free to express here.People should be respectful enough to say. "ok that's your opinion, which you're entitled too, now this is what i think." Friendly debate is good for you people.
    • aronnyc, on 07/13/2008, -4/+5Haha hope you're being sarcastic. Everyone I've talked to who've worked at a McD's say they've either spat in someone's burger or served something that's been on the floor. Or worse.
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -0/+14People say a lot of things when they don't have to back it up with evidence.

        Trust me, I'm a renowned psychologist.
      • serenityflexed, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Took me a minute to get it. Which is a little scary.
    • ObeseSnake, on 07/14/2008, -3/+2Classy with the ladies you are!
    • logload, on 07/14/2008, -8/+6McDonalds is the *****
      • Danby123, on 07/14/2008, -1/+11minusing "the" makes for a bit more accuracy.
    • Jforsyth89, on 07/14/2008, -2/+6My order at McDonalds everytime: "Number 1 with cheese and a coke"

      I don't think they've ever messed it up.
      • BigE89, on 07/14/2008, -1/+10Lol, isn't that the Big Mac? It always comes with cheese
      • Vibratic, on 07/14/2008, -1/+4Maybe that's why it never gets messed up.
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -1/+9"Here you go, sir, a sample of my urine with cheese and a coke."
    • tbunreal, on 07/14/2008, -1/+12I can safely say as a McDonald's employee, we do not spit in your food, unless you do something absolutely ludicrous then u might get the patty that fell on the floor ;)
      • addurobi, on 07/14/2008, -0/+6I also work at a McDonald's, and no matter how much of an ***** a customer is, the worst thing we do is make the food as slow as possible. We keep everthing clean and safe, because most of us who work at that store like working there, because its an interesting group of crew and managers.
      • insomniac8400, on 07/14/2008, -1/+6It's because you are paid for your job and not turned into a circus monkey working for tips. When people work for tips they get pissed if they aren't tipped or not tipped enough. They will remember you and do something as revenge. Tipping just causes bad customer service. It does nothing but create hate between servers and customers. Because the server feels they need that tip.
      • mrjhmm, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1When I worked at McDonald's we would drop people's patties on the floor or spit on it if the were annoying. One time we put a dead fly in this rude guy's Big Mac.

        At night it was most common because the manager would usually be in his office counting the money.

        Customers in the drive-thru pissed us off the most.

        McDonald's employees make minimum wage, and they don't get any tips. Treat them with respect or you may get a little something extra in your food.
    • BigE89, on 07/14/2008, -2/+6I can safely say as a McDonald's employee, that this stuff happens more then you would like to think.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3I can safely say as a person who watches the people making my food while I wait, that McDonalds has no regard for cleanliness.
      • encrypteduser, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1Scrub it till you see Mc. C!
    • bmwboy2844, on 07/14/2008, -1/+7I love all the people who have friends who say that they have spit in customer's food at Mcdonald's.
      I'd have to say, in my 2 years at McDonald's (manager), I've never seen one person attempt to spit in food, nor pick up a patty off the floor and throw it on the grill. Corporate office inspectors inspect each store at least once a month. Every store in america.
      • mrjhmm, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1That is because you were a manager. People usually wait until you are in your office or somewhere else. I worked at 3 different locations and saw it at them all. It didn't happen every night, but when we heard very rude or annoying drive-thru customers on our headsets, sometimes we would mess with their food.

        One irritating thing was when people would place special requests, like a cheeseburger with no pickles, or no onions. We used to do spit on some of those orders. Some of my co-workers did it a lot more often than I did.

        I worked at McDonald's for 4 years from when I was 16 until I was 20.
  • HouseCentipede, on 07/13/2008, -23/+19Ah, good old Readers Digest. I read that on the toilet recently.
  • nochilinopity, on 07/13/2008, -11/+431Are these really insider secrets? Sounds more like common sense.
    • BlitzInferno, on 07/13/2008, -0/+59some people are lacking in the area of common sense. I have served a lot of people that need their common sense served to them.
    • Obsydian, on 07/13/2008, -1/+21You would be surprised at how little common sense most diners have. Especially when it comes to table turn-over and what time they come in to eat.
      • xenuxenuts, on 07/13/2008, -2/+14Luckily my boss never wanted to talk to me at 5 til 5. I'm never rude to wait staff, and often tip grumpy people and thank them for the food (everyone has bad days). Most seem to work quite hard and are very polite.

