Five Reasons Your Waitress Hates You

• It does require certifications a food and beverage handlers class required by the state. As well as a responsible vendors program for serving alcoholic drinks and the state laws as well as statistically the most stressfull job.

• Waitress is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who also appears in a supporting role. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and went into limited theatrical release in the US on May 2, 2007.  

• i think its a good experience for you. Now when you get your degree you won`t listen to people bitching about their work because you`ve been in their shoes....

• Canadian?

• Fuck you asshole. If you're getting paid less than 4 dollars an hour as a 'research scientist' then that sucks for you. You must be the uneducated one since you can't seem to find a job that even pays minimun wage. And more than half of the servers out there are waiting tables to put themselves through school. See they don't have Mommy and Daddy paying their bills for them. Its up to them to work 40 hours a week while still going to school full time and maintaining excellent grades.

• Okay, let's get something straight then. A tip is not 'extra' servers make 4 dollars or less an hour. We give the best service that we can to all tables. If you decide the service was not up to your standards that night and decide to leave a shitty tip or no tip at all, then I reserve the right to call your boss and tell him you believe your salary should be docked any day you don't perform your absolute best.

• I'm actually in grad school. Serving is one of the only jobs that fits in with my school schedule that allows me to make enough to pay my bills until I graduate. So much for being incompetent and unable to get a real job. I hope I'm your boss someday.

• Oh buddy, I sure as hell complain when I don't get a tip. Want to know why? Without tips I can't pay my bills. Servers in Georgia get 2.13 per hour, and we don't even SEE that because we are taxed on our sales, so most of the time my little paper checks said VOID****VOID***** $0.00 on them, and if I actually do get a check it's for $1.48 or something ridiculous like that. So the tip is not EXTRA, it is necessary for when you go out to dine. Those VOID checks sure the hell aren't paying my student loan payments.

• Tntflin "But people need to learn the difference between the kitchens fault and our fault!" Most people that have common sense and/or that eat out a lot like me and my husband does, DO know in just about mostly all cases WHO is at fault and WHO isn't. You know when you or if it's another server that did the problem that could have prevented the problem from getting to the customer's table if it's something that is in the server's control. There are very few times I don't know who is at fault. Those are the times where it's that the food is wrong where I would have actually had to touch my food to notice the mistake and truly don't know whether my server put in the order wrong if they don't admit to doing that or they don't have it on our check rung up wrong. Those times, I assume the kitchen staff is at fault, but those are honestly rare times. Most of the time, it's OBVIOUS errors that come to the table like missing condiments or a wrong side dish.

• I'm totally floored by these comments by those who are against the way we servers feel. FIrst of all if you dont like our bitching dont read our pages. When I'm working and I KNOW I gave a table bad service or had many mistakes that are my fault, I feel HORRIBLE! Especially when I see that I've still gotten a good tip. A few times I've even given money back and told them I didn't deserve it and refused to take it. I don't EVER expect a good tip if I didn't earn it! But people need to learn the difference between the kitchens fault and our fault! I'm tired of being treated like the scum of the earth because I work where I work. I once overheard a mom tell her teenage daughter that there was no way she would ever let her be a waitress. She told her "NO! That's the lowest thing you can do...That's next to stripping!!!" Excuse me but how in the hell is serving at a resturant ANYTHING like stripping??? I'm a good person and I know I am but I'm getting tired of going home and have tears in my eyes and try to explain to my husband why I won't quit! I was supposed to be a stay at home mom but I wanted to get out and have some fun and some adult conversations with my tables. To have it backfire like this amazes me! All I'm asking is for everyone to just respect eachother. What we do for money does not define who we are as people! We are all humans and we need to start feeling like humans again.

• OMG! You people really hate waiters/waitresses! Why is that? Put yourselves in our shoes for a while... NO ONE likes to be a waiter, but SOME ONE has to do it, right? Treat us with respect, we have power over your FREAKIN FOOD, FOR CHRIST SAKE! Be smart, you suckers! PS We are waitresing tables but we're in college too, you know? We're not illeterate assholes who are living of the taxes you pay, WE'RE IN SCHOOL STUDYING SO WE CAN BE SERVED BY YOU TOMORROW! Think about it :)

• First of all, I would like to say to the people on here who think that servers are just a bunch of unskilled morons, that you have no idea what any servers do besides wait tables and its rather presumptuous and extremely ignorant of you to assume they are all idiots. As a fine dining restaurant manager in New York City for 10 years I have known servers who became famous actors and musicians, I have known servers who were paying their way through med school, I have even met a server who WAS a lawyer and preferred to wait tables... not to mention that before I managed restaurants which catered to the likes of Bono, Christy Turlington, Mariah Carey, Chevy Chase, Barbara Walters, Kathleen Turner and so on... I myself was a "lowly" waiter! How DARE you place such assumptions on people, when the fact of the matter is that your wonderful, prestigious, "careers" probably gross less than my busboys make on a TUESDAY night!

• I love how a large chunk of these comments center around servers being 'high school drop outs'. At the restaurant I worked at, 2 of us already had college degrees but couldn't find jobs that used our degrees (Thanks to the economy) so serving was a quick option to make some money. The remainder our our serving staff was either still in high school, or paying their way through college. We only had 3 or 4 servers who made the job their career. All of these servers graduated from high school. As far as tipping goes, we were only paid $2.13 per hour. Most customers I talked to thought we were paid minimum wage. Yes, our employer would make up the difference if we did not meet minimum wage for our paychecks, but that was an average over a 2 week period. So if you made horrible money one day and was overflowing with money the next; these days would average out and you would not receive minimum wage for your crappy day. Plus, our employer required us to claim all of our tips. If your tips for the day was below 12% of your total sales, you had to claim 12% anyways. There was no way out of it.

• Kali "Do not eat your entire meal and then complain. I will still charge you." I 100 MILLION PERCENT AGREE with you big time on this one. When I don't like my meal or it isn't what I ordered or there's a mistake, as picky as I am, I could never not speak up. Especially if there is something wrong such as a mistake, I have never kept the mistake unless it was a decent replacement such as once I kept a seafood gumbo instead of what I ordered which was a duck and sausage gumbo due to that out appetizer came out with our entr� as well as the gumbo, so I didn't want to wait to get it fixed, but in general, I send things back if they aren't what I ordered. I also send things back if I don't like them. To complain after you ate the whole thing or most of it to me is a bunch of BS. I feel if you hated it that much, how can could you stomach eating it even. "p.s. 15-18% is customary." I feel 20% is for wonderful service or more. 15% is for average, ok service. 18% is for almost perfect, but not quite. "1. Be respectful. If you treat me nicely, I will treat you nicely as well." I 100 MILLION percent agree with you here. You have to start to be nice first though. I find time and time again, I have a mistake with something, let's say they forget a side of ranch. I just say in a nice manner "I ordered a side of ranch." Instead of the server saying they are sorry at least when they come back would give them a much better tip, but NO, they don't want to say they are sorry, so then the tip will show it. You want me to be nicer to you in terms of why you are even there, MONEY, then be nice to us. You can't expect much forgiveness if you don't apologize, can you? I say it like that to let my server know WHY they won't be getting 20%, because they may not remember that I ordered it if I just ask for a side of ranch, but reminding them will let them know what they did wrong. I want them to know so they won't assume I am just cheap tipping less than 20%. "5. If you see that I am busy, please be patient. I will try very hard not to make you wait, but unfortunately sometimes you will have to." I agree here, but at the same time, if you go out of order with request by making the first table last and the last table first, you have done something that is rude. For example, let's say table 2 asked for their check, but as you pass by table 3 asked for 2 refills, and then as you pass by table 4 asked for a side of ranch, they don't have enough ranch. Table 2 did ask for their check first, if you were to get the 2 refills and the ranch first, think about that you just costs table 2 around 3-5 minutes when they should have had their check in under a minute(assuming that you weren't serving food or drinks or anything previously ordered beforehand of course). Just think about it like a line and you will get a better tip. I would have gotten table 2's check first(it benefits me as well(more customers, more tips), then gotten the 2 refills, then gone back to table 2 to ring up their check, then gone back to get table 2's change. Then went to get the ranch. Sorry, but whose turn it is first should take priority. If that person wanted ranch, they should have honestly ordered it with their meal like I do, for real. What I trying to say is, just be FAIR and then we will be FAIR back in the tip. Respect our turn and our time, then you will receive a good, respectable tip.

