A few days ago, I was sent a photo of a huge mess left underneath a table by a family of trashy raccoon bitches who had no manners or social graces. The server who sent it to me told me that the bill was $78 and they left him a $10 tip. He tried repeatedly to pre-bus and keep the table clean but the customers insisted that he leave it because they were still “using everything.” When they were finished, the parents did nothing about the insanely dirty floor their kids had left behind. I turned the photo into a meme and posted it on the Bitchy Waiter Facebook page and it stirred up some really great comments. Some of those comments need to be discussed. Below, you can see the photo that started the firestorm.
Chris says, “Just shut the fuck up and do what ur suppose to if u don’t like it find another job.” Okay Chris, I am going to respond to this in a way that even you can understand: Fuck u and ur stoopid ass. No, we dont like cleaning up after brats when the parents shud take some responsibility for there kids we dont mind cleaning up after peeple, bcuz its r job, but we dont want 2 get on our hands n knees bcuz the kids dont have no fucking manners.
Joshua says, “Complaining about getting money to do your job is sad and pathetic. Do your job and earn your 10$.” Our job is to take orders, serve food and to make sure the customers have what they need. It is not our job to constantly pick up after children and practically hose down our section when they are done. A restaurant is not a barn and server is not a maid. I think you are sad and pathetic for coming to a site for servers and then trying to act like you have some justification for telling us how to act.
Lizzy says, “Personally, I will never be caught bitching about a 10 dollar tip.” You will hear me bitching about a $10 tip when the tip isn’t enough. Where I work, the average bill is somewhere between $80-100 so I don’t want to see a $10 tip. That would mean that the tip isn’t anywhere close to the 15-20% that I prefer. Keep in mind that we are often paying taxes on our sales regardless of the tip that we receive and then tipping out to the support staff. If I get $10 on a $100 check, once I tip the bartender and the runner and then pay the taxes on what the IRS assumes I make, I don’t have shit. So, yes, you would complain about a $10 tip if you worked someplace where an entrée costs more than $5.99.
Jan says, “Tips are not required So whatever you get better be GRATEFUL. You sound entitled when you are not. If you can’t handle the letdown go to another line of work.” Jan is from the United Kingdom where tipping is a completely different story. I would be GRATEFUL, Jan, if you kept your nose in your own business and on your own side of the pond. Entitled is not the right word. Judging by the photo, it was the parents who were entitled. How else would you describe people who assume it’s alright to let their children defile a restaurant like that and then not even try to make up for the amount of effort it takes to clean up after their sorry asses?
James says, “Do your job and shut up.” Fuck you, James.
Charles says, “If you don’t like your damn job, get another one. I’m sick and tired of beople bitching about having to do their job. If it wasen’t for people eating out, you wouldn’t have a job in the first place. I don’t let my son make messes and my tips reflect the service I receive. But quit complaining about doing what you are expected to do.” Look Charles, good for you that you don’t let your son make messes like that. I don’t believe you for a hot second, but good for you for saying it. We are not bitching about doing our job. We are bitching about doing things that are not our job. It’s the job of the parents to control their kids. “Beople” bitch about their jobs, it’s not just servers. And you are correct; if it “wasen’t” for people eating out, there would be no job in the first place. However if people who don’t know how to raise children would stop breeding, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion, would we?
Megan says, “Suck it up move the table back clean that shit and know why you need a higher education! Oh and sorry your $10 tip wasn’t enough, that’s more than 10%. WOW.” Just so you know, Megan, lots of servers have higher educations and wait tables part time for extra money. It’s not just the stupid undereducated people who are bringing your food to you. Many of us are educated and I bet all of us are smart enough to know that 10% is not a decent tip, dumbass.
As always, I appreciate the comments. It may be hard to believe, but I read practically every single one. (It gives me something to do at work…) It gives me joy to be able to reach out and directly respond to some the readers. Thank you for your comments and please feel free to comment as often as you like.
Kaos
BW (or anyone else I guess, but specifically BW):
“If I get $10 on a $100 check, once I tip the bartender and the runner…”
Do the bartender, runner, et al. have to pay taxes on the tips they get?
I’ve always thought it was bullshit that the IRS decided to go after servers. I mean I get it, it’s not like the government wants citizens who actually work for a living to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, much less get ahead…who do we thing we are anyway, the POTUS?