        But this stuff sounds kind of whiny. Would you expect your pc tech to plant a virus on your machine if you didn't treat them like a god? How about a mechanic sabotaging your brakes? Any waiter that spits on food needs to learn some ethics and doesn't deserve the money they do make.

    • Baskins, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Not entirely. How many people would think to leave a little extra due to lost potential if they stayed longer than normal?
      • KaneElson, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4I always feel bad sitting around after I have eaten my meal so I usually just leave rather than pay to sit in a chair.. I'm afraid I can do that at home :)
      • Tytn, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1You'd be amazed how inconsiderate people are. I had a table that sat for 2 hours during the dinner rush, effectively cutting away at least $30. They even acted like it didn't matter and tipped me the minimum 20%
    • NolanRey, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4Common sense isnt so common :-/
    • NuchDog, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Common sense perhaps, but when people walk into a restaurant they are hungry and impatient and tend to forget most of these immediately.
    • jestrella, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1how common is to think that ordering 15 min before closing would get you an extra sanitized meal?
  • BriDaGuy, on 07/13/2008, -35/+9buried for being from reader's digest
  • GREEDOnvrFIRED, on 07/13/2008, -24/+523It takes a real ass to say "Treat others as you want to be treated." AND "It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time." in the same list.
    • corteb88, on 07/13/2008, -10/+16Agreed
    • mbelleghem, on 07/13/2008, -2/+14"A hypocrite is a person who - but who isn't?" - Don Marquis
    • Laminarcissus, on 07/13/2008, -1/+30Since "did" is past tense, doesn't it just take a reformed ass?
    • quandrum, on 07/14/2008, -1/+14The new Harold and Kumar was bad, but this line made me laugh:

      "Do you like giving handjobs? Do you like getting handjobs? Well then you're a hypocrite."
    • NaziHatinChimp, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3Hello this guy is an ass and he is pompous.
    • Paulish, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2It is called moral hypocrisy. Some people will use morality to get you to do what they want because they know you are a good and moral person, but then the hypocrites don't actually follow the rules that they set out. Moral hypocrisy is what is destroying the world. Not anything else you can imagine.
    • clove7, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2It says waiterS share insider secrets. It's a different guy.
    • SifuMoKung, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1I disagree. This post gives advice to better your dining experience, not set a moral standard. Treating people with courtesy serves your own end. I think it's a nice example of Objectivism. (as coined by Ayn Rand)
      • BrainInAJar, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3buried for thinking Ayn Rand is worth quoting.
  • zonk3r, on 07/13/2008, -15/+614. "I spit in your food... and so did the cook."
  • crazzy88ss, on 07/13/2008, -6/+17I have new employee orientation on Tuesday to be a waiter... this should be interesting.
    • OffPiste, on 07/13/2008, -43/+6McDonalds has waiter training?
      • xShifty, on 07/13/2008, -1/+30McDonald's doesn't even have waiters. Nice try at being a dick though.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2I love the "one" bury to that comment. Wonder who that was... ???
    • Obsydian, on 07/13/2008, -0/+17If there is one thing about waiting tables, it was always interesting.
      • trshtehdsh, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3psh. maybe once a week something interesting happens... normally it's the same old *****, repeating the same menu items that have been on our menu for the past 25 years...
    • ExRe, on 07/14/2008, -0/+8One tip from a used-to-be line cook. Be nice to those making your food, take the time to fully put the order on the tickets, and make sure you come around often to check for your food (but do not keep asking for it if they are busy). I can tell you now, if you only put in a partial order, then tell the cooks modifications that need to be made to it, or you order something temperature sensitive and it sits in the window until it has to be remade or you constantly ask if your order is ready you will get ***** food.