• After reading all of the comments on this post(and laughing my ass off, I might add), I had to add my own two cents. I suppose I should mention I am a server. I am a server by choice. Just because I choose to work in the service industry does not mean I am a high school drop out with no skills to speak of. I am college educated and I have held "white-collar" jobs. Sitting behind a desk pumping out reports of all kinds, schmoozing with people on the phone, and trying to keep up with office politics got old fast. I find serving to be a great way to meet interesting people, keep physically fit, and make some money to boot. I enjoy my job 90% of the time. Let me give some tips that will ensure that you, as a customer, and I, as your server, will have as enjoyable a time as possible. 1. Be respectful. If you treat me nicely, I will treat you nicely as well. 2. Do not touch my bottom, grab my arm, or "accidentally" brush up against my breast. I don't mind a gentle hand on my shoulder or arm but anything else is crass. 3. I am pretty good at determining if you prefer a quiet waitress or one that will kid around with you. If my observations are incorrect please let me know. I am trying to make your night enjoyable. 4. If there is a mistake on your order please inform me when I ask how everything is. I will do everything I can to make it right. Do not eat your entire meal and then complain. I will still charge you. 5. If you see that I am busy, please be patient. I will try very hard not to make you wait, but unfortunately sometimes you will have to. 6. If I have done everything in my power to insure you had a good experience, please tip me. You may disagree with the way the system works but that is just the way it is. The establishments we work for expect us to make tips and structure their pay to accommodate for that. We will end up paying taxes on a percentage of you check whether you tip or not. p.s. 15-18% is customary. Finally for those of you who say serving is not a skilled position, I disagree wholeheartedly. I have to be able to calculate the price of a round of drinks in my head, be a therapist for some poor souls, be a mother to others. I have to remember the names, drinks, special requests, favorite meals, etc., etc., of all my regulars. I can usually remember what you drink even if I have only served you once. Also, I must be schooled in food safety and the rules and regulations for serving alcohol.

• Cavan "Your use of the English language is astoundingly terrible, and so is your grammar." I truly don't get WHY you are comparing something that has ZERO to do with this? You can be smart in one thing and not another. I wasn't good with writing papers as you can tell, like DUH!! I am good at serving customers. See how English doesn't relate to serving customers, huh? You ever heard of being "BOOK SMART", but not "COMMON SENSE" SMART? Some people don't have common sense, whereas I do. I know to LOOK and VERIFY WTF I would be bringing to a customer's table unlike these lazy stupid idiots that keep bringing you wrong things that you know more about the menu than they do. "You never told me what you do, which leads me to believe you graduated high school and have very little real world work experience. I think you graduated high school, and married your dream boat who now supports you. If you do have a job it's probably just some hobby type thing that your husband supports you in." I went through a bunch of college. I tried nursing school even, but it wasn't for me. Yes, it was too hard for me. The clinical portion was very difficult for me since I am not a good writer, we had to write care plans if you have ever heard of that before. I wasn't good at that portion and you have to pass that portion to pass the course even if some is lecture, you have to pass both to pass the course. I made it to the second semester of nursing school after a couple of years of doing prerequisites such as math, english, microbiology, chemistry, etc. Decided to go back to school, but at a vo-tech school since I am not BOOK SMART, never have been. The highest on the ACT I made was a 16. I did do well in school, even made honor roll during some school years even, but I learn by memorizing, so when I don't fool with it again, it's gone. So I only learn things that I do a lot or things that interested me such as when I took psychology(I remember more than anything POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT), which has EVERYTHING to do with TIPPING. You reward your server with a good tip for doing well, you punish them with a bad tip or not tip. IT WORKS, IT REALLY DOES for MOST people anyway, can't say for all, because just look at the people in jail today that are repeaters. I work in an office. I wont tell you what I do, but that I have been working there 4 1/2 years about, 40hrs a week. I have had other office jobs before as well due to circumstances such as after Katrina, I got laid off in 2005. I got hired in Mar. 2006 at this job and been there ever since. It wasn't just me that got laid off during Katrina, it was a lot of people in our area. "You are shallow, rude," NO I am not rude or shallow. "You saw that in the movie Dodgeball didn't you?" Never heard of it before. I don't care. "spoiled, disgusting, whiny human being. I'd like to see you live through something bad; where eating isn't just a luxury, and no one is waiting on you hand and foot." I am not spoiled or disgusting. What is disgusting about me? I don't know of anything. Don't you want what *YOU* want for *YOUR* money, so why can't *I* have what I want for my money? No one is waiting on me hand and foot. I do most of the chores except for cutting grass, which I have helped my husband with before a few times. I vacuum every week, go to the store, do 2 loads of laundry, clean up any mess I make, make the bed every morning, etc. "I want you to experience hunger, you know, the opposite extreme of what you currently are experiencing. Then we'll see if have the gall to complain ever again." NO, because I should get what ***I*** want for ***MY*** money I work hard for. "but I have several times in life been in a position where I'm waiting on a check for a few days so I can go buy bulk at the grocery store." I have never been in that position before, because I chose to live with my parents until I got married and they didn't have any problem with mostly supporting me. All I paid for basically was my car insurance and my school loan, that's it. Even if I would, I would still feel the SAME WAY. Do you think I would suddenly change who I am and how I feel about things? NO WAY!!! "I prefer to stay off of the floor because spoiled rotten people like you kept coming into my restaurant, and verbally vomiting on me until I started feeling so abused and bitter that it was affecting my personal life." What do you think I say? I am not a mean person to tell the server things unless they are rude to me and even then, have been still nice 99% of the times that I didn't lose my cool. A few times I have lost my cool, because they were jerks to us. "You act as though you have never made a mistake." NO, I don't. If anything, if I was a server for example let's say I put in someone's order wrong or forgot to put in their order even with writing it down that I just messed up, do you honestly think I feel "OWED" for SERVING THEM? HELL NO!! I wouldn't expect a penny even if I got them a comp or their entire meal comped, I can't make up for their time no matter what is comped. Do you see what I am saying? A lot of these servers think we OWE them just because they serve us, well NO, it's got to be a GOOD JOB if you want a good tip. You can't expect to get a good tip when you mess up, can you really? I know I wouldn't expect it, because I wouldn't deserve it. There's also a HUGE DIFFERENCE between a "MISTAKE" and a LACK OF EFFORT!!! There's also a HUGE DIFFERENCE between a "Mistake" and a PURPOSEFULLY going out of order, making the first set of people wait longer when they weren't supposed to be as far as what is in the server's control of course. "We call it being "in the weeds."" I have been knowing this you idiot!!! I know more than you think I do. "I'd rather worry about why my money is making some fucking bank president rich as hell than whether or not to give this girl 20%." See this is where we differ 100 MILLION PERCENT. I don't care about politics. What happens will happen. I am NOT registered to vote and don't want to. I am not interested in any of the political crap. I worry about what actually affects ME NOW and even if you may say well that affects you, but my vote isn't going to count if there are more voters that vote the other way. In other words, what will happen, will happen. My vote for Presidente would not have been for Obama, but that didn't matter since he won by more than one vote over. In other words, we will have to deal with what comes, but with service, you can CONTROL situations like I got 3 severs fired over the years. I got things done, but with politics, it's pretty hard to do and most of the stuff I don't care about anyway. "You're simple, you're stupid, you're selfish, you're boring, you have no friends" I am not none of that stuff and I do have friends. My husband obviously doesn't think I am boring nor do other people I know in person. If I am so boring, why are you writing me then? Obviously, I am VERY INTERESTING, aren't I? I am not sure why you think that an education has to do with COMMON SENSE? There could be a doctor(let's say he never served in a restaurant before in his lifetime) I bet he would know much less about serving in a restaurant than I do! YOU KNOW THAT IS THE TRUTH!! Some servers out there are stupid bringing you wrong items as if they never LOOKED at WTF they were bringing you. Then, as a customer, you have to explain to them the item on the menu or the order you gave when they wrote it down even. Some are just plain stupid, for real!! A lot have NO COMMON SENSE to speak of, but are making good grades in college. That's the point I am trying to make here.