I held my breath until I stopped doing hair that they wouldn’t wise up and likewise go after hairstylists at least until I didn’t do that anymore (they haven’t…yet) but there are all kinds of other people who get tipped who aren’t targeted by the feds trying to squeeze every last half-penny out of them. I have been reading this blog for a while now and it’s gotten me wondering about all the other people that get tipped out at the end of the day. So are the servers the only ones in the restaurant to be subjected to this governmental financial strangulation or do you all share that as well as pooled tips?
To be clear, IMO the IRS needs to go after people like…oh IDK, pretty much anyone with CEO/COO/CFO, etc. behind their names (because you know they’re *all* hiding a shit ton of cash in the Caymans or somewhere) instead of targeting famous NYC waiters.
Stacey
I love that people suck it up and do your job. It’s about respect. Those are not our children..so please don’t have us pick up all their finger food off the floor. Unless you’re going to leave a giant well above 20% tip. Then by all means I’ll clean up after those little snots. But it’s our job right? Well don’t complain when I find out where you work…probably some shitty department store for $9 an hour and tear through every aisle leaving clothes and shoes everywhere. Don’t complain though..that’s your job.
Kaos
LOL Good idea actually. Find out where they work and just go in and completely trash their work place. I think federal minimum wage is like 7.50 per hour so if they *are* making that whopping $9/hour then they shouldn’t complain right?
Washington state minimum wage is like $12/hour and servers (and other tipped employees) get paid $12/hour plus tips like they do in California (which interestingly is only like $10/hour minimum, but I digress). Even though I know they are getting at least that $12/hour I still routinely tip 25-30 (ish)% because it doesn’t feel right otherwise…nevertheless no way no how would I leave a mess like that. I wouldn’t allow it in the first place, but that’s a whole other discussion.
lara
At my restaurant we have a big display case of gelato. Kids love to get up from their tables to go look at it, and of course kids cannot look without touching. I have long ago given up on the thought that the glass will stay clean for more than 10 mins. The other day one kid, about 5 years old, was rubbing his greasy paws all over it, purposedly trying to make it as dirty as possible.When the father saw this he asked mt for some paper towels and glass cleaner and made the kid scrub it until it was spottless. Best parenting skills ever, that guy is now my hero.
Leah Messick
Personally I have a b.a in hospitality management and yes I’m a server!!! I have a small child and choose not to put in the lengthy hours management puts in…so I wait tables!! I even make more than some of the managers in about half the amount of hours. So assuming that all servers is ignorant just like the asshole who made that comment. And I can not believe how any person could justify allowing their children to act like heathens…but as a server I’ve seen it all!!! Kids being rude…saying where’s my food while the parents laugh, to parents allowing the previous conversation to happen, to parents allowing their children to run around while servers almost trip over them with hot food( that’s my biggest pet peeve.. then they look at us like we are the assholes who almost ran over their kid) but by far the worst thing to happen to me is a child threw up on the table and the parent sat there watching me clean it up saying sorry then only leaving me a 5 dollar tip on a 80 dollar tab!!! I don’t hate my job!! I just hate some the people I wait on!!!!
Leah Messick
Sorry for some of my typing errors!!! I’m at work and trying to type fast!!
T
I enjoy reading people who leave comments about things they don’t understand. It shows the ignorance of people. Which yet again is another reason I hate people. I believe everyone should be forced to work as a server for at leave 3 months, just so they understand how people should actually act in the world. Parents who let their kids act like fools, and leave messes everywhere they go are bad parents. Would it be ok to take your kids to your parents house, friends house or even your worst enemy’s house and just leave food, and trash all over the place and expect those people to clean up after them? No? Then why is it ok to let your kids do it in a resturant? It’s ok to have some crumbs and some napkins scattered around the table, but to have all of the kids meal on the floor along with the whole sugar caddy thrown about as if there was a party goin on is out of line. We are servers… Not servants. If you don’t know the difference, then maybe you should stay home.
Jessica
When did people get to be such prudes?
-Are we forgetting that this is supposed to be humorous for us? PEOPLE… It’s not difficult. If you’re not a server stop being so upset about “The Bitchy Waiter”. THIS IS OUR HOUSE. Where we don’t have to quietly talk shit in the buss station about your extra fucking ranch. Those of us in the industry, GET IT. It’s funny because this shit is actually true and sadly happens every shift.