      If you make enemies with those cooking your food you will definitely have a terrible time waiting tables.
  • killtrocity, on 07/13/2008, -6/+128Dugg because I work at a place where I wish to God all the customers knew this.
    • 9bpm9, on 07/14/2008, -4/+1You can speak can't you?
      • RoflcopterFUEL, on 07/14/2008, -0/+8It's not as easy as it looks. I do lash out at customers, but only when they're complete dicks and deserve it. I never spit in peoples food though, thats just low.
    • tannermenzel, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4so do i. if everyone knew these things our job would be so much nicer.
    • CrazyEddie041, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3Dear God, yes. I absolutely abhor having to sit around doing nothing because some idiot decided to come in five minutes before closing and stay for an hour chatting.
  • gotyourqueen, on 07/13/2008, -30/+127i'm a waiter..you know what's just as gay as making your own lemonade? bringing in your own crystal light packet and adding it to your water. either drink water or order juice you cheap bastards
    • Divals, on 07/13/2008, -3/+65I make my own lemonade sometimes, usually when I'm too poor to buy a drink AND tip the waiters. I don't like to screw the waiters over when they're paid so little, and if you order water they usually give you lemons too... and there's usually sugar packets at the table. How is this a bad thing?
      • Amadeus2490, on 07/13/2008, -4/+31Yes. The extra money we'd pay on drinks doesn't even go into your pocket anyways, so you shouldn't be complaining about it. . .so long as the party is tipping you fairly.
      • Hoogs, on 07/13/2008, -3/+6Exactly what I was thinking.
      • Mononuclear, on 07/13/2008, -20/+7If you can't afford to eat and tip then don't go there. You come across as a cheap ass by doing that. I have never heard of people making their own lemonade or bringing crystal light packets.. it amazes me that people actually do that so they can save $1 from ordering a lemonade... If you can't afford the drink and think you are too good to drink water than you should go somewhere that you can afford to eat.
      • Rookbird, on 07/13/2008, -5/+40You should care about your OWN financial situation as much as you claim to worry about the waiters'. If a single drink is really going to break the bank, don't-go-out-to-eat.
      • rviper, on 07/14/2008, -12/+6Well, instead of paying $1.99 for the lemonade, your paying $0 for the water. The $1.99 increases the tip percentage. If you can't afford to eat out, don't eat out.
      • dashboardradio, on 07/14/2008, -1/+7I agree with Divals. In my area, jobs for college kids (3 colleges in this area) aren't easily found, and living+gas usually means people are pretty broke. There's not much to do around here, so going out to eat is one of the few options. I've been with friends who made their own lemonade, and it is for the sole purpose of the tip. We've already ordered on the cheaper side of the menu, but we usually tip 20% for the waiter putting up with us. Not saying we're bad customers, just that we stay so long talking and whatnot.
      • crimesofparis, on 07/14/2008, -4/+7If I get water I tip the server as if I ordered a soda. It takes just as much effort to fill up a glass of water as it does to fill up a coke.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2crimesofparis is exactly the kind of person we servers like. He's talking about 50¢ more or less, so why the hell can't you just be nice? Even if I bust my ass serving you, 15% is perfectly fine, although most of customers are around 18-20%. 14.2% is just kind of annoying. It makes you look tacky.
      • StoicHitman, on 07/14/2008, -9/+3my friend is a server and one time someone made their own lemonade and so he took a dump on their plate and then covered it up with mashed potatoes. He got fired but it was worth it.
      • ThinkBox, on 07/14/2008, -5/+7Grow up!

        If life give you lemons, you do the same thing if a waiter gives them to you.

        I like water with a hint of lemon, and most of the time, I don't like lemonaide.

        It sounds more like you have a pet peeve about this versus have any real reason. It isnt about affording a drink either.

        I have always been a good tipper, but if you dont greet me when I arrive and take my drink order quickly or listen to me if Im ready to order. If you show up, bring me a water and the next time i see you is for one drink refill and then for the check -- you do not deserve %20 of my $30 meal. I cant, in good consciousness, pay someone out of my pocket for walking 30 feet, three times.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1fake
    • shakin, on 07/13/2008, -6/+82My wife is diabetic so at a restaurant her choices are limited. While she was pregnant she couldn't drink caffeine either, so she had water because restaurants rarely serve drinks that are sugar-free and caffeine free (basically only diet Sprite and Fresca). She has never brought her own crystal light, but if she did I wouldn't blame her. Even while not pregnant she gets pretty sick of drinking diet Coke all the time.

      If restaurants don't want people bringing in Crystal Light maybe they ought to stock a better selection of drinks, the cheap bastards.
      • troymccluresf, on 07/13/2008, -13/+22"stock a better selection of drinks"

        You seriously expect restaurants to carry Crystal *****' Light?
      • da1e, on 07/13/2008, -9/+4no, if you have special circumstances then they will surely understand.

        cheap bastards????? people making lemonade are cheap.
      • thephosphorbox, on 07/14/2008, -0/+14The cafeteria in my workplace has crystal light. Not that big a deal to order a box from your regular distributor. Not like it goes bad sitting on a shelf. *shrug*
      • omjeremy, on 07/14/2008, -4/+35Is it really that hard to drink water?
      • KarateMedia, on 07/14/2008, -1/+8Ding ding ding. This is why I sometimes bring something like Crystal Light with me (well except for the diabetes part). I don't like caffeine and I've tried to cut back on my sugar. Doing so helped me lose 70 pounds, so feel free to think I'm cheap just for wanting to drink something not on the menu.

