In a town called Independence, Missouri, a man named Micheal suddenly had a hankering for Wisconsin Cheese Bites, Key West Chicken and Shrimp and something called Gigi’s Baked Spasagna so he hopped in his pick-up truck and headed on over to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. On the way, he picked up a few friends, a couple of half-siblings, a hitchhiker, his Momma and a goat, making for a grand total of a party of 9. He showed up to Cheddar’s at 8:15 and was shocked and dismayed to learn that they could not seat him right away. No, it wasn’t because he had a goat in his party, for that is quite the norm at Cheddar’s. After all, I’m pretty sure their motto is “When you’re here, you’re family, even if your cousin is a goat!” Michael had to wait 30 minutes, even though there were two empty booths! You see though, there was no server for that section, so the restaurant chose to not seat them there. Michael, upset and confused, did what everyone who has a goat for a cousin does and went to Facebook to complain. “What happened to accommodating your customers?” he wanted to know!
Cheddar’s did respond to him and explained that they try to seat everyone in a timely manner while providing the best dining experience possible. That’s the key right there: best experience possible. Had they seated Michael and the goat in those booths with no server, it means that another server, who already had a full section, would have to “pick up” that table. If the server already has a full section, adding nine more people at two different tables might not allow the server to give the level of service that is expected at a Cheddar’s. Or worse, they could have seated Michael & Friends but a server would not have time to attend to them for 15 minutes or so and then Michael would complain that no one came to his table for 30 minutes! Besides, if you show up to a restaurant as a party of 9, why would you not expect to wait a bit? Sure, you may be hungry, but reach into your fanny pack and have yourself some granola, Michael. Give your goat/cousin a tin can snack and just sit there and wait like a reasonable adult.
Non-restaurant people don’t get it, do they? Just because there are empty tables does not mean you are going to be seated right away. Imagine, if you will, you go into the bank and see eight teller windows but there are only five tellers. Do you demand that one of those employees suddenly starts manning two windows? No, you get in line and wait until the staff can help you. What if you go to Piggly Wiggly and see ten check out lines but only six of them are staffed? What do you do? You go to one of the lines that has a checker at it, that’s what you do. You don’t go stand in the line that isn’t lit up and just expect that someone is going to rush right over and and start bagging your pork rinds, Cheetos and Diet Shasta. Restaurant: same thing. We are going to serve you based on the staff at hand. Deal with it.
Here at The Bitchy Waiter, I feel it is my job to educate the restaurant consumer. They know not what they are talking about and I am here to help them. I’m a giver, really. You’re welcome.
Aisha
I need to point…as a cashier…yes they will go to an empty line and stand there.I had customers even open my closed line and get on line…It’s insane.
Server
I have a theory that the more technology accommodates every whim of every person; and in only an instant, they expect that in every realm of their lives. The overwhelming sense of entitlement, coupled with lack of manners, has made the restaurant business (and other retail for that matter), absolutely unbearable. It is the persons’ complete inability to set their demands aside which derails any attempt to broaden their understanding. The lack of respect and common sense causes customers to become enraged, write a bad review, or threaten lawsuits and/or violence.
BW, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!
LyndsayJN
I live about 10 minutes from Independence, MO, aka “Math capitol of the US”. Around here, (KC Metro area) I can assure you that no one takes shitty Independence methheads seriously!
LyndsayJN
*Meth my phone auto corrected and I didn’t notice lol
Danielle
I too am a server last night we had a reservation for 8 and they arrived they had 14 we were unable to accommodate during to other reservations and walkins. They chose to leave and started a fight in the parking lot with the owner of our restaurant. People just do not get it. Have a little respect
N.
I don’t know why the issue of most black people do not tip accordingly hasn’t come up!? I have been a server for 15 yrs. & at every restaurant I’ve worked, whenever I see the host seat any black ppl in my section my 1st response is FUCK! Then I have to remind myself some surprise you and so of course I give my best service too usually almost always get screwed! W.T.F? You seriously think $5.00 is a decent tip!??? Especially when they, the black folk run you more than ANYONE, ALWAYS NEEDS XTRA DRESSING, ALWAYS NEEDS HOT WATER TO SOAK THEIR UTENSILS (AS IF THE GLASSES THEY’RE DRINKING FROM AREN’T FILTHIER) & ALWAYS NEEDS EXTRA SAUCE FOR WHATEVER! IT’S NOW 18 PERCENT OF THE BILL IF THE SERVICE WAS GOOD. IF THE SERVICE IS GREAT, IT’S 20 PERCENT!! OH, HISPANICS AS WELL ! I’m Hispanic but, when it comes to my money… get a fucking clue!
Elizabeth
THANK YOU!! BW – Please write an article complaining about this, I would “LOL” so hard.
dead_elvis
Hey “N.”, you racist fuckstick, until you’ve personally served MOST black people, you can’t say that MOST black people don’t tip. Maybe your shitty attitude toward African-American customers is obvious, and you’re suffering because of it.