• @Springs1 You are a valley girl. You say "LIKE DUH!" so much in your posts that I no longer take you seriously. You are so fundamentally ignorant that no one, even face to face, could get anything through your thick skull. Your use of the English language is astoundingly terrible, and so is your grammar. Yet you correct others and continually belittle, and insult people about how stupid they are. You never told me what you do, which leads me to believe you graduated high school and have very little real world work experience. I think you graduated high school, and married your dream boat who now supports you. If you do have a job it's probably just some hobby type thing that your husband supports you in. You are shallow, rude, in-eloquent and most of all not afraid to eat spit and drink piss. Piss is not entirely sterile, you saw that in the movie Dodgeball didn't you? It is close enough though; it won't hurt you. You could maybe get a little herpes from spit, but that was never the point any of these servers were trying to make. We have all been trying to tell you this...the fact that you are this hot on this particular topic tells all of us in the business that there are underlying things about you that are very wrong. You justify why you would call someone "beneath" you repeatedly. That screams to me that you have no humility, and were born with a cast iron head...not to mention the silver spoon in your mouth, which you never convinced me you weren't born with. If you speak like you write, you could never get a position of gainful employment from anyone I know because you would never be able to write a resume or perform well at an interview. I would like you to consider this. The unemployment rate is currently 9.2%, and you are obviously not one of them. These people are not all "bumbs" looking for a handout. Many of them are skilled workers with families that would love to be able to eat like you apparently do. Fuck, I bet they'd kill to be able to afford a buffet. My point is you make me fucking sick, not as a customer, but as a person. Anyone who would say the things that you have in the previous posts is just a spoiled, disgusting, whiny human being. I'd like to see you live through something bad; where eating isn't just a luxury, and no one is waiting on you hand and foot. I want you to experience hunger, you know, the opposite extreme of what you currently are experiencing. Then we'll see if have the gall to complain ever again. I've never starved, don't get me wrong, but I have several times in life been in a position where I'm waiting on a check for a few days so I can go buy bulk at the grocery store. Now in my early thirties, I can afford things. I hardly ever serve anymore. I prefer to stay off of the floor because spoiled rotten people like you kept coming into my restaurant, and verbally vomiting on me until I started feeling so abused and bitter that it was affecting my personal life. You act as though you have never made a mistake. I personally think you sound like an inarticulate, fumbling jack-ass when you write, and think you should quit. I don't think you really possess a skill set, and would love to see you in one of those reality television shows where you have to go in there and "really show those servers how it's done." I'd watch you show up all full of gusto, and then get your ass kicked for six hours straight trying to keep your organization skills and your timing, all while trying to make sure everyone's order is correct. Not all servers are good at that, but they might also be new. We call it being "in the weeds." It's a miserable place to be. For a veteran server it's kind of funny to watch the new ones go into the weeds, but believe me when someone like you comes in, we all chip in to help the person get out of it. I know you think serving is just such a simple job. I tried to explain how it's not, but it apparently made no sense to you. So let it suffice to say, while some of it is easy, not all of it is, and when you have thirty things to do all at once with angry people hounding you, sometimes all you have to rely on is adrenaline. I have come home, and been wound up for hours after a shift unable to sleep because of how hard I got rocked. I commercial fish in the summer, so believe me, I know what hard work is, and waiting, while not as laborious, is very taxing on your spirit. The only thing I will ever agree with you on is this, there is such a thing as bad service. I have had bad service many times...boo fucking hoo. I still got to eat, and I didn't dwell on it as though I had nothing else going on in my pitiful little life. Let it go. I'd rather worry about why my money is making some fucking bank president rich as hell than whether or not to give this girl 20%. Well thank you for letting me waste a whole bunch more words on a lost cause. I'll leave you with these final words. You're simple, you're stupid, you're selfish, you're boring, you have no friends and if you think you do they are just as shallow as you, or else they are using you, and god only knows what you have to offer.

• MarcV "There is nothing lazy about a wait staffing job" Yes there is: 1. Servers who ask if you need change, that's LAZY of them to do that when it's THEIR JOB to GET THE CHANGE UNLESS SPECIFICALLY TOLD OTHERWISE BY THE CUSTOMER ON THEIR OWN, NOT BY ASKING TO SAVE TRIPS, because they want to be lazy about their job. 2. Servers who run another servers food and when asked for something from this other table, they tell the customers "Your server will get that for you", then never even relay the message or even get it for you, which you should be working as a TEAM, NOT as if you aren't. 3. Servers that are too lazy to COMPARE THEIR WRITTEN ORDERS OR if it's another server, THE TICKETS to the food to make sure they aren't delivering obvious mistakes to the table. 4. Servers that don't compare the menu prices to the prices that are on the check that they are charging you. 5. Servers that don't ask you if you want a refill, they just bring you what THEY WANT OR ASSUME you want. 6. Servers that don't even ask if you want a refill or anything or even come by much at all. 7. Servers that don't return all coin change, because they are too lazy to bring some on themselves or go to the bar or manager to get some. 8. Servers that don't offer to do things, that you have to ask for every little thing such as offering if you want more bread for example. 9. Servers that tell you something about what you are ordering so you can adjust to ordering less so they have to do less work, such as some servers have said "It's a small salad" when I ordered a bunch of ranch, which all that was about was LAZINESS, not being caring. 10. Servers that don't get a new glass of tea. They just go to the table and pour instead of going to get a new glass as it should be. I could probably think of more, but in general, don't you think I make some very GOOD POINTS that there are LOTS AND LOTS of things that have to do with SERVERS BEING LAZY? "every tip is well earned." That's not true and you know it. Some customers are servers themselves, so they tip well anyways no matter what or they feel sorry for them. That doesn't mean they "EARNED" anything when they did a poor job, does it? You know this is the GOD'S TRUTH, can't you just admit that? "Busted and Disgusted." I have, but I don't really care. Just remember, spit if someone isn't sick doesn't do anything. Urine is sterile unless the person has an infection. So honestly, I don't care!! I am not mean to anyone to think someone would do that to me anyways.

• Springs1 There is nothing lazy about a wait staffing job, and every tip is well earned. You may have forgotten the reason that this article was written. As a proud member in the wait staffing industry and a daily customer it is entertaining to watch you dig yourself a hole deeper and deeper. Next time you take a bite of your favorite food , just remember there are people in the food industry who hate you, I recommend that you watch the show Busted and Disgusted. Maybe a few episodes of that will wake you up to some reality. you can access it though Hulu dot com.

• MarcV "I cant think of any server who would agree with your views posted within this blog." Why do you think that is? It's all about LAZINESS, that's what it's all about.

• Cavan "Please stop correcting people." Why? You can't change FACTS,can you? "If you must eat out go blow $120 on dinner for two in a higher end restaurant. I'm pretty sure you'll still complain, but at least you'll have paid for the privilege." We usually spend more than that at a fine dining restaurant. What does paying for the privilege have to do with bad service? Bad service you can get at any place. It all depends on the *SERVER* you have, not the prices you pay. "Servers come on these sites to compare and console. Why are you here?" To prove you people wrong. To show you what customer service really is about, THE CUSTOMER, NOT the server. "you I can only imagine the emotional damage you'll do to the poor girl, and if she brings you water and you didn't ask for it," I am not mean. I am not sure why you would say that? However, any person that has common sense and has been a customer in their lifetime, knows it's what the CUSTOMER wants that counts, NOT the server controlling the service. So anyone that has common sense knows it's considerate to find out first instead of bringing something your server wants. "where she watched a training video that told her to bring water within 30 seconds of seating...mandatory." What does mandatory have to do with BEFORE you take the water off the tray, YOU (((ASK))) "Would you all like some water" instead of just putting it on the table when it's not the restaurant's or the server's choice to decide if I want water or not. It's ONLY THE CUSTOMER'S CHOICE ONLY!! The server should have common sense to be CONSIDERATE if they want that back when tip time comes. If you customers don't want to be asked questions, you need to stay home, because NO ONE CAN READ MINDS, NOBODY!! Also, if you want water, ORDER IT as I do when I want some if some isn't automatically brought out. "You are trying to tell me that some of these servers are indeed beneath you because they don't care and they are not smart enough to do such a simple job. What do you do? What was your education?" You don't get this, do you? I don't care if they have a degree in engineering or nursing or they are going to school for these things, they have lots of BOOK SMARTS, but NO COMMON SENSE to speak of. Don't you get this or what? You can be book smart and not know how to be a server. When that waiter put in front of my husband fried shrimp with fries without taking his pad of paper out when we SAW he was delivering other plates of food besides ours, that is what I mean about ZERO common sense. Do you understand that it's common sense to KNOW WHAT you are bringing out so your MONEY isn't altered to a lesser amount at the end? LIKE DUH, I have know what I am bringing to the table and not trust others for stuff I don't have to, LIKE DUH!! Lack of common sense. Yes, he was beneath both of us. He didn't check it in the kitchen more than likely to notice he didn't even bring out my husband's entr� Now do you understand what I mean be beneath you? If you are that stupid, you need to go back to elementary school. Even a 6yr old can notice differences of plates of food, even a 3yr old could tell the differences more than likely, but a GROWN ADULT can't? If you don't act beneath us, we won't think it. I don't care if you are a doctor, if you are a server for one day a week and bring me the wrong food without verifying it, you are beneath me. Anyone that has common sense knows that your money depends on mistakes when you are a server. LIKE DUH, I have to actually verify the food for obvious errors before I bring it out, like DUH!!