        And yes, omjeremy - sometimes water just doesn't work with some meals - spicy food in particular is best accompanied by anything but plain water, IMHO.

        Would I do it at a classy, high priced steak house? No, but for most places I go, I don't see why it would be a problem. Are you really worried that you won't get the extra 15%-20% tip from the price of that $2 soft drink?
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -10/+3restaurants are cheap bastards? They have no extra space, and if items don't sell, they won't be kept in the kitchen. Even drinks. Your pregnant diabetic wife is a special needs case. It's not good business to cater to .001% of your clientele. You're the cheap bastard.
      • StoicHitman, on 07/14/2008, -10/+6hey dumbass, in case you or your wife have forgotten, the universe doesn't revolve around your wife. Get over yourselves.
      • shakin, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2"You seriously expect restaurants to carry Crystal *****' Light?"

        How about Diet Sprite or Diet 7-up or Fresca? It's not like I'm requesting the chef re-stuff the ravioli with cheese instead of meat. Just pick up the phone and order another fountain drink mix from the supplier. You'd think for the $1.50 or more they charge for a $0.20 glass they can afford to keep at least one lesser-ordered drink available.
    • koft, on 07/13/2008, -2/+97Many people cheap out not because they can't afford it, it's because they don't like getting ass raped. 2.50 for a soda that never gets refilled or 4.00 for a bud light. No wonder people order water and squeeze a lemon in it. Half the times I goto a restaurant I'm sucking on ice cubes because the waiter never comes buy to refill my glass. People complain about split meals and doggie bags. If a good chunk of your customers are leaving with doggie bags and splitting meals, your dishes are too large. Thats why most of them do that, they can't eat it all so naturally they split the ***** or take it home. Restaurants loose an amazing amount of money and stress out the servers because they don't look at the numbers or analyze their operation. Most customers aren't as cheap as you think they are, most of the time the "cheap" behavior is a direct result of natural human behavior coupled with a business model that isn't streamlined for profitability.
      • arcticblue, on 07/14/2008, -9/+1I've never taken a doggie bag because I couldn't fit it in my stomach. Most of the time it's because, although there was nothing wrong with the food, I just didn't like some sauce they put on it or something and wanted to bring it home so it didn't go to waste.
      • rviper, on 07/14/2008, -9/+3If you don't wanna pay the 2.50 for a soda or the 4.00 for a bud light, then don't order it. If the restaurant wants to charge that, then they can. You tip waiters well because they give you good service. If they aren't refilling your soda, then take it out of the tip.
      • efitz11, on 07/14/2008, -0/+41whats wrong with a doggie bag anyway? you paid for the food
      • rvaldes04, on 07/14/2008, -4/+2brilliant
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -2/+13koft, you are completely wrong. "streamilined profitability" is exactly why there are expensive drinks. They're a rip-off because it covers the INSANE overhead every restaurant has to deal with. Next time you eat out, look around. Every single thing you see slashes your bottom line: high rent, huge labor cost, massive food costs, energy, HDTV, subscription music service, breathtaking insurance premiums, interest on loans, not to mention advertising... on and on down to every napkin, straw, and toothpick in the place. You'd be very surprised at how bad it can get.

        Those ripoff drink prices are exactly what keeps the place in business.
      • ThinkBox, on 07/14/2008, -2/+3I wish I could digg you twice, well said, I agree 100%
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -0/+10"If you don't wanna pay the 2.50 for a soda or the 4.00 for a bud light, then don't order it."

        That was the whole point...
      • duke, on 07/14/2008, -3/+4BRING ME SOME DAMN LEMONS FOR MY WATER, BITCH!
      • thirteenthcor, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4Schmatt, I used to work at a 7-Eleven, and let me tell you, they make a KILLING on syrup/soda drinks, which they sell at half the price you normally see them in restaurants, and sell more of the actual mix. a 3-5 gallon box/bag of coke syrup generally makes anywhere from 11 to 15 gallons of mix... considering that a 64 oz (half gallon) at 7-eleven can run you 2 bucks or more, and with the boxes of syrup distributed by McClane, which run anywhere from 12 to 20 bucks, they usually double their profit or sometimes quadruple it on the cheaper soda mixes, like root beer and orange soda. Restaurants normally serve glasses of soda FULL of ice (for displacement) and you end up getting around 10-20 oz max per fill.... So please, point out this MASSIVE overhead it takes restaurants to maintain their profit margins.