For those of you who think this is part of OUR job, and we should just shrug our shoulders and clean it up, let me ask you: How would you feel if I came into YOUR workplace and disrespected YOUR work space- then expected YOU to clean it up?
Fuck. THAT.
You wouldn’t right? Exactly.
Another thing that really gets under my skin are the condescending comments and customers. Your “I’m better than you” facial expression is already pissing me off.
I have a BA in Marketing and Advertising and also work full-time in my career choice yet I CHOOSE to pick up after your manner-less kids and keep my serving/ bartending job at a local San Diego Steakhouse because I love my co-workers and it’s fun. Therefore, because it’s my choice I can deal with things like this… BUT don’t assume -EVER- that we are under educated. Or else I will LAUGH when you can’t correctly add your less that 15% tip- and yes, I will take the extra few bucks you mistakenly gave me because you can’t add. The total is the total.
I’ve always said that working in the restaurant industry should be a class offered for one semester in high school so people understand restaurant etiquette.
THEN, maybe you will laugh and enjoy The Bitchy Waiter.
But until then, Keep Calm and Bitch On 🙂
emily h
At my restaurant, we have to give the guest the extra, no matter where the mistake in basic math comes in.
122.72 + 24.00= 126.72?! Guess what asshat, I just got a four dollar tip because you can’t add!
122.72 + 24.00= 156.72? I do not get to keep the difference.
Erin
Before I start, let me say I do not currently nor have I ever worked in food service. I’m an office rat. So, to the servers of the world, let me say from someone who is not one of you, I’m sorry that people act like this. I’m disappointed by how many people in the world believe they are ENTITLED to be waited on. And yes, some people are going to be servers for the long haul. But a lot of others are just trying to make ends meet in a crappy economy. I wouldn’t say they exactly “chose” their jobs. Anyway, I was raised to believe that you’re never better than ANY job, so to the people who seem to think servers are subhuman, I say: karma’s a bitch.
sharmon
Kenny your the douche..get a life buddy!!!
LRCpunk
Megan’s comment brings up a point I would LOVE to see you address in a future post: the huge numbers of overeducated servers that are out there these days. I regularly wait on groups who have less education put together than I have by myself. I have a law degree, and I went to interview after interview for months before I ran out of money and went back to serving so that I could, you know, LIVE. I am so tired of people assuming that I am lazy, unmotivated, or dumb because I’m a server.
Mellie
For all the idiots on here talking about how the server should just do their job and shut up…if you’re not sympathetic to the server, then at least be sympathetic to the people who have to sit at this sticky mess of a table after you and your heathens leave…or the people that have an extra wait because the area has to be sanitized and steam cleaned after your brats make the area a disgusting mess!
Adorius
My brother and his kids do this constantly and leave only a very basic tip. It drives me nuts because when we dine out his wife often doesn’t come and people assume that they are MY kids. At first, I tried to be sure to clean up and leave the tip myself, but that meant that any time we went out to dine, I ended up paying for his entire family (and they are breeding like rabbits). Now, I simply don’t go out with them.
His attitude is: I do this EVERY day at home. The whole reason that I take the kids out to eat is so that I can skip it for one meal. Now, having met his kids, I can appreciate his desire to take some time off from them (then again…he’s the one who raised them to be loud, untidy, disrespectful, entitled brats). I want to take time off from them after just minutes in their company. However, wanting to take time off from them involves him asking the restaurant staff to perform jobs way beyond what they are paid for, or should be expected to perform. You see, it’s not just the mess. He doesn’t want to look after the kids in restaurants. He lets them run free, the farther from his table the better so he doesn’t have to be near them. If one of the kids barrels into a waiter with a full tray, he lets out a cursory ‘stop that’, which the kids ignore because, heck, it never had any consequesces before so it’s not going to now. They run into the kitchen, they run behind the bar, they tear up sugar packets and bother other diners. They draw ketchup pictures on the walls. And if a child is injured behaving like this, or causes another patron to be injured, I have no doubt that he would blame the restaurant staff.
If parents want to take ‘time off’ from looking after their poorly raised brats, I well understand it. But there are creches, daycare, and sitters who get paid to look after kids. Restaurants don’t and, in my view, shouldn’t expect their staff to accept that liability. And it IS a liability. A potentially expensive legal one.