• Katie "Could it possibly be your attitude coming into the restaurant?" NO, I come in with being VERY NICE. "When you have unrealistic expectations of your server of course they won't live up to them" There's NO unrealistic expectations, because if they want your money, they need to EARN IT!! This should be COMMON SENSE! If they don't want to *WORK HARD* for their money, then they need to go find another job. "Servers WANT to please you." If that were true, they'd TRY their VERY BEST by CHECKING OVER WHAT THEY HAND YOU FOR OBVIOUS ERRORS. They would also say they were sorry if they messed up. That's pleasing the customer as well by being NICE about a mistake. Most don't say they are sorry when they mess up. "Also they are not ALWAYS at the fault of the server." I NEVER once said it was. I said it's MOST of the time the server's fault, NOT ALWAYS!! "Did the server overcook your fries?" No, but she has a SET OF EYES THAT SHE ISN'T ****BLIND**** TO NOTICE DARK BROWN COLOR VS. YELLOW LIGHT COLORED FRIES!! Even a 6yr old can tell you the difference in color. I can't post a links on here, this site won't let you, but this is the closest I can get to a link. inoverocom/post/419276951/new-zealand-rack-of-lamb-and-aussie-fries-at In this picture above, you can EASILY tell these fries are SUPER DARK unless you are BLIND as a bat. In the picture below, you can easily tell the fries are YELLOW, NOT BROWN, OVERDONE looking without "COOKING" them YOU IGNORANT IDIOT THAT HAS ZERO COMMON SENSE TO SPEAK OF!! You act like servers are BLIND or something. meemoskitchenblogspotcom/2008/05/outback-steak-house-alice-springshtml Don't you get it was HER FAULT she decided to bring me my fries with it like that? Don't you get a GOOD, CARING server tells the kitchen staff it wasn't correct and to correct it ****BEFORE**** BRINGING IT OUT by comparing her WRITTEN ORDER TO THE FOOD!! Otherwise, why don't I just get up to get my food then, THEN I can blame the cook ONLY, but I have someone else bringing it to my table, so considering it's something obvious to the eyes that you don't have to TOUCH at thing to notice it's wrong, it's on the person that brought it out since it was my server. If it was another server, unless the order was put in wrong, that server would have been at fault, even though that person wouldn't have "COOKED" my fries either you idiot!! YOU HAVE ZERO COMMON SENSE TO SPEAK OF!! "If you have to tweak your order so much so that it is made perfect and special just for YOU! :) .... maybe you should just stay home and cook it yourself." When you spend money, don't you want things the EXACT WAY you want it for YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY, HUH? Why what I want is any different then? "I'm guessing that your fries did not come out "dark brown" as you describe because the outback is a franchise and they have strict guidelines and rules that leave you wondering if you're scratching your own ass the right way" They did, they came out like the first picture, VERY DARK. Even my husband(which doesn't agree with all things of course, who does always agree), but even HE agreed the fries were VERY DARK. I noticed it within 2 seconds of her putting it in front of me, so could have SHE since she is supposed to ***EARN*** her pay. It was HER FAULT 100% that she didn't take charge of her own tip by getting the obvious error corrected BEFORE bringing it to our table. What's the point of a server if they don't care what they bring you if it's cooked right or not as far as something THAT OBVIOUS to the EYES, a DUH MISTAKE? She was getting PAID to check over the food for obvious errors not to be like a fast food cashier that doesn't give a care about what they hand you since the fast food workers aren't making a tip to care. There's no incentive there. "I know i would never want to have the pleasure of being your "servant"." I know I wouldn't want an uncaring, lazy server like yourself to serve us. NO WAY would it be worth it just to save money on the tip. It's not about the money, it's about the dining experience if it's good or not.

• Thank you Katie and Cavan :) I hope that someone does not accidentally pour coffee on Springs brand new Walmart dress , it would be a travesty. And please please other servers out there try not to put any foreign substances into Springs food.

• Springs1 , I cant think of any server who would agree with your views posted within this blog. Also I do very well as a server , if i was your server you would probably like me very much. I do earn my tips. The cool thing about this blog is I can get away with telling you what I think about people like you, and I am referring to your past blogs as well. You may be the 6th reason your server hates you :) Wear my shoes for a week then you can tell me how to do my job.

• @Springs 1 Please stop correcting people. Your messages are hard to make sense of because they go into such a ramble. You are trying to tell me that some of these servers are indeed beneath you because they don't care and they are not smart enough to do such a simple job. What do you do? What was your education? You seem as eloquent as my couch, and if I saw you come into my restaurant, I would bury you in technical jargon just to make you feel stupid. There is a lot of chemistry in the culinary field even some thermodynamics (consider pressure cooking or infusing). Some of us can actually tell you if your food has saturated vs. unsaturated fats in it by considering the ingredients when looking at it. I just think you have nothing better to do. You should just stay home or bite your tongue. Do something different that makes you happy. On one day I can have a customer tell me that they just had the best dining experience they have ever had, and the next I get one like you. The thing about that is there was no change to the service. It was top fucking notch because that is what I do, and I strive to be a professional. My job is not just to serve you food. I am also your food scientist, a shrink, a disciplinary of poorly behaved adults and children, and a wine expert, let's not forget that. When someone asks me what braised pork is I give them the cooking method complete with how long it spends in each step of the process and all of the ingredients. Yet still with all of that, what I consider perfect service, there are freaks that just can't be happy. Stop listing these cheap restaurants where high school kids work as your experience. Everyone knows they don't want to work, so don't be so hard on them they're kids. Just don't eat there. If you must eat out go blow $120 on dinner for two in a higher end restaurant. I'm pretty sure you'll still complain, but at least you'll have paid for the privilege. Servers come on these sites to compare and console. Why are you here? You care so much to critique, that it comes home with you and onto the internet. Get a hobby, one you know something about, and try to find something that makes you happy. Nobody cares about your brown fries. Nobody cares about any of your complaints. It is a little irritating otherwise I wouldn't be writing you a book, but hell I'm done with my homework for the night, and why not write to my favorite person I wish I could wait on? I hope some poor high school girl doesn't pour coffee on you I can only imagine the emotional damage you'll do to the poor girl, and if she brings you water and you didn't ask for it, remember she works in a corporate restaurant where she watched a training video that told her to bring water within 30 seconds of seating...mandatory.

• @ Springs. If you repeatedly receive such terrible service as you've been describing (In so many many MAAANNNY words by the way, Jesus you've got a great start on the first chapter of "Why are My Servers Always so Mean to ME!") maybe you should take a look in the mirror. Could it possibly be your attitude coming into the restaurant? Servers know how to spot customers like yourself very quickly. You seem to leave the posts that are replied to the most and the majority of the replies have not taken your side. When you have unrealistic expectations of your server of course they won't live up to them. Maybe you could start taking things a little more light hearted. Servers WANT to please you. They WANT you to be happy because most of the time but not always that ensures their tip! No server is out to get you the way you make it seem, but mistakes DO happen. Also they are not ALWAYS at the fault of the server. Did the server overcook your fries? Which by the way is such a strange request that the teenage cooks at the outback probably just laughed when they saw that special order. If you have to tweak your order so much so that it is made perfect and special just for YOU! :) .... maybe you should just stay home and cook it yourself. I'm guessing that your fries did not come out "dark brown" as you describe because the outback is a franchise and they have strict guidelines and rules that leave you wondering if you're scratching your own ass the right way! Chances are the server did put your order in right, you just have IMPOSSIBLE standards. I doubt any of this or any of the other replies are going to sink in for you and your dining experiences will probably continue to be a nightmare. I know i would never want to have the pleasure of being your "servant".

• MarcV "Does it make you feel great to treat people like that, over your $20 Denny's meal, with a $4 tip if they make you happy?" Treat people like WHAT? NICE, SAY THANK YOU when they bring me things, ASK NICELY FOR THINGS, ETC.? THAT'S WHAT WE DO!! "Word of advise when your rude to the people who bring you food your gonna get bad service," First off, it's "ADVICE" not "ADVISE". Secondly, I AM NOT RUDE UNLESS THEY ARE RUDE TO ME FIRST!! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET SAYING THAT I AM RUDE TO ANYONE? If anything, many of times when the servers were rude to me, I STILL TOLD THEM "THANK YOU" when they brought me the corrected item even though they were rude to not say they were SORRY for **THEIR MISTAKE OR BLAMED SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE**!! Isn't that something that *I* was still nice ANYWAYS. So you see, it's THEM, NOT ME, THEM that are rude!! "no one cares about your ratings on tips, they already know your gonna be cheap and a pain, they just want you to leave!!!" You have NO CLUE OF WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!! We tip 20% PLUS, for wonderful service, so you have NO CLUE OF WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!! Cheap, if anything I am pretty lenient at times. Our servers have brought things wrong to a table that were DUH mistakes, but still tipped above 15%, such as 17%. That's not cheap when you have MAJOR mistakes like that. That's pretty FORGIVING IF YOU ASK ME and MORE than what they SHOULD have deserved, quite honestly. The reason why they got that is the WAY they HANDLED IT. They apologized and fixed things immediately that were wrong. They admitted fault when it was their fault and they were very nice about it. When your server does the same thing, but doesn't apologize, you tend to look the other way when forgiveness time comes when its' tip time, because they treated YOUR feelings poorly. As far as you saying a "PAIN" that's your LAZINESS TALKING THERE!! WORK IS WORK!! WE ALL HAVE TO ***EARN*** OUR MONEY, it's not a RIGHT!! You aren't entitled to anything.