        Remember almost all chain restaurants have dedicated distribution companies from which they buy their food stock in MASSIVE bulk quantities, with packaging as minimal as possible to eliminate the overhead. These bulk purchases are then distributed across their entire chain through either the same distributor (like Sysco, McClane or Tyson, who distributes directly to KFC) or they might have their own dedicated system. They are literally getting a large portion of their food stock for pennies on the dollar of what your paying for the food item that is finally presented at your table. Remember the more you buy the cheaper it gets.

        Koft has it precisely correct, if you stiff the customer, and ***** with things they know should be a fair price, then their waiters are going to get ***** in return, even if its nothing personal to the waiter.

        As an example: I love Shiner Bock (I live in Texas) and It is brewed about 100 miles from where I live. The Bennigans in my town (Cedar Park) charges 3.50 dollars for a bottle of shiner, which I can buy at Wal-Mart in a six-pack for the equivalent of less than a dollar per beer. Knowing the amounts that Bennigans must buy in bulk to serve their customers, they get it at least as cheap, and must therefore be almost quadrupling the price.

        When you charge me 8 bucks for 2 bottles of domestic beer brewed almost literally next door, don't think at all that I'm going to tip the waiter/waitress just because they popped the top and set it on my table, 20 feet from the cooler.

        By the way there's a Sushi Bar down the road that charges 1.50 for Shiner, and I ALWAYS make sure to leave a good tip. The sushi is a great price too, and Sushi Chefs work HARD for their money.

        By the way its a ***** argument to say "if you cant afford to tip, don't go out to eat" I guess i should just sit home with my tub of mayonnaise and fried chicken like all those people who "don't like to tip if im forced to by the industry" like a good little activist that shouldn't make waves....

        I should be able to enjoy myself without being guilt-tripped into dishing out money for a person who chose a profession that they know (and wrongly) forces its customers to shill out money for a ***** practice. Restaurants should pay federal wage or better, and tips should be for above and beyond service. By the way, there are actually a few states that DO do this in fact, California and Washington being a couple.
      • brootal, on 07/14/2008, -2/+0So basically you're saying that, in the meantime, customers should screw the waitstaff? Honestly, don't ever go out to eat or drink, you will not be missed.
    • AgentMull, on 07/13/2008, -7/+41You start serving crystal light, I'll consider buying it. Otherwise, I'll be as 'gay' as I like, thank you.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+9If you dont want me making lemonade, dont give me the ***** lemon.
    • DuffyDirect, on 07/14/2008, -7/+12After reading this, I'm going to start doing this. God, people are so smart when it comes to dodging having to pay for things. Good for them. What the ***** do you care anyway you stupid tip-whoring idiot? The only reason you're even pissed about it is because you make less money -- you don't have a "stake" in the restaurant's survival... You're just a skill-less line worker that's a dime a dozen!
    • insomniac8400, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Damn, that is a great idea. Drinks are the biggest scam in a restaurant.
    • mu0p, on 07/14/2008, -1/+10You know whats funny about waiters/waitresses like you...

      Occasionally I share a meal, or just order water, or just plain don't order a full course meal and I get dirty looks from the waiter or waitress like Im some cheap ass. Who the hell are you to tell me if im cheap just because Im not ordering a lot. Its as if you were to walk in a clothing store, spend 30 minutes looking around and trying clothes on then leave without buying anything... Are you a cheap ass for that? No. So stop giving me dirty looks for not spending my money like it grows on trees.
      But what I do to waiters/waitresses like you, is I be as NICE as I can be, actually im overly nice, so my food is for sure not to be spit on, then when im done, I pay my bill and leave, and guess what, you get no tip. :)

      So go ahead, give me dirty looks, talk crap behind my back, ill just give you a smile and no tip. And you will go home steaming with fury while I laugh at you for looking at me crazy for ordering water.