Now, I don’t think that bad parents will stop being bad parents or suddenly start being able to accept criticism of their parenting abilities. (Sorry, bro. You suck at discipline.) However, I do think that at least some resaurant owners are starting to recognise that such parents ARE more of a liability than an asset. What needs to change is the cultural expectation that it’s all right for children to act like this and for restaurants to simply stop serving them after a point or to impose strict expectations for child diners.
And in answer to the ‘they’re just children’ crew: if European children can behave respectfully in restaurants, use all the right forks at a formal dinner, and resist the urge to run headlong into a man carrying boiling soup, then American kids can surely learn not write on the walls.
Jenny
Don’t make the assumption that all our kids are good as gold… see my post above.
S
Haha! I HAVE been management before. Managed two locations with horrible owners and a lack of lower management because they couldn’t keep anyone. I quit and don’t make anywhere near the amount of money I made doing that job but I decided my sanity was worth something. I couldn’t do it anymore… Too many idiots. I have nothing but respect for people who can stay in the hospitality industry and not end up in prison for murdering someone.
babylove
I have worked alot of years as a wraitess,cook hostess,dishwasher and manager & bartender, and I did it because I liked my job and made good money,I have worked in nice dinner clubs,family restarants fast food and crappy cafes and have taken alot of shit off customers and their kids, I have a son and grandsons and we tot them that going out to eat was a reward for being good,and if they pulled shit and made messes like that …it would be the last and only time they would go
out to eat ANY WHERE,
plus thats just tells me the parents much be as bad as the kids,at home.
my son learned young that iff you act like a pig,your going to be feed and treated like one,if he didn,t like his food he would throw it on the floor, well he only got away with that stunt once. I warned him if he did it again be perpared to wear it,I guess he thought I was joking…the next day at dinner I made spag he didn,t want or like it,well before he could pick the bowl up to drop it it was on his head,I,d say a good 30 mins or so till dinner was all done, he looked at me didn,t say a thing and we never had that problem again.LOL thats called teach your kids right from wrong it,s called manners Assholes.
Oh I,m not done! when the waitess seats you and your brats in the booth,and if need be seat their ass in the chairs provided for them make sure the seat belt is on ,BECAUSE I dont want or like your drooling big mouth kid hanging over the booth while I am trying to enjoy my dinner with my family!!!and their yelling and spitting their food in my plate or worst yet in my hair or ears! let me make it easy for you,make them act like kids or tie that degusting pigs outside with the other pets…
If the person waiting on your table is a good waitess she will make sure you are treated nice and get what you ordered for everyone as fast as aloud and removes things from the table so you have to make messes,all done with a smile and polite attatude which can be very hard to do,Believe me I have been there, because your attitude and the service you give is what makes your tips.some people are just straight out ass holes and wont leave a tip or a very small one.
I worked as awaitress at a club worked a lg table of 20 adults drinks,dinner the works turn out great,was given a 50 dollar tip and one of the wifes picked it up on me,now thats not right they were just being a ass hole.
I have also worked lg private weddings with the dinner ect,and the guess would throw lg amonts od food away just because,leave baby,s shitty diapers they just took off their baby andleave on the floor or in the sinks ect, drinks spilled all over the carpets and wood floors and then walk through it,desory plants decor in the building,,,,now these are pig people and shouldn,t even let through thr front doors. after the wedding ect,pay the bill leave a small amount for the help and dont even pay for the damages..honest this is very true.
I,m not complaining,like I stated I like my job and more then not the money was good,I just wanted to say both sides of this complain
are right.
Rest,workers work hard for their money just like other jobs most like their job, and their smart people with schooling ect.so get off their ass because they get tired of the people with unmannered brat kids that make their jobs harder ,and a real pain in the ass to be nice and polite .
Thats why parents and the kids need to be clean and ploite when they dine out.gos both ways .
hey parents remember those messy kids are you!get the drift?
others see what the messy unmannered kids are doing and they not only see them they see you TOO.
So all of you damn drama Queens on both sides shut the fuck up,
If parents don,t start teaching this generation right from wrong,
and manners for others every where,not just here .If the next generation don,t start working and helping for the years to come,there won,t be a future,so come kids help because if you don,t Mother nature or our goverment is going to take us down.it just which one .Mother nature and her sister Krama are both real bitches
and don,t care what happen when we piss them off.
Jenny
As a fellow Brit I apologise for Jan’s comment. In fact, he was probably one of the tools in my pub who let his children run around right next to the kitchen door, made a load of chairs into a makeshift bed because he couldn’t just take his tired kid home, and left a horrendous mess everywhere.
