I’m a server at TGI Fridays and this endless apps is driving everyone who works here into having nervous breakdowns. I’m not making nearly as much money as I used to and am doing 4 times the work, being belittled and run ragged, staying hours later than usual and the clientele is awful. Corporate doesn’t care, but any advice on how to handle it?
Signed,
Krystal
Dear Krystal,
First off, my deepest condolences to you and your coworkers for working at TGI Fridays. Having done my time at Bennigan’s, Houlihan’s and Pizzeria Uno, I understand your pain.
You are correct with your claim that corporate “doesn’t care.” They have their eyes on the bottom line and if they can sell 500 fried pickles to one customer for $10, they are still ahead because they probably bought 1000 fried pickles for a dollar and a hand job. TGI Fridays CEO Robert Palleschi is sitting at his desk (it’s made of BBQ Chicken Flatbread) and rolling around on a pile of Pan-Seared Pot Stickers counting his money and not giving a second thought to a girl named Krystal who has put holes in her non-skid shoes from making twelve trips to Table 10. So what can you do?
You have two options: quit or deal with it. I mean, that’s how it is for almost anyone who has a job, right? If it’s something that we absolutely cannot handle, then we have to find a new option that will make us happier. Just quit. After all, what is the point of living a live if we are miserable almost every day? If you hate it, change it.
Or you deal with it. In this case, you go to work and when Betty Lou and Bubba Ted plop their asses into the dirty booth and ask for an order of Endless Mozzarella Sticks and Loaded Potato Skins with two glasses of water and extra lemons, you take a deep breath and let it go. Sure, you know they are going to tip you two bucks and run your feet down to stubs, but when they’re gone they’re gone. You don’t have to think about them ever again. Go into the kitchen with your coworker bestie and complain together so you can get it off your chest and then slap that fake ass smile back on your face and get them their fourth plate of fried food. Not every single table is going to be this bad. That’s the beauty part of serving: every customer is different and for every Betty Lou and Bubba Ted, there is a Mr. and Mrs. Totally Nice Moneybags who might make up the difference. Every job has something about it that someone doesn’t like. Granted, some jobs have a lot to not like about them and if that’s the case, you go back to option number one, which is to quit. However, should you decide that serving Endless Apps is not a deal breaker, I would also suggest getting chummy with the bartender. It’s amazing how much more tolerable something can become if you have a steady supply of white wine, tequila or a Grey Goose Punch Shaker.
Mustard and mayo,
the Bitchy Waiter
Jenelle
So I’m a line cook at a TGI Friday’s establishment.
Thankfully, I work on salad side. And all I have for endless is the BBQ chicken flatbread.
I feel so bad for the guys on fry (and even though I know how to work on the fry station), I can’t always help them because, since I work mornings I always have to do my stations prep plus work the line at the same time. I barely have time to finish before 4 and be at my other job by five.
It’s a fucking nightmare for cooks, ESPECIALLY when we only have one person on each station.
I don’t understand why they won’t just do endless on certain days. It honestly would make EVERYONE’S job easier and they’d make just as much $ or possibly even more.
The red head (endless hater)
Oh endless is a nightmare as I walk through those tgif doors and know my fate is set in stone .
I loathe endless apps …
Those who come in and want to order 5 apps at a time ! Umm NOoOoOoOoOo , u can’t do that and u shouldn’t regardless because your a greedy person who will probably die of high cholesterol ?
Those who come in at 3:00pm and tell u they want endless but their movie starts at 3:30 ! Why don’t u just get a well done steak ?
Those who look at you every movement with disappointment in their eyes from the moment they order to the moment you bring their food. To just complain about the dumbest things ever like” I wanted ranch ” and there is a ramikin ON THE SIDE of honey mustard.
Those customers who shout out their next endless order when I drop off their food !
As I have 7 other tables full of endless.
“Ain’t nobody got time for that” lol
Those customers who on the fourth refill say that they really didn’t enjoy the mozzarella sticks …
Umm yeah we can’t take those off from your $10 banquet mam… Sorry
Those who come in and insist on it being ridiculous to pay 10 per person for an appetizer …
Nooo, your paying 10 per person for 7 apps !
And sheesh !! You don’t go to a buffet and ask for boxes cause you know better ! Why get all snappy when we tell you that we cannot give u a box !
Maybe you should have stopped ordering at 5 items !
I have much more to say , but I’m gonna leave it at that !
Endless apps crew !
United we stand and hating every moment of it !
P.s I need my job so here I will stay but I needed to vent ?
Jewel0512
Wow bob you sound like every servers worst nightmare. Someone that has unrealistic expectations of what a server is or is not responsible for. There are policies out there to keep people from taking advantage of unlimited promotions and it is not up to the server to decide if they follow them or not its part of their JOB. Common sence says that if you get seconds or thirds which eat refill your ordering your getting less and less hungry so of course they are going to give you less food because the purpose is for you to get all you can eat in the restaurant not to give you so much that you have plenty to take home. For you to assume thats its her fault just shows how ignorant you are maybe you’d be better off at a buffet no servers to belittle and your plate can be as big as your ego ???
Your Friend Bob
You get lousy tips because of lousy service. Smaller subsequent servings and taking forever to replace breadsticks two at a time tend to piss people off. I also notice each smaller serving takes longer. Maybe you should bring two servings at a time and enough breadsticks to make it worth it to save a trip and have less wait time….yeah, yeah, management requires you to do it that way. Ooohhhh weelllllllll! More breadsticks please!
Sally Seashells
Well BOb, aren’t you just rainbows and butterflies. Some you clearly never worked in the restaurant industry, I’ll inform you on what that is like. Perhaps the restaurant has a policy that ONE refill at a time is allowed. So instead of blaming your servet for your endless gluttony, think about why your refill may take 5 minutes. Or go to a Chinese buffet and help yourself.
theblonde
you have clearly never worked in a restaurant. Endless Apps works that way – the second, third, etc servings are half-portions. And we are not supposed to put in the refill order until you’ve gotten the first. This is not the server trying to keep you waiting, this is policy at the restaurant. Not to mention, we DON’T COOK THE FOOD. If it takes a while, it’s because table 17 next to you also ordered endless apps and table 15 on the other side needs their hot tea re-heated twice and the cooks need to go in the back to get the gluten-free items.
Don’t shoot the messenger, and don’t blame a server at a chain restaurant for a policy they didn’t create.
Brett
I’ve been doing this shit for 20+ years, cooking, serving bartending and managing, I did 7 years at red lobster which taught me this about endless, 90% of the ppl who come in for it are cheap and not gonna tip as well as they should. That being said, that’s when you turn and burn. I made it a point to put as much as I possibly could in front of them so after 10 min they wanna box and get gone!
Nicole Specht
As a career bartender of many, many years…you gotta go where the money is. It is not at TGI Fridays, or ANY low end chain. Aim high and you’ll make bank! Also, thanks for always cracking me up BW 🙂
Mindy davis
Love how real the butch waiter is. Keeps things 100% weather you like it or not. He doesn’t sugar coat anything, he doesn’t work at a doughnut factory as we say. Being a waiter has a love hate relationship. Thanks for the funny blogs and memes you publish.
Salt and pepper,
Mindy Davis
Server ( road trip bar and grill) capay, ca