      and btw, im a HUGE tipper. I feel good when I leave a nice tip, because I love doing other people favors. If I ever eat out with friends or parents, they always yell at me for leaving to much, so dont look at me like some ***** :)
      • Rocketbird, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2You're kind of a dick, but I like you.
  • jalexhall1989, on 07/13/2008, -3/+4814. Don't eat the chili at Johnny Rockets. (trust me on this one)
    • greeniemeani, on 07/13/2008, -1/+33Rockets out your ass in that case.
    • SoCalMario, on 07/13/2008, -2/+3I like Johnny Rockets especially the one in Pasadena (old town) I just never tried the chili!
    • po43292, on 07/13/2008, -0/+8I worked at a major chain restaurant and this one day no one turned on the refrigeration switch for the salad dressings and mayo station in the back. It was like that all day for the whole shift until someone finally noticed that the mayo was starting to congeal. Who knows how many people got sick from that *****. Everything had to be thrown out and replaced at least.
      • pr0carbine, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2mayo congeals no matter what you do. Its a mystery of modern science.
    • redhitman, on 07/13/2008, -1/+2015. Just don't eat at Johnny Rockets at all.
      • msheidi, on 07/14/2008, -0/+0I won't eat chili from anywhere that I haven't made. I used to work in a small snack bar at the community park when I was 14. They froze the chili from the year before and when summer came just kept reheating the same chili. if it got too hard, just at water. I am careful not to get a lot of things at restaurants. I was a waitress for 5.5 years at Bob's Big Boy and 2 years at Marie Callendars
      • SNIPE07, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2You rarely do not benefit from old chilli, over time chilli gets better as the juices marinate into the beans, mushrooms etc.
    • tomato3017, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Never heard of the place. I'm in Michigan however, the only thing we have here that is good is Micro Brews
    • thirteenthcor, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1I dont think i would enjoy eating at a place called "Johnny Rockets", anyways.... ::shudder::
    • mauralee, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0Bahaha
  • drethedog, on 07/13/2008, -3/+73Server can I please have water, lemons, lots of lemos, sweet-n-low, bread and butter.... and a house salad for my main course.... thanks...
  • imashmuck, on 07/13/2008, -9/+206I think the worst is when people come in 15 minutes before closing time. Seriously, nobody wants you there, go find a Wendy's that's open real late or a 24/7 place.
    • Vicille, on 07/13/2008, -2/+47Seriously. And besides what they said in the article, everyone in the kitchen has already had their hands on rags covered in bleachwater wiping down the counters by that point.
      • Pilleye, on 07/14/2008, -1/+6As a cook that coincidentally JUST came home from being screwed over by a large party coming in fifteen minutes before closing, I can safely say that I had sanitizer on my hands when I cut their sandwiches and plated their broccoli. Nothing intentional or excessively noticeable, but it was there. At the end of the night, our food is never up to standard; haphazardly handled, plated and often times microwaved to hell and back if they ordered an oven dish that takes more than ten minutes.

        Anyway, the article and these comments brightened my night a bit by reaffirming that I'm not alone in my anger, and that some people DO know to stay the ***** away from a closing restaurant.
      • talkingwires, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Hell, in many restaurants if it's slow, fifteen minutes before close they've got the grill off, pans flipped, pulled the skid-resistant mats (covered with grease and food particles) out the back door, and are now wiping everything down. You come in that late, and you're going to have some very pissed off people cooking your food. Pissed off people that just drug a rubber mat caked with dropped food with their bare hands.

        (Salad/fry cook here. I got off my shift an hour ago. We were pretty dead tonight, so we got out early. I'm sorry for your loss.)
    • xtinamo, on 07/13/2008, -2/+59If they tip accordingly, I don't have a problem. But it's always the cheap ass who then sits for an hour chatting it up after finishing their food. Some people's level of self-awareness amazes me.
    • antiorblkflag9, on 07/13/2008, -3/+49There is nothing more frustrating than having your entire section completely clean only to have someone come in at 8:55, forcing you to repeat your entire routing again.
      • DillonHinson, on 07/13/2008, -1/+29Oh man, I cannot agree more. In the food service industry, closing is a lot of work. I work at Dean & Deluca and cleaning can take up to two hours. So in order not to get home at 1am in the freaking morning, we start some basic cleaning about 30min before we close. I always hate it when I have to re-do what I've already done to close just because of one customer. I mean, yeah I always make sure they get the best service possible (I actually care), but come on last-minute customer, you're killing me. Have some respect for us working-class folks who work hard for you're satisfaction. You know we're tired. If you are going to come in, at least order something simple. Please.
      • DephexTwin, on 07/14/2008, -3/+3Why do you let them in? I don't understand. I have been at restaurants where they close the doors while customers are finishing and don't let new customers in. Why is this so hard for everyone to do?
      • antiorblkflag9, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2@ DephexTwin

        If they come before closing time we can't not let them in. Also, I'm not the manager.
      • thebigbradwolf, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2@DephexTwin

        The customers that are "locked in" are also part of the problem, you can't vacuum, you can't break down the salad bar, you can't fill shakers, can't break down the soda fountain, can't open drawers/count money and close out tills...which if you only have 1 customer in an hour how many cash drawers do you need?...
    • quaxon, on 07/13/2008, -42/+60***** that, if you dont want people coming in 15 minutes before closing then make a sign saying you wont accept customers or just close 15 minutes earlier. It is work that you are paid for and i am paying you to do. Why are waiters the whiniest ***** people in the world? youd think they have the worse jobs on the planet with the way they ***** complain about everything.
      • Vicille, on 07/13/2008, -8/+46If you closed 15 minutes earlier people would still be able to come in 15 minutes before you close. Do you not know how time works?