The truth is, customers are unpredictable as shit. People forget that everyone finds eating out appealing, so therefore you are bound to get every type of personality under the sun. In other non-customer service jobs, this is not the case. You may get the odd bitch or dickhead who hates you for stupid reasons, but that’s it. In customer service you have to uphold the same attitude for every single person you meet, which is very very hard to do, considering you serve so many during a shift (unless your establishment is teeting on the brink of bankruptcy). You don’t get to know them and you don’t have a decent amount of time to learn about their personality – you have to react extremely quickly to how people interact with you, whether they’re nice, weird or just plain horrible.
Jan is right in that over here tips are not mandatory, especially in pubs. In fact, in pubs it’s practically non-existant, but in an establishment like the one I work in, you still work incredibly hard for not very much money (yes more than waiters get in the US as minimum wage is about $10 an hour), and without tips it is extremely difficult to make ends meet.
I’d love to have another job to give me more support, but sadly in these bad economic times I have to stick with what I have. I’m grateful for the job and indeed for the money, but when people turn up and take advantage of me and not give a shit that I have to clean up all their mess like I’m some kind of maid, then I will not be grateful.
/rant over
Linzi
On behalf of the United Kingdom, I’d like to apologise for Jan. We are not all that ignorant, and some of us (not many, admittedly, but let’s spread the word) understand that “minimum wage” and “working for tips” means something VERY different in the US! However, at least you can take solace in the knowledge that servers in the UK are dealing with the exact same scenarios, and although they get a higher minimum wage, it still isn’t nearly enough to excuse or counterbalance the sheer lack of parenting in such a display.
Jenny
Haha after writing my comment I noticed you’d began your comment pretty much exactly like mine. xD *High-fives*
April
What I love, is that the “professional” leaving nasty comments bitch about thier jobs all the time! it’s ok for them, just not the ones who serve them. Do you know why? All those people who took the time to whine about a server complaining about a dirty family leaving a huge mess see themselves in the complaint. They know they treat servers like shit. they know they tip badly and leave messes. they just don’t want to be called out on it!
Also, who comes to a page entitled “the Bitchy waiter” and gets pissed off that it’s about a waiter….bitching? seriously?
Kenny
RIGHT?????
Ceri
I’m a server at a family restaurant, so I see messes like this every work day. Imagine the same mess, plus pancakes and scrambled eggs ground into carpet, with the added bonus of pancake syrup spilled across the table. So much fun! Sometimes, it strikes a nerve or you’ve just had a bad shift and a table like this is he proverbial straw. But if the customers tipped appropriately (this means a minimum of 15%) I’m not that pissed about it. It is part of my job. It doesn’t speak particularly well of the parents that allow that behavior, but there are worse things.
Angylee
I would not let my child make that mess at home, I sure the hell would not allow it in public. It is not the servers job to cleab up after my child….its mine. If you allow your child to act like that in public, Im scared to know what you let them do at home.
Harry Hartley
Whoever thinks this is acceptable for a kid to make a mess like this is a complete slov! I have a Bachelors in business and still continue to serve and bartend because the money is great and it’s a fun job so NO restaurant employees are NOT uneducated. All these people talking shit about the restaurant biz are fools and could never understand or do what we do.
jasinc
I love The Bitchy Waiter!!! I wish people who don’t understand the industry talk and bitching, would just find something else to comment about. Go write the President or your local sanitation department… stay off this site, you sound like an IDIOT!
Allison
The comment that pissed me off the most is the one about having a higher education! I made 48000 last year not claiming cash tips that’s just credit card tips! And no 10% is not a good tip you dumb ass waitresses work their asses off rather you ignorant people understand or not! And not to mention I make more money than a lot of people with a higher education! Most of you probably mooch off of people or have no idea what a work day is until you work in a restaurant and get 0 checks and think it’s ok to not tip just remember when your not tipping I’m paying for your food by time government taxes I have no pay per hour you are all ignorant if you think 10% is good or tipping is bad and if my children made a mess it would be cleaned up before I left apparently they need higher education on how to raise a kid! So irritated
Kelsey
I think TBW needs to be a safe sanctuary for industry people ONLY! Non industry doesn’t get it. They NEVERRRRRRRRR GET IT until they’ve experienced the TRAUMA that comes from waiting on a section full of THOSE type of people and getting a shitty tip while being yelled at by the boss for not running food and not prebussing and not keeping up on sidework all at the same time. THOSE are the people who leave the bullshit comments on shit like this. Fuck that and FUCK THEM.
