Having been both a hostess at a fast casual restaurant and a server for quite a few summers at several beloved neighborhoods joints, I know a thing or two about the restaurant game. And thing number one has to do with tips. The best way to ensure that you get a good tip is your friendly attitude. You are literally there to wait on them, so if you think that task is beneath you, waitressing isn’t for you. If however you enjoy the social atmosphere, free shift meal and being part of a fun staff, you might want to purchase a pair of high top Reeboks and grab an apron.
In a case where the kitchen screws up, you can make it better with a complimentary beverage, on the fly re-order or manager visit to the table. And although it’s not always the server who ends up being the person who delivers the entree course, it’s so much better when it is. It’s almost embarrassing for a runner to ask, “Who got the chicken parm? And the grilled cheese? Soup?” When it’s your server, they usually remember. It might be only an hour of togetherness, and you can fight me on this, but a bond is created. And when it’s not your person that delivers “the big salad,” you might feel a little robbed. (The “big salad” is a Seinfeld reference from season six that originally aired in 1994. George gets upset when he buys a large salad for Elaine but his girlfriend Julie gets the thanks for it and this drives George crazy!) I sometimes watch my server in action and then think how’s she gonna get our food if she’s busy with THEM? And then a sweaty uniformed teenager swoops in with a giant oval tray and starts handing out plates like he’s dealing at a casino… which is largely unsatisfying. Yeah, thanks. Where is the love? We wanted HER.
Sometimes the universe doesn’t give us credit for being the least bit smart! In a textbook example of what the actual f*ck is going on here, check out the genius who thought he was protecting the public with this teeney, tiny, itsy bitsy singular orange cone. Thanks ever so much, Steve! Might have missed it altogether were it not for your warning.
It’s no secret that technology and I seldom get along. I’m always the one at the self-checkout at the grocery store calling over the unbothered attendant because my grapes don’t scan and the system can’t find the SKU for my turkey. My printer occasionally goes “offline” unexpectedly and refuses to cooperate. My wireless keyboard can’t remember my computer and WiFi signals avoid me! I wish I were kidding. Even still when the remote for the TV acts up it’s at a point when I’ve just about had it. Does this happen to you…???
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