• Wow Springs1 that is a very long deep thoughtful posting. Seems like you have a lot of bad experiences when you eat out. Could that mean they can tell that your probably gonna be their biggest nightmare of the night? Thankfully there are only a few people like you to deal with. Does it make you feel great to treat people like that, over your $20 Denny's meal, with a $4 tip if they make you happy? Word of advise when your rude to the people who bring you food your gonna get bad service, no one cares about your ratings on tips, they already know your gonna be cheap and a pain, they just want you to leave!!! Then they can get back to making a living without the stress your gonna cause them.

• Cavan "Do you realize that a tip job is not accompanied with the kind of paycheck you are used to getting. In most states it is a $3 an hour job." Yes, but if you don't care about my dining experience, why should we care about you as much in that sense or at all if it's really bad? Caring is a 2-way street. Remember, nobody has to tip by LAW unless they have automatic gratuity or a service charge. We rarely have automatic gratuity, because we are only in a party of 2, not anywhere near a large enough party to consider that would be an option even. I also don't live in New York where they have service charges either. They obviously are making OK that they are STAYING, don't ya think? "They are not stupid people. They are not beneath you" Some actually act like they are stupid. Some know the menu LESS than you do, even when it's the FIRST TIME you have EVER been there. Some don't try their VERY BEST to at least compare the menu to what they are ringing up and bringing out to your table(as far as obvious errors are concerned, of course). What I mean by that is, I don't expect my server to know if my steak is cooked well done instead of medium rare, but I do expect them to notice I have a wrong side dish or a side dish missing or a side of ranch missing. I had this one lazy waitress at Outback say "I put the order in right" or something to that affect about the ticket, when I received dark brown fries, when I SPECIFICALLY ordered "LIGHTLY COOKED, Yellow, not brown fries." Even my husband completely agreed it was VERY OBVIOUS it was DARK BROWN, wayyy overdone. That was a stupid waitress to blame them for something I saw within 2 SECONDS of her putting it in front of me that I didn't have to TOUCH anything, to not take FULL 100% RESPONSIBILITY for what she was BRINGING ME. I had a waitress that rung up grilled chicken when I ordered shredded chicken when there was no option for that on the menu and I NEVER ONCE said grilled. Also, I went by the menu and it was MY VERY FIRST TIME THERE. There was only one other small party there she was serving. If she couldn't handle it then, how does she do it when it's busy? Another time, we had a waiter that had on a tray another table's entr�, which I saw he didn't ONCE, NOT ONCE, NOT ONCE get his pad of paper to compare WHICH TABLE HAD WHICH entr� which he put in front of my husband fried shrimp w/fries when he ordered crawfish au gratin w/baked potato. Turns out, our waiter admitted he grabbed the wrong one from the kitchen, but he was too lazy to also notice WHAT IN THE HELL HE WAS PUTTING ON OUR TABLE. That story right above makes me feel they are beneath us when they are that LAZY AND STUPID. You have to be DUMB to NOT LOOK AT WTF YOU ARE GIVING A CUSTOMER!! Like DUH, those 2 entr� or side dishes look NOTHING ALIKE. It's one thing to make a "MISTAKE" that you really TRIED to bring it out correctly, it's another to get to the table handing out entr� and not even VERIFY WHICH TABLE HAD WHAT AT THE VERY LEAST. A smart waiter would have noticed this when handing out the entr� at the very least. Let's say he wouldn't have noticed it when bringing it from the kitchen as a real mistake(overlooked something, let's say he really did check over things). The thing is, we saw he DIDN'T CHECK OVER THINGS WHEN HE WAS TAKING each entr�off the tray. THAT IS WHAT I AM SAYING THAT THEY ARE BENEATH US WHEN THEY DO THAT LAZY ASS, STUPID SHIT!! You have to TRY YOUR BEST AND ******CARE************, otherwise, don't expect us to care as much about your tip at the end. He showed he didn't care to check over things. A simple glance at the plate of food and the pad of paper would have immediately told him it was the wrong one for our table that he was handing us. Another time, first time we were ever at this restaurant, we were charged for a side salad without an entr�when I ordered an entr� I went up to our waitress and asked "Why is the side salad $3.50?" She responds "It's whatever is in the computer." I had to grab a menu(the lazy bitch that doesn't have COMMON SENSE to know CUSTOMERS DON'T **ORDER** FROM A COMPUTER FOR THAT PRICE TO MATTER) and showed her where it had above the entr�I ordered that if you add a house side salad or a soup, it was $1.99. She immediately didn't say she was sorry for me PROVING her wrong. Then, she got her manager to fix it and then said "Sorry about the mistake", putting her not even in the sorry, by not saying "I'm sorry." My point is, I KNEW MORE ABOUT THE MENU THAN SHE DID AND WE WERE THERE AROUND AN HOUR AT MOST!! There was only one other couple in the place and one person at the bar, that's IT!! There was no excuse for her not to have compared what she was ringing up to the menu where people ORDER FROM(LIKE DUH, STUPID IDIOT SHE WAS), considering it wasn't busy even. That showed she didn't care about our money, we didn't about hers with her nasty attitude about "it's whatever is in the computer", so she got completely stiffed for that uncaring attitude. You don't make the customer PROVE YOU WRONG!! That was LAZY of her not to TRY TO INVESTIGATE WHY I ASKED THAT!! It was also showing that she must not be a customer much to act like the computer price is the correct one. The only price that matters is where we order from, the MENU, even if it would have been a wrong price in the computer, which it wasn't, it was HER that pressed the WRONG BUTTON when billing us. So when you say they aren't stupid, A LOT ARE and A LOT are LAZY!! The ones that do these type of things are beneath us customers. So now do you see why we are sometimes SMARTER than these type of servers? Some aren't stupid, but the ones like these ARE!! It's stupid to know you are at the CUSTOMER'S MERCY to get their money that you shouldn't try your best to hand them things as correctly as you possibly can TRY TO. It's sad I know more about the menu than you do when you spend more hours than me there, that's for sure in these situations that I talked about. "I'd like to know; did you grow up rich?" No, this has nothing to do with anything. If anything, when I was in 3rd grade my dad had to look for another line of work, because the industry died, so during that time he went back to school, there was no income. So quite the opposite situation you are trying to convey. "Have you ever been hungry once, and not been able to get to food immediately? Why do you need your water in turn? If you are on such a limited amount of time, maybe you should have hit a McDonald's drive through." You don't it, do you? It's mostly about doing things in the MORALLY RIGHT MANNER. I am a follow the rules type of person. I do what you are supposed to do, so it's unfair when someone doesn't do it the way things are supposed to be done. I don't like when someone cuts and I bet you don't either, so why don't you just shut up, because you don't like it when people CUT in front of your turn, especially when you are hungry? For example, in traffic, if I can't get into a lane I need to be in, I make a u-turn, whereas people like you would hold up traffic just thinking of themselves, not considering others time I am willing to bet? In turn is the RIGHT thing to do. It's wrong to cut. Think about when you are at a store. If someone in front of you has 70 items in their basket that decides to cut in front of you and let's say you probably would be late for work or just tired or hungry or whatever, do you like it when people do that to YOU? I bet you sure don't, MOST DON'T. We all have turns. "Do you and your husband not get along well enough to enjoy conversation with each other?" We enjoy conversation with each other, but we do have a LOT of time to talk, meaning, there isn't something new every second to talk about, no matter who you are, unless you are repeating things. No one talks every second, especially a married couple that has a lot of time together. "enerally seem unhappy in their marriage, and so they nitpick the server on every detail. If your marriage is unhappy, maybe you're are the reason." No, we are VERY HAPPY. This has nothing to do with being happy or not in a marriage. We ARE VERY HAPPY. This has to do with other people making your dining experience bad when it could have been good by them being unfair or not even trying to bring you the correct stuff. It's one thing if something is a mistake(that you really tried your very best), it's another to not care and just give you anything. Also, you know who ordered first if you took the order to know what order to hand things in or to go in. "If the service and food is truly that bad, then it will close down," The restaurant where we were overcharged on the side salad closed years ago. "If you don't like the service kindly don't return to the establishment, and politely leave." We have been to FINE DINING restaurants and had bad service. We have also been at the same chain restaurants, sometimes having 25% type of service and sometimes having ZERO tip type of service. It all depends on the SERVER if they aren't lazy and they actually CARE about your service or not. It's not about the place. All restaurants, even fine dining have lazy, bad servers. It's about if you are a GO-GETTER or not, if you are CARING, and if you are a FAIR server. Why do you think that it has to do with a place. We have tipped 20% before at Denny's and even IHOP. It's not about the place, it's about the SERVER!! I am not sure why you can't comprehend such a common sense concept? "Take the silver spoon out of your mouth," Take the act of that customers don't have rights to get the service they WANT for THEIR MONEY ANYWHERE THEY GO, ANYWHERE, because WE DO HAVE RIGHTS TO HAVE THINGS THE WAY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THEM AND WANT TO HAVE THEM, NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, even places like Denny's.