        We're not saying you can't come in 15 minutes before closing, but if you want food that's made with care and food that is fresh you should avoid coming in 15 minutes before close.
      • ispshadow, on 07/13/2008, -0/+112I worked as a waiter for four years and this happened all the time. I'd have my section cleaned up a few minutes early and customers would come in right before closing. You know what?

        I agree with you. If the store is still open, my shift was still going. Yes, it was a little frustrating but it was my job and I appreciated having one.

        There is something SERIOUSLY ***** WRONG with this country. Sometimes I actually wish that we would have a catastrophic event that would force these lazy, materialistic, whiny ***** to fend for themselves in a real way. It may not be easy, but some of us will make it. I lived in the country and worked the land for most of the food I ate as a kid. We worked the land for most of our stuff. I can handle almost all of it without going to Walmart.

        BTW, I'm one of those waiters that believes we shouldn't be tipping. Go to another country and you'll notice something. They don't tip. At least all the countries I've been to and I've traveled quite a bit didn't do that.

        The restaurant should be paying their employees a proper wage. Try working most of a Tuesday (11-7) and coming home with $14-16. Not because I gave crappy service but because I had three tables. I don't think the argument of "this keeps the server from doing a crappy job. They have to do well to make money" is valid. That's the job of the employer to hire and keep good servers. They should be paying them well too.
      • gm33, on 07/13/2008, -5/+27ok -- solution. Why don't restaurants have a few different closing times? 1 for getting a table and 1 for actually dining there.
      • joegibes, on 07/13/2008, -5/+5There's (usually) no time limit on closing. Sure, it's really nice to have most everything done before closing time, but you still have to make sure everything gets done, even if it means staying later.

        If you can't accept this, good luck working in food service.
      • ganjamonsta, on 07/13/2008, -7/+7well it's definitely not the best job on the ***** planet. keep on coming right before close *****, it'll all come back around.
      • pagno, on 07/13/2008, -7/+11Obviously, youve never had a food service job, so you dont know what youre talking about. Ever seen "Waiting"? Its 100% true.
      • fas2, on 07/13/2008, -5/+2@ispshadowispshadow: Then you haven't been to europe. Here you tip the waiters everywhere.
      • Yarmin3, on 07/14/2008, -4/+8I agree, if you close at 9:00 and you want to get home at 9:30 close at 8 so you can still get home at 9:30, don't complain if people come in at 8:55.
      • vikingkatja, on 07/14/2008, -4/+12Screw that. If you can't handle people coming in the last 15 minutes, get a different job where you can slack off. Don't do it in my industry. Open is open. If someone wants to be seated two minutes before closing, then damnit they will be seated and fed.

      • publiclurker, on 07/14/2008, -6/+9You sound like the type of person who has managed to develop a taste for other peoples saliva.
      • shmatt, on 07/14/2008, -7/+5xlaxon, on behalf all of us servers everywhere: SUCK MY BALLS
      • Spudster, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4I don't think employers should be allowed to charge people a wage lower than minimum wage just because they serve people. That's such a violation of the labour code and puts an unnecessary burden on customers to tip bad service.
      • tomato3017, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3@fas2: I've been to Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland. And you never tip!
      • thebigbradwolf, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2@vikingkatja

        it'd be true except management wants labor at 20% of sales and so you're bing rushed out the door at close by them. Nobody would be pissed if they sat around for an hour before close, but cleaning then having it skrewed then recleaning, sucks, especially for what $5 after taxes? On your 13th day in a row with now weekend.

        Then you get yelled at the next day because closing wasn't "done right" and you were there "late", 'not the customers fault"...maybe, but if you think the people that work fast food have the time/energy to organize unionize, strike, and then the resources to eat during without the hours...you're very wrong...so easy target...owners pocketbook via customer.

      • spaceddaisy, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4We tip in Europe, but we don't feel we HAVE to tip, it's not mandatory at all and people make enough money without getting the tip. But if you give excellent service, you get a tip (much much smaller than 15 - 20%, but then our food prices are higher), if your service sucks, no tip without remorse or actually 'hurting' the waiter.

