McNaughton: Service deserves tips, especially in a college town
Don’t skip the tip; waitressing is harder than it looks
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
Would you like any cream with your coffee?”
“We’re Swedish, we don’t use cream.”
Ha, that’s a new one, was all I could think after filling up their mugs with the fresh, steaming coffee. I’m a waitress at a steakhouse, and the job is never boring, with the customers keeping me on my toes with condiment requests or complaints of under or overcooked steaks, making my evenings hell sometimes.
Being a waitress is convenient because a majority of employers are sympathetic to students and their flexible scheduling needs. If you’re a people person, it’s also fun to talk to and meet new people and families every day. Interactions vary from the one above, with my customers having foreign accents, to guys older than my dad hitting on me. However, the day to day interactions aren’t always laughable or pleasant and don’t always constitute a proper pay-off for the flexibility. At times, I just want to scream; I choose to stifle my outbursts by going to the back and venting to my cooks instead, who say I remind them of the waitress on the movie “Waiting,” with Ryan Reynolds.
I don’t enjoy getting angry at work. As a server, all we are trying to do is serve dinner and keep drinks filled, in a pleasant manner. All the while, hoping you leave us the suggested and much needed, might I add, 15 percent tip for our services. As a job requirement, I have to approach people in a nice, friendly way, so why some people are rude from our first interaction is beyond me.
A government study found that 7 percent of full-time health and food industry workers, such as those who care for the elderly or children or are food and drink servers, battle with depression. Judging from the gems that I encounter as a part-time waitress, I think anger management might be more plausible. I’m not trying to imply that everyone I’ve waited on has been rude to me, but I get at least one unhappy customer a night.
I work part-time to pay for bills and my personal expenses, but I’m a full-time student. Although it’s not a career preparing job, it helps me be somewhat independent of my parents. It is a job though, and I, as well as other servers, should receive a reasonable amount of respect. We don’t come to your job and disrespect you or question your intelligence, so is it necessary to do it to us? Tough skin is a respected attribute when serving. Keep in mind we are accountable for what the cooks prepare, and I would like to stress cooks prepare (some people are under the impression that we cook and serve), as well as our own responsibilities.
Next time your friends and you opt for an evening out at one of Lawrence’s many fine dining restaurants, all I ask is that you think twice before going left on your server for an error in your order. Remember the saying, “treat others as you want to be treated,” because we are serving your food, and it is ok to leave more than 15 percent tip. It is even greatly encouraged.
McNaughton is a Topeka junior in journalism.
Discussion
All comments are moderated by Kansan.com staff. For our full user policy, click here.
Share your 2¢
Requires free registration.