• @Spring1 I hate to even think about the things you have put in your mouth. I personally have never messed with anyone's food, but I've seen it done dozens of times to people just like you. Do you realize that a tip job is not accompanied with the kind of paycheck you are used to getting. In most states it is a $3 an hour job. Don't even try to say, "then why don't you just quit." Most servers love their jobs because some people, and believe me it's not you, make it a very warm and enjoyable job. It is highly stressful. Especially in fine dining. We are required to have one hell of an education on wine as well. Now let me make one cocky ass statement. I know less about wine than a Somalia, but way the hell more than you. I also have had classes, not training, classes on how to serve and deal with people like you. If you think it is an unskilled profession. What do you do? Most servers are college students. They are not stupid people. They are not beneath you. Some career servers probably make more than you, and have 15 years or more into getting into the high end restaurants of their choice. I would dare you to enter one of those establishments and act that way twice. You will be on a black list, and escorted out before you get to the host stand. I'd like to know; did you grow up rich? Have you ever been hungry once, and not been able to get to food immediately? Why do you need your water in turn? If you are on such a limited amount of time, maybe you should have hit a McDonald's drive through. Do you and your husband not get along well enough to enjoy conversation with each other? Because I've noticed people like you who actually don't talk with their spouse, and generally seem unhappy in their marriage, and so they nitpick the server on every detail. If your marriage is unhappy, maybe you're are the reason. Do you have ANY real friends, or do you just hobnob with whomever you consider to be high society, and then talk shit behind their backs? Probably not because the restaurants you have listed are chain style restaurants that I've had before and just don't care to frequent anymore. They never change and they're not unique. If you don't like the service kindly don't return to the establishment, and politely leave. If the service and food is truly that bad, then it will close down, but I would venture to guess you are the only one who really believes it's that bad. Take the silver spoon out of your mouth, and learn some humility, or don't go back. Believe me the servers will not miss you.

• I completly understand this article. Waitressing may not sound like a decent job to many but try it if you think its so easy. I dont know about other places but here wait staff are paid below minimum because our take home is mainly relied on tips. Its understandable that people go out and pay money for the fact that they can order what they want and to specifications, that however does not entitle them to be rude or abusif to the workers. And ihave to admit as well their are some people that should simply not be servers at all. I dont even know how some of them keep their jobs. By the way to those saying its not a real job, shove it. Working partime as a waitress i was making close to 45k a year. Its a good job, gotta have tough skin though if you plan to stay in that kinda work

• My tipping rule works like this: They get 25% of the total bill less "service deductions" such as "forgetting to deliver the salad before the entree arrives" just cost the waiter 10% so down to 15% the tip went. Waiting more than 5 minutes for anything requested is a 10% cut. Give me good professional service you get a good tip, your service decided your tip. Disappear for 15-20 minutes when I need anything and see how the tip works!

• I'm not cheap, and I am willing to leave a reasonable tip when I eat out, but the way that some of you waiters or pro-tippers are writing just makes it seem like your demanding. Yes we understand that your living off of tips, but there is no need to make it such a big deal if a customer leaves a little less than normal. At least they enjoyed your service enough to leave something. Put work effort and ethics first, and your customers and peers will notice. If they don't, well your job must be pretty shitty in the first place. Time to print out another resume and go job hunting. Which brings up another point, you are not stuck with this job. There are plenty of other entry level positions that are far less stressful and yet pay more than waiting tables.

• 5 Reasons your waitress hates you? You posted in the comments. 5 reasons your customers hate you? You posted in the comments.

• Jay , I bet you get the best service everywhere you go. My guess is that your dog does extra sexual favors for you as well.

• You, are an idiot. Nobody cares about what you want us to do. I will order my food however I want it, and you will bring it that way. In fact, I don't even need you to bring it, I can bring my dog with me and have him retrieve a plate of food. Or, I can go get it myself. Nobody goes to a restaurant to tip you, we don't give a S$!* about your job. Get a new one or get a clue

• Wow ! After reading all of these comments , its simple to me. As a server myself, make the guest happy and you get better tips. As a guest be respectful and you will get better service.

• Shawn "since the shouting seems to have come back, I'm out of this too." Karl doesn't mind, you do though, that's why. I can emphasize what I want and not have him tell me I am yelling. That post wasn't to you, so why take it as if it was? "I would absolutely say that Karl's experience trumps my own." So you admit, Karl is right, what a real shock, for real!!

• Just to clarify, I would absolutely say that Karl's experience trumps my own. I have never worked as a server, the closest was having worked as a bouncer at a very high end resto/club. I have experience working with servers who would tell me many stories, but have not worked as a server myself. I have tossed plenty of people out of the place when they short changed the serve staff or have been rude and belligerent. Frankly, since the shouting seems to have come back, I'm out of this too. There really isn't any point to this debate. So please, continue thinking that you are right, continue acting like an ass at restaurants and power tripping on the servers. By all means. Learn to enjoy the taste of spit in your food, learn to be "that person" that the serve staff mutters about when you walk into a restaurant. Have fun with that.

• "Even at a Red Lobster in MS(none were in LOUISIANA at the time) when I was a teenager(I am 33yrs old now), now waters were brought without our permission to do so. I remember something like that, always!!" I meant NO waters, accidentally pressed a "w" twice, sorry.

• Karl "No matter though, every single restaurant brings water. You are way wrong on this." In Louisiana they don't do this, even Tennessee they don't at an Applebee's that we ate at Opryland. At a Chili's in the huge mall in Houston, the Galleria, they didn't serve water at all either. So in more than 1 state they didn't, so how can you tell me this? Is this some kind of coincidence that all of the servers don't do this at 99.9% of the restaurants out there? I doubt it. Even a manager that I talked to at a tiny chain restaurant which I just mentioned I ordered a soft drink with a wine and said sometimes people order a water to not walk away too quickly, well the MANAGER said "You'd have to order water if you want water." JUST LIKE THAT, how come a MANAGER said this to me, HUH? MOST RESTAURANTS DON'T GIVE YOU WATER WHEN GREETED, PERIOD and YOU KNOW IT!!! As I stated, in other states that we have only been to one time the restaurant, they didn't greet us with water, so what is your point here? I know what we have been through. Go eat at the Chili's in Houston and see if you are brought water. Go eat at the Opryland Applebee's in Nashville, TN, you won't be offered water, I GUARANTEE THAT!! I went through it, I was there, in another state where no one knew us when Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. Even at a Red Lobster in MS(none were in LOUISIANA at the time) when I was a teenager(I am 33yrs old now), now waters were brought without our permission to do so. I remember something like that, always!! We eat out just about every single weekend 2-3 times a weekend since Nov. 2000 and 99.9% of the times never get served water unless we order it, so tell me why is that when I never, ever tell my servers not to? "The way and order I serve customers today is how I was taught initially." What you don't get is that how you are taught is not always the best way. The best way is the way the CUSTOMERS personally want things. "However, both ways are right if the customers are happy." NO, you said I quote "Then, yes, all drinks get delivered in the order they were asked for. infer that of course we still go in order." How can both be right either one is or one isn't? The one that isn't right is the one that let's customers cut, otherwise, you'd admit yeah, you are 100% right, because I wrote that. "Again, I can't stand your asinine arguments, that are completely wrong" But you AGREED with me, HOW can I be completely wrong you ignorant asshole? Seriously, you AGREED WITH ME, what an idiot to AGREE with me, then tell me I am wrong. You are a HYPOCRITE!! I can't stand your LIES, because you say now they are both right, when you tell me to use my brain that you shouldn't have had to tell me "then yes we deliver them in order they were asked for it makes sense and gets you better tips from all tables", so either it's go in order or not, you can't say both is right, because going in order is the ONLY ONE THAT IS RIGHT MORALLY and TIP WISE!! You are literally going back on what you said being a true HYPOCRITE!! At least you admitted you said that, I'll give you that, but you have to hand things out in the order they come in to be fair and get a good tip, otherwise, don't expect a good tip. "Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, Lonestar, Longhorn, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Joe's CrabShack, and Olive Garden all give water upon seating, no questions asked, though in some of the places it is done after the drink orders are taken." Not in Louisiana, Texas, or Tennessee NO. I guarantee that, I promise you that!! Also, if it's upon after drink orders are taken, that's AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK IF YOU WANT WATER OR NOT, to not ASSUME ANYTHING!! It's not YOUR PLACE TO DECIDE THINGS FOR ME, I AM THE CUSTOMER, NOT YOU!! "I will always take the side of the other server who has experience in the field doing things their way, not you who has never worked as a waitress." You can't take sides, because your post PROVE YOU LIED, LIED, LIED!! You are a HYPOCRITE and that's what your POSTS PROVES!! WE CAN'T BOTH BE RIGHT!! You said: "Then, yes, all drinks get delivered in the order they were asked for. infer that of course we still go in order." So then WHY tell me to use my brain if you said that? I used it and read that you AGREED WITH ME, now all of a sudden you want to partially disagree, you are a HYPOCRITE, plain and simple!! WHAT A LIAR YOU ARE!! YOU ARE ASSINE to say one thing, then GO BACK ON IT!! At least I stick to my word, you don't and go back on your words!!