~annie
Hey, Kelsey – I am “non-industry” and yet, I totally “get it.” I come here because Bitchy is funny and I don’t get enough laughs at my college-education-required job, where I have my own share of frustration and no place to vent or find perspective like I do here. Bad attitudes are what cause trouble.
Daca
“I don’t get enough laughs at my college-education-required job”
You might ‘get it’, but this sentence makes you sound like a complete douche.
Lindsey Bruce
Most servers probably make mopre than you do at your “college-education-required job”. So I wouldn’t be talking down to anyone if I were you Princess.
Heather
HAHAHAHA!!! “college-education-required job”… by the way you need one of those to work at McDonalds now…how does that make you feel about your education? I personally know that I hold more degrees then most of the people I wait on each day. You dont see me being condescending to them…I wait tables because I make more than people in my field do, work less, have more free time, and generally enjoy life more.
Kenny
Annie you are a complete Douche
~annie
It wasn’t my intent to be condescending and I agree that those parents were totally out of line.
What rubbed me the wrong way was Kelsey’s: “TBW needs to be a safe sanctuary for industry people ONLY!” and the sweeping generalizationd that “They NEVERRRRRRRRR GET IT until they’ve experienced the TRAUMA.”
Wait staff are not the only people who experience TRAUMA on the job.
And like I said, Bitchy is funny as hell and I would hate to not be able to come here for the laughs and perspective if the site turned into some exclusive “safe sanctuary.”
Keep up the good work, Bitchy!
Merlynne
Oh, I’m not in the industry and I do TOTALLY get it. As a retired nurse’s aide, deli worker, and factory worker, as well as cashier, I worked HARD for my money and I know servers do as well. I appreciate my server when I go out, try to make things as easy as possible and leave a good tip–rarely less than 20% and sometimes more.
Parents can be some of the most inconsiderate people on earth and I love reading the Bitchy Waiter. So, vent on, guys because venting is healthy.
Oinkness
Had I been the waitress I wouldn’t have got a tip at all and would probably been fired. I would have treated the barn animals as they acted and served their food on the damn floor…or maybe a trough! PARENTS..it’s called RESPECT!! Set an example like you should and teach it to your kids. Some people should not be allowed to breed. Also had I been at that restaurant during the time, I would have had my say to that trashy ass family…and would have tipped the waiter double. ;8)
Anne
You should wake up and be excited to go to work in the morning, not wake up and be excited to come back and bitch about work. If you don’t like it, consider changing careers, or at least work towards management instead of serving. If you keep constantly complaining, then obviously something is wrong and you need to change it. It’s either your job or your attitude.
The Bitchy Waiter
Oh, yes, management is SO much better…
Fitz
Hehehe couldn’t pay me enough to be a manager!!
Kenny
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Gloria
As it was said, SEVERAL times, no one was bitching about their job! He was bitching about some pack of bulls & their offspring came in & destroyed this servers table & floor! Not a servers job to clean up that disgusting mess! That is YOUR job as a parent! Oh, I am speaking as both server & parent. Clean up after your damn kids or pay me what you should & I’d be glad to do it for you! 18-20%!!!
Kenny
Go suck a dick Ann-if you can find one…
Emily
Aside from the fact many have brought up that many people bitch about their jobs to blow off steam, it is important to remember that servers are friendly for a living, and everyone needs balance. If you sit in front of a computer all day at work, then it is best to do some sort of activity when you get out of work. If you work in manual labor, when you get home you want to relax and stop moving. Similarly, if you are friendly to everyone you speak to at your job, even those who you are not feeling friendly toward, it helps to complain after your shift. I agree that complaining too much can be bad, but all servers enjoy a healthy amount of bitching, even those who love their jobs, and this website is a great place to do that.
audrey
well said…bravo!
Heather
Spoken like someone who has never worked in the industry…many of us have gone down the “be a manager” road and believe me it is FAR worse than being a server. I will gladly work my 4-5 hour shift, make 150$ average/night, and GO HOME! without doing all the extra bullshit that a manager does and doesn’t get paid for.
Eirebridge
Ha! Really, who springs out of bed and delights in going to work in the morning, even if they ‘like’ their job?