        The times I've spend in the USA, I've always been amazed at how much 'pressure' is surrounding eating out. You all do it all the time, but I never felt as truly relaxed as I do at home (Netherlands). You can't sit there too long enjoying the food and company, how much do you have to tip to not be an ass. It just feels so rushed! Here dining out is much more a social event, that'll easily take us 2 or 3 hours in a nice restaurant, instead of just grabbing a bite to eat. We do it much less often too.

        I hope for all the people in the service industry in the USA that one day you'll get a decent wage like you're supposed to and no longer depend on getting tips. It'll make your work and people's dining experience a lot more pleasant!
    • headzoo, on 07/13/2008, -12/+20I had this happen last night, and it pisses off _everyone_ that works there. The cooks have probably already been cleaning for the past hour, and are almost ready to finish up, and go home. Now because of a last minute order, they are going to be sticking around 30 minutes later.

      The wait staff was almost on their way out the door to go home, and now they have to stay until you leave.

      The dishwasher has to stay until you leave so they can wash your dishes.

      The bartender has.. Well, you get the idea. Everyone working there is very close to calling it a night, and a last minute order screwed them all.
      • slippeh, on 07/13/2008, -19/+32Idea: don't clean up until the ***** restaurant is closed, and you won't have to clean up twice.
      • patsfan456, on 07/13/2008, -19/+14Idea: Don't be so ignorant as to come in and eat a full meal when the restaurant is completely empty.
      • Vicille, on 07/14/2008, -10/+21Slippeh, you have obviously never cleaned a restaurant in your life. Especially the kitchen. There is so much ***** that has to be done at the end of the day in a kitchen it's ***** ridiculous. If we didn't start cleaning and tearing stuff down an hour before close then we would be staying late an hour after we were scheduled every day.

        People have no idea about the amount of ***** the kitchen staff has to do. And on top of that everyone in the kitchen I work in has 2 other jobs. So please, shut the ***** up.
      • Pigeon, on 07/14/2008, -8/+9Vicille:

        Huh? Whats the problem? As long as they pay wages for the hour you have to stay behind cleaning. I've never seen a shop (food or otherwise) where the staff leave exactly at closing time.
      • Virgule, on 07/14/2008, -0/+7Why cleaning before closure? Thats called "taux de roullement" (probably "running cost" in english) and managers are big on that.
      • Vicille, on 07/14/2008, -2/+2Pigeon, I'm talking about staying an hour after I'm supposed to get off of work. Like the kitchen closes at 2pm and I get off work at 3pm. If we started cleaning at exactly 2pm when we shut down the kitchen then we would have to stay until 4 instead of 3.
      • thebigbradwolf, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1@Pigeon

        The problem is this: management will only forecast sales and then forecast labor to meet a specified percentage of sales, this means if you stay late you get written up and fired, in pretty much every industry. Think about it, if you worked 55 hours in a week when your boss had you scheduled for 40 it'd shoot the budget to hell and HR would be pissed, it's the same in a restaurant, and except you don't have an office and HR usually stands next to you while you work.
      • Elliuotatar, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5Wtf? When I worked retail I had to stay close to an hour after closing to straighten the store up and vaccuum and *****, and you're gonna complain when I come in a half hour before your restaraunt closes because you want to clean up before the official closing time? Closing time is closing time.

        I undertsand getting pissed at people who stay AFTER closing time, but I eat fast and always leave at close. Nobody should go to a rastaraunt with 15 minute till close just because it takes at least that long to cook your food. But I can get my meal and finish in 30 minutes if I know exactly what I want to order when I walk in.

        I went to a bar recently, where they advertise the kitchen being open till midnight... And I arrived there 30 minutes before midnight and the sztupid bartender made me wait 15 minutes to order and then he took my order and then came back and said the kitchen was closed, and the owner who I DO know, heard him and said that wasn't right and went back into the kitchen and made them cook it, because there was no excuse for that. If the owner says the kitchen closes at midnight, that's when you start cleaning. Not before then. If I started vaccumming in retail before the store closed, or shut the register down to count the till, I'd get FIRED.
    • Kerrigore, on 07/13/2008, -2/+33It's not like waiting tables is the only job where this happens. I'm sure many people in sales know the person who comes in 10 minutes to closing to browse around, forcing the entire closing staff to wait for them to finally pick something, pay, and leave before they can go home for the night. Or in my case, since I work in computer sales, they are looking to buy a laptop or a printer or a hard drive or something, and I have to try and