• Springs1 I said I wasn't going to post again, but I refuse to have my comments used to defend you statements. The way and order I serve customers today is how I was taught initially. Shawn could have been taught a completely different way. However, both ways are right if the customers are happy. In any case, we have experience in the business, you don't and yet you try to speak like you do. That is the most appalling. Not to mention your blatant lies. I have worked at 2 nationally recognized 5 diamond restaurants, at both, water was brought immediately to the table; in most cases before the server even greets the customer. Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, Lonestar, Longhorn, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Joe's CrabShack, and Olive Garden all give water upon seating, no questions asked, though in some of the places it is done after the drink orders are taken. No matter though, every single restaurant brings water. You are way wrong on this. Even to double check my facts I asked my friends who have worked in four of the above restaurants and they bring waters immediately when they greet the table. This is my now definitely my last post. Again, I can't stand your asinine arguments, that are completely wrong. Keep my name out of any further posts of yours, because no matter what my posts say, I will always take the side of the other server who has experience in the field doing things their way, not you who has never worked as a waitress.

• Shawn "That other customer fully expects it to simply be placed." Mostly all restaurants, even fine dining, don't greet you with water, they greet you first, so why would he expect it if most of the restaurants don't follow that procedure? When I go to Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, etc., I don't just get water unless I order it. Even at a fine dining restaurant we have gone to, a server greeted us, but right after, before our drinks that we did order came or right afterwards we got water placed at the table. At fine dining I don't take off, because they automatically do it(not your server, the water boy does), unlike at mostly all non-fine dining restaurants. The water boy also brought the bread the times we have gone there, not our server even. Also, you can still ask BEFORE taking it off that tray to put it on the table even if a restaurant greets with water glasses. There's no reason to assume. "That is what he wants." If that is what he wants, he should say so immediately getting greeted, otherwise, there's no mind reader I know of. Especially at chain restaurants. We have been to mostly all of them and NONE, NOT ONE greeted us with water. Now at times, a few, and I mean a few rare servers have brought water with an alcoholic drink without asking or being ordered, but it's not their normal procedure, that is the particular server deciding to risks wasting time incase if it's not wanted. We have gone to Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, Lonestar, Longhorn, Ruby Tuesday, a local chain called Copeland's, a local chain called O'Henry's, Red Lobster, Joe's Crabshack, Olive Garden, etc. None of these have servers greet you with water. Even mostly all non-chain restaurants no servers greet you with water. I had one restaurant once in another state that was a mexican chain restaurant that did, but that was the only one. Mostly all restaurants don't, so don't you think you have to ORDER water if you want it? "The waitress cannot win." They can win by asking. You aren't a mind reader and if someone expects you to be, they have the issue, not the server. You can't know if someone wants water unless you ask them. That is the only way. Even if you greet a table with water and bread, you can still ask if they want water and bread. You don't have to just place it on the table. If they take off for you asking, then that's an issue with them wanting privacy, which they should think about getting take-out or eating at home if they want their server not to ask them anything, because unless they order water or you ask them, you won't know for sure without any doubts they want that water. "So you expect a person carrying a tray full of drinks to walk right by two tables and not set the drinks down, then go to the farthest table and work his way back in? And you are calling me dense? Seriously, that is the most idiotic thing I have heard in a good long while." I never said not put it down. They can set it down on an empty table and hand out the drinks as one waiter did at Outback that handed a lady at the second table hers before ours, which that time too we were the first out of the 3 tables. Also, why should you put it down when you should be going to the table that ordered first. You sound very lazy, very inconsiderate, and extremely uncaring about customer's time to not go in the order in which people came in. It's the most idiotic thing I ever heard of, because even Karl agrees to hand it out in order, why not you? He said just like this: Karl said I quote "Then, yes, all drinks get delivered in the order they were asked for. infer that of course we still go in order. " Karl even agrees with me on this one, so how is that idiotic, huh? It's not idiotic to bypass a table or tables to hand things in the correct order. Karl even agrees with me, how about that one for ya? It's idiotic to lower your tip letting people cut and showing your customers you are an unfair person. You are purposely cutting just like a line to serve someone that was last first or second that was not first, making the first person wait longer. Why in the world do that to someone? How can you fathom living with yourself knowing you are cutting, purposely doing things morally wrong, and making innocent customers that were first wait the longest? I know I would and could never do that. A good example at the donut shop that really happened. I was counterhelp(approx. 10 yrs ago, it was actually on and off during some college years from 1998-2002). A lady and a man was sitting, got a donut a piece and a coffee meanwhile this lady at the counter standing was ordering some dozens of mixed donuts and telling me which ones she wanted. Another lady came in behind her waiting. As I was serving her, this bitch customer interrupts someone else's turn to ask for a buttermilk donut. I tell her that to wait your turn basically is what I said. I kept serving the lady that was getting the dozens of mixed donuts and rung her up. I also served the next lady in line since she was there before the buttermilk lady I will call her. After finally got her the donut. See I did the right and moral thing to go in order as a line, even if she wasn't in line, I did the right thing by making her wait, because it wasn't her turn. They had the current customer that I was serving and another customer waiting to order. I served her as she was third in line. I bet you would have gotten the donut immediately, right? It's not the seconds, it's the principle mostly. I also know it would have been rude of me to serve the buttermilk lady her buttermilk donut instead of continuing serving the lady at the counter. I wouldn't have been surprised if I would have done that if she would have chewed me out and I would have deserved it for doing the cutting like that. Now you see that I don't cut and even Karl agrees with me, so why not you if you think it's so idiotic when it's not, it's morally wrong to cut in any situation(not counting hospitals or if a mistake happens, that person was first to being with). Maybe you should read before you post so you don't look like an idiot. You called what I said idiotic, so it's only fair to do it back to you considering you are a stickler for name calling. It's unfair you get to criticize my viewpoint, but I can't do it to you, when even your buddy Karl agrees with me. You should have read his comments, because you wouldn't be saying it was idiotic if another server agrees with me about it. "You are paying for a service. You are not getting it done to your most detailed specifications." Then I would expect a discount or it to be redone the right way, but if it's an actual company and not a person doing their own mowing, then the company would be paying for it. If it's a person in the neighborhood doing it, yes he would lose his own money, but that's because it's like being the owner of a company and doing the job yourself. Most situations aren't like that. If he would charge me the same amount of money for a poor job, then I would just not hire him again and may have to take a loss myself, but it would be against the law not to pay him the full price if he wouldn't either fix the situation or offer me a discount, so even in that situation, I would be forced to pay him sort of like automatic gratuity. "You are calling the method of delivery of food to a table in a sit down restaurant "morally wrong". I strongly suggest you do some reading on the subject of morals." Why? As I said before, cutting is cutting, you can't change it. It isn't morally right to hand things off a tray in the wrong order. That's cutting, plain and simple. It's wrong if I cut in front of lady in line at a store, so why is it ok for a server to do the same? It's not, in each case, it's the first person waiting longer when they weren't supposed to be having to. As I said earlier in this post, I made that bitch wait until her turn. You see, if I would have been her, I would have waited or if I would have ordered, I would have said "After you finish your customers, can you get a buttermilk donut, thanks." No, see, people don't see that there's other people do they? They aren't the only customer and that's how she acted. I was in the middle of taking someone's turn, how inconsiderate to interrupt someone talking like that. "Since you consider the most mundanely minor things to be massive issues, I have no idea what to tell you." Everyone sees things differently. Unbelievably, I have read on the internet some people commented that they don't like it when a server takes plates before all is finished. I would never take off for that, if anything, it's nice and gets the dirty dishes out the way. Some people feel it's rushing the slower eaters, but they don's seem to understand they need those plates to be washed for other customers, so prebussing is necessary. I won't take off if they don't take dirty plates/glasses, because I stack them up anyways, unless I am at a really small table or booth that I need the room. Some people will take off for that. I would rather have what I want and worry about dirty dishes one of the last things. My point is, some people make a big deal about things I don't. "is the problem with the servers, or with your incredibly lofty expectations? The answer is obvious, but I doubt you will admit it." NO, the problem is them if: A. If they choose to not write down what I say then forget something or mess up the order B. If they decide to go out of order C. If they decide to not be caring D. If they decide to assume something and get it wrong E. If they decide not to compare the written order or ticket to the food or whatever they are bringing out. F. If they decide to keep change without knowing if it was theirs or ask if we need change. G. If they aren't considerate H. If they don't apologize, be rude, or blame someone else. I can go on and on, that's what I can think of right off the bat. How is it my fault that waiter didn't compare his written order when he was handing entr� out from the tray on the tray jack handing my husband fried shrimp w/fries instead of crawfish au gratin w/baked potato? He didn't in the kitchen obviously to not catch it and I saw when he was handing out the entr�, he didn't. I definitely know 100% for sure he didn't when he was handing out the entr�. So my point is, I can't control what they do. I can't control if they are not nice, not caring, not considerate, if they are a cutter, if they don't try to bring things out obviously correct to the table, etc. How is that my fault when they did it, not me?