I’m not a morning person, never have been. I’ve usually worked second shift. Even then, I don’t glissade through my bedroom with rosy cheeks and say to myself : “I just can’t wait to get to work!” I’m going to go on a limb and say I’m in the middling majority that goes to work (no matter what the field) to make a living and not much beyond that.
Bitchy,
I love your blog, and I concur with all the people who are servers about how trying it often is. I worked all of two weeks in a small-town diner (I know) before college. Hated every second of it, mainly because of penny-pinching owners and jerky customers. Some of that may be due to being on the introverted side, but I have cousins who are waitresses and friends who busted their butts through college. When we’re dining out together they always show their camaraderie by stacking plates and tidying up the table for the wait staff. I can’t even imagine people throwing their shit on the floor. Would they do that if invited to a friend’s dinner party? Hmmm. People can be such oinkers.
Kristy
I don’t care what anyone says, serving is a REAL job and not an easy one at that. I know very few people who could put up with half of the shit I’ve had to.
when ever I tell my server horror stories to friends the response is always the same “I don’t know how you do it”
That’s right, its not just a mindless job for uneducated idiots. Fuck all of the assholes who think otherwise, I would give them three hours in my shoes before they quit.
Kenny
Smile 🙂
Erika
I just wanted to tell you being a server for the last 23 years has been my pleasure! I love your page!!! You tell it like it is and I love it!!! Parents do the stupidest shit!! Let there kids play with sugar packets!!! Opening them and making drinks that no one will ever drink! Lazy asses who think a restaurant is romper room! They let them run around mess up tables and basically do whatever they want!!! Well a server is to serve not to babysit and be a cleaning crew after your little terror tears up the place!!! Thank you for your posts I love them!!!!
Karen
Jesus Fucking H Christ!!!!! Leaving a tip does not give anyone the right to (or allow their children) act like a pig! Something has happened to common decency in this country, when we don’t set and example for our kids to clean up after themselves, and not to leave their mess for someone else to clean up … and BTW… $10 is NOT an appropriate tip on a $78 check its $14!
luv2hike
Actually, that $78.00 is closer to $80.00 than it is to $70.00, so I would round up and tip $16.00 – but I agree that common decency and common sense has gone by the wayside. When I open my restaurant, I will require guests to complete a course in the lost art of dining out (arriving on time for your reservation or calling prior to advise that you will be late or unable to make the reserved time; acknowledging the server’s presence because the moment he leaves your table is when you will finally shut your mouth long enough to complain that no one has been to your table; ordering off the menu without making so many changes to an entree that it doesn’t even resemble what the chef intended it to be; understanding that it is never okay to hog a table when the restaurant is clearly on a wait; parents maintaining some semblance of control over the unruly behavior of their children because if they can’t, I will duck tape that child to a chair right after I smack the parent for allowing unacceptable behavior…need I go on)…after the course is completed, they will be a card carrying member and receive all of the benefits and privileges that come with said card. Should they violate any part of the membership, their card carrying status will reflect that they are on probation and any subsequent violation will result in suspension and possible revocation of said card…which means they will have to go to the Taco Bell or McDonald’s drive through and as if that isn’t punishment enough, you can’t even get a decent glass of wine in those drive up windows!!!
michael in key west
How can anyone defend people who would leave a mess like that behind, no matter what the tip? Dear Chris, Joshua, Lizzie, Jan, James, Charles and Megan, you guys shouldn’t have the privilege of being served.
Kristina
People who have never been in the industry need to shut their fucking mouths…and all those dicks who make comments about servers/bartenders needing to find a “real job” , I make $25-30 an hour most nights so suck on that and stick your “REAL JOB” up your stuck up ass, that is if you can relax youe sphincter enough. Eat me. The end.
Courtney
TRUE STORY!
Barbara Dafter
That about says it all.
Hippie's Chick
My best night ever……bartending in a very small town (two redlights) I made $45.60 per hour. On an average night it was anywhere from $20 to $25. I worked part time and was with my small children during the day and worked at night. I went in either close to their bed time or after they were already down. I’m not gonna lie, getting up in the morning sometimes was a drag. THE MONEY was amazing. I had money everyday and we had everything we needed. I don’t do it anymore. 7 years was long enough. Its not an easy job and I respect bartenders and servers for the hard work they do. I miss the money. But it is a real job. A hard job. Everyone should be made to do it once in their life so they understand what its like.