Somehow, I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that you, personally, have waited on MOST black people.
N.
Dead-Elvis.. I wasn’t speaking on the entire race fuckwad. Speaking on the ones I MOSTLY WAITED ON! And what if I am racist? ? Not the fucking point assclown! My attitude stays the same, like I said in my previous post! PISS OFF cause you obviously haven’t served them enough to clearly see that I am right!
Carol
Where the hell did that come from?
Shurko
So true,I’m not preducice,but it’s true..black folks demand more and tip less ??
Mackenzie
I work at Cheddars, actually. Although I’m sure things run a little differently here in Texas, I can assure you, it is a bitch to take a larger table when you have a full section. The hosts will sometimes still do it, but They’ll sometimes keep seating you in your own section so if the kitchen isn’t on top of it, you’re screwed. Happened to me multiple times. And then they stiff you. Good times, good times.
Lauren Anderson
In this industry unfortunately it seems like we are damned if we do, damned if we don’t. I think there should be a service course offered in high schools to help educate people on exactly what we in the service industry do. We had Home Ec and Cooking classes for years so why not?! There will always be guests out there who will complain no matter how hard we try to accommodate them, and there will always be those in the general public that are still convinced all we do as servers is write orders on a pad and fill up drinks. And until serving is seen as an acceptable occupation and not just something college kids do, or as a part time job, people will always look down on us and think they can get one over on us.
Brenna
My favorite is when the entire dining room is packed. I warn customers that their food may take a little longer and they often look at me like I have two heads. One of these customers also asked me if the iced tea was cold. There’s just no fix for stupid.
Leanna
That does sound like a dumbass question, but she probably was asking because iced tea is made hot (at least everywhere I’ve worked that’s how it is) and the ice in your cup cools it down. But sometimes it melts the ice super fast and it’s still warm. Our tea stays hot for a pretty long time apparently because even hours after its made because i get a lot of people asking for more ice. That’s probably what she meant by that
Or she could just be a complete moron
Anthony
Lol… that’s when you say our ICED tea usually comes warm unless you request ice in it
Michelle
I owned and managed restaurants and pubs for 21 years, I give you a lot of credit, so very difficult dealing with people! I swear, sometimes they just like taking their bad day out on the restaurant staff…and everyone is an expert on how a restaurant works.LOL…I will never own a restaurant again..I currently work in IT and happily relish the solitude that is the IT room???I do still try to educate people on the ways of the hospitality industry!
Jennie
Im from Independence, Missouri. Nice try…but not the one horse town youre assuming it is.. It is a CITY…MINUTES AWAY FROM KANSAS CITY..home of Harry Truman, and a great place to live…unless you’ve been there..dont assume you know how it is…
Sarah
GTFOH
Britt
Pretty sure he was more making aasumptions about the customer himself and not the actual state of Missouri
Charley
Ya Im annoyed by this…..we are not podunks…..do your research butchy waiter
Eva
You’re a bigot if you think butchy is an insult. Oh, and also, you’re Podunk homophobe.
Charlie
It might take awhile for Charley to get back to you, having to find a dictionary and all.
If s/he can manage to stop chewing his/her toenails.
Amanda
You missed the entire point lmfao
Douglas Conner
I’m from KC. Independence is the meth capital of Missouri. The best thing that ever came out of there was Interstate 70.
Charlie
His insults were aimed at the customer, not the town, idiot. You would know this if you had learned a little thing called, “reading comprehension” including a lesson called “context.”
By the way, the fact that you and the other genius defending your *ahem* “city” (LMAO…I’ve been through Independence) can’t spell, punctuate, or use proper grammar completely contradicts the point you’re trying to make.
Thanks for the laugh for the rest of us, though!
Rei
Oh, but if they’re in the ER and there are empty beds, they expect to be in one even if we’re short on nurses and they have a papercut! People simply do not get that there is a limited number of people an individual person can serve at once…
Robert Schneider
opened on New Years day and was short wait staff and could not open third dining room. Pretty soon on a one hour and fifteen minute wait,
Finally servers showed up and was able to move the line. Seated an older couple in third dining room and they overheard my servers complain about their section( these are the servers late for shift), and called me over to the table to whine about the wait time since they were the first table in an almost empty section. When I explained that seating was a promise of great service, and that we could not honor that promise without servers, they took offense at me pointing out the obvious to them.
They complained to Corporate and my GM visited them at their house with a gift basket and a free meal pass. When he heard the whole story and that I had comped the meal already and followed all company guidelines in handling the situation, he bade them farewell and took the gift basket as well.
miss kitty
I love the bank teller/cashier analogy. Spot on! I’ll be using that.
Stacy
Yah! Me too!
Heather
Exactly! Love how you worded that. I’ll be using it!