Peace
Shut up Nicole!
You’re an idiot!
anne marie in philly
RIGHT ON, PEACE!
Bonnie
People are such douches! I have 4 kids under the age of 7, and have NEVER left a table looking like that! Dear parents, when you eat out, you get a server not a slave or a nanny. Keep control of your darling little heathens, and if you get great service, tip accordingly! And yes, people understand that special needs kids might make dining out a little more messy….no biggie, pick up food/utensils as they get dropped. If I can do it with 4 kids, anybody can! 🙂
Marsha
HOORAY FOR BONNIE!!!
Kenny
Ohh Lord, these fucking fools who think they’re superior to everyone because they went to a college or Uni. They should be students to statistics, then. not everyone who sets out to find a job, can. Some people get a job in a restaurant, which is very competitive, and keep it because it pays their rent. 95% of the monkeys saying ‘Find another job’ couldn’t GET our job OR KEEP IT or handle what we go through; bitchy managers, unstocked items , running out of shit, having to chase down a customer because the rathole took Both copies of the receipt, some jackass wants the Eggplant parm but with one piece of Chicken parm thrown in, “Hey i asked the manager to void that shit ten minutes ago” the closing waiter called in sick so now You have to close, and there’s a table upstairs you got to take And some moron wants to sit on the patio and you’re the only waiter on for another hour…..shit, maybe i SHOULD quit..Heh
audrey
Hahaaha!! Boom! Hit the nail on the head! I like you, Kenny!
Devon
I like the “fuck you, james” one
Mellie
Me too, that’s my favorite, as I sit here at work and try to control my guffaws!
Nicole
Some people are going to be slobs and some people will be nice and clean. Some people will leave bad tips and some people will leave great tips, which will compensate for the not so great ones. It’s the way it is with this business. Getting angry about it and posting pictures will not change it. Just suck it up and deal with it or find another type of job, which will have its own frustrations as well.
Kenny
Now Nicole THAT was a nice way to tell us to enjoy life and ALL it gives and takes and not to be TOO hung up on stuff, such a relief from the usual nonsense Non-servers put on here about “Quit if you don’t like it” Thanks
audrey
Except that she basically did say quit if you don’t like it.
Kenny
Yeah but she didnt say it in an entitled way, it was more of a friendly suggestion…
audrey
I don’t know…”Just suck it up and deal with it or find another type of job” doesn’t sound exactly like a suggestion to me..
Marsha
Nicole–If by getting angry and posting pictures makes ONE family be mindful of their mess, then yes yes yes, it was worth the post.
The response to Lizzie’s post was my favorite. People do not realize that after tipping out all of the support staff, a 10% tip leaves the server with nearly nothing AND we’re taxed on our sales. Yes, we chose this profession but PLEASE do not be ignorant about our industry.
audrey
True, but this is a site for servers…and this picture demonstrates a frustration that practically all servers have had to deal with at some point or another. As a server, a table like that pisses me off, even with all of the great tables that come in and ‘make up for it’. This site is really just a place for servers to commiserate about some of the shitty aspects of the job, and we should be able to without a bunch of people getting all up in arms and telling us to deal with it or find another job.
Fitz
Here’s the problem, all too often it’s the high check averages that leave the poor tips and the low checks that leave the great ones. Am I grateful for those good tips? Hell yea, but someone leaving me $7 on a $25 doesn’t really makeup for the asshat who left me $7 on a $68.
Neil
This shows a sad trend that people generally do not care about others and that some(see many) think they are better than others.There is no shame in being a server.Some people enjoy that line of work.It says ZERO about their drive,goals,or education.However,the way people treat others says a hell of a lot about those things.
And let us no get mighty, those who complained that people shouldn’t be complaining about their job are no educated about what a servers job is.They assume its to clean up every little mess they make,it is not.Have some respect for fucks sake.
anne marie in philly
what ignorant asshat commenters AND what filthy pig “parents” leaving that mess! bobdammit, people have no fucking common sense or manners any more! the tip SHOULD have been at least $15.
Adam
actually the tip should have been $11.70 but who does math so ten dollars is not that far off from what he should have gotten but that is besides the point. Its messed up what they did regardless of tip shenanigans.
Lindsey Bruce
Adam the PROPER tip would be $16.00, that is about 20%. 15% is not customary anymore and is considered a poor tip for good service.