• Regarding water on the table: That other customer fully expects it to simply be placed. That is what he wants. If the waitress doesn't place it immediately or asks if he wants it, he deducts from her tip. You don't want her to do this. If she places the water down, you deduct from her tip. You seem to think that your rules for serving are the de facto ones for everyone when they are not. The waitress cannot win. So you expect a person carrying a tray full of drinks to walk right by two tables and not set the drinks down, then go to the farthest table and work his way back in? And you are calling me dense? Seriously, that is the most idiotic thing I have heard in a good long while. You hire somebody to mow your lawn. You are not tipping him, but he is performing a service (just like the guys paving your asphalt). You are paying for a service. You are not getting it done to your most detailed specifications. You are calling the method of delivery of food to a table in a sit down restaurant "morally wrong". I strongly suggest you do some reading on the subject of morals. Since you consider the most mundanely minor things to be massive issues, I have no idea what to tell you. I really don't... Relax, maybe? Chill out? Stop and think for a moment: If you are experiencing these issues as often as you claim to, is the problem with the servers, or with your incredibly lofty expectations? The answer is obvious, but I doubt you will admit it.

• Shawn "The server cannot win." Are you that dense? They can always win by simply *asking* the customer, like duh!! There is no reason why either the customer can't ask of the server can't ask. Why do you think people have to read minds? "Would like a glass of water?" Also, if I want water I will order it and won't ever depend on an assumption I will get water without ordering it. The guy at the next table shouldn't expect a mind reader in their service that they want a glass of water. You have to order a glass of water to get one. Where do you get that you should expect anything without you asking or the server asking you? "Walk past the other two tables to your table so that you get your drinks first, or two deliver the drinks to the tables as the server reaches them?" I would walk past the other 2 tables to do things fairly, to be considerate of the first table's time, and not to get a bad tip for cutting. It doesn't matter that I would be walking by the table. Why do you think it does? What matters is who was first, who was second, and who was third. We had a situation where a waitress was triple sat at Applebee's. It was 3 parties of 2, which we happen to been the first one out of the 3 to get greeted. When our waitress came back, she decided to hand the third table's theirs, then the second, and then ours. I understand why she did it so she could just take our order, but that was unfair and morally wrong to do that. If I would have been the server,I would have given the first table theirs, the second theirs, and then the third(right before I put the drinks down, telling them I was triple sat as I was putting the drinks down that I would be with them as soon as I got the other 2 table's food orders.). That is the fair way and the way I would do it. I couldn't fathom handing things off a tray in the wrong order. It's just morally wrong to cut, it just is regardless of passing by tables, which I would have done to do things the "right" way. It did delay getting our teas that much longer, even if it was probably 10 seconds worth, it's the principle of it that we were seated first, we should have received our drinks first, period!! "the only difference is with whom you have the issue." There is a huge difference, it's called a tip, which is an incentive to do the job better than one that is getting paid regardless of what they do wrong. "Your issue with tipping is that you expect the service to be 100% to your demand. Why is this not the same with any other good and/or service you are paying for?" Because since I am not paying for the service, why should I expect perfection? Why should I expect the person to care when their money isn't on the line to give a care? When I go to McDonald's, I certainly don't expect my food correct, but when I go to a non-fast food restaurant dining inside, I do expect my food to come out as correct as it can possibly be noticed without having to touch the food to notice the mistake. That's the difference, the tip is that safeguard of knowing you can get more money if you make the customer happier, whereas, with a non-tipping position, you don't have to basically do any ass kissing per say to earn your pay, it's automatic unlike tipping is. Do you understand the difference in what I am saying here? "However, if the server does apologize and corrects the error immediately and is genuine about it, you should simply let it go. It's a small mistake, made by a fallible human who is now doing their best to rectify the situation." If it's a large error, are you kidding me? Nothing, not even money can make entirely up for someone's time. A good example of this: Once we had a waiter that admitted he forgot to put our appetizer order into the computer. We had ordered it when greeted with our drinks. We luckily found out before our entr� came out due to my husband asking about it since it was taking longer than it usually does. This waiter did what no servers ever do. He said he was "so" sorry twice and offered us chips n' salsa(which is not free, it's a real item on the menu). I told him that we didn't want more food, but that we'd rather have something off the bill instead. At first, he came back and said his manager wouldn't comp the appetizer. I told him even if it's a soft drink, that would be ok, we just didn't want more food. So he ended up getting $5 off our check. His tip was 16% before the discounted amount. Why should he get 20% when he hugged someone and that was probably why he got distracted in the first place why this happened to us by him playing around on the job? Why should he get the full 20% to not learn from this? Why should he get the full 20% when our time was compromised and no amount of money could get that back? He will never learn to go to that computer right after getting an order as he should have(unless he couldn't due to someone calling him over of course). In general, that's why we all forget things, because we don't do it right after we are thinking about it. Not if it's a small mistake, how is it handled? A waitress once forgot a side of ranch and said she was "so sorry" instead of just a sorry. While I don't feel a server should have to profusely apologize for a side of ranch(unless you are waiting like 10 minutes or something), she did anyways, so we still left 20% even though she forgot it when she brought out our food. Another situation where a mistake was small, but the waitress was rude. I had ordered a margarita with salt on the rocks. When our waitress came, she had only my margarita since she delivered the soft drinks we ordered beforehand. The glass I saw didn't have salt. I had told her nicely that I ordered it with salt. This is the response she said "He didn't put it on there." I was like no, but I wanted to say to the bitch, are you blind?" Even without drink in the glass you can see if salt is on a rim or not, that's how stupid and lazy she was not to notice that before bringing it to our table. Anyway, because of that, her tip went from at times not even counting off for that or a percent or 2 for something minor like that to 12%. Now I think she might have forgotten my ranch as well during that visit, so that may have been another thing that had gone wrong, I can't remember, but that I can remember what she said, how rude she was. She didn't say she was sorry either before or after it was refixed. If I would have been the server, I would have compared my written order to the drink before bringing it, but if I still wouldn't have caught that mistake, I would have said I was sorry and then when I brought the fixed margarita I would have said I was sorry. I couldn't fathom blaming the bartender when it wasn't his fault since he didn't bring me the glass and who knows if she put the order in right to begin with. It's also not the bartender's fault since the server tips out the bartender, which we don't tip the bartender to care if it's right or wrong. The most important reason is that the bartender didn't bring it to my table. The fact that she placed blame on someone else for an obvious error was just surprising and mean. A tiny error if handled in a mean way can cost you and it should, because servers have to remember, we don't have to tip you anything, so you all are at our mercy to be nice to us. I was nice to her, I am not sure why she wasn't to me? Some people I guess are just not nice. "It is now your turn to be polite and thank them." Why should I thank them if the got a check fixed with an overcharge? It depends on what the problem is, is it a side of ranch that took 2 minutes to fix with an apology or was it my entire meal wrong? I won't be in the mood to thank someone if the messed up my meal and why should I? They pissed me off, so why should I be thankful for that? Now as I said, if it's small issue with an apology and taken care of immediately, I do thank them, but not for stuff that is major, unless they are the one that gets me the comp like the waiter that I just talked about that got $5 off the bill. If I have to get a manager, then it's me that got the comp, not the server. In the waiter situation, it was him that got us the comp all on his own, so for that I thanked him verbally and in the tip by giving a decent tip(not good, but decent 16% before the discount). "Don't expect somebody to comp you something over a minor mistake." I don't, but what is minor to you may not be minor to me. I think any overcharge over 20 cents is major, because it's dealing with a delay in leaving, whether its' $2 of 20 cents, the wait is the same. Now, I have had 4 cent overcharges, 2 cent overcharges, didn't take as much off the tip such as gave 14%-15%, because it was a low cent amount. I feel a wrong or missing side dish is a major mistake, maybe you feel like it's not. I don't feel condiments are major mistakes unless you are either having to ask several times for them or you have to wait 5 minutes or longer for them. I don't expect a comp for condiments ever though, because usually restaurants don't even charge you for those and it happens wayyy tooo often to expect such a thing. Missing or wrong condiments are minor errors in general. Forgetting a refill, extra napkins, etc. minor errors. No comps would be expected. Ringing up wrong food or forgetting to ring in an appetizer, major error. Now, once we did have a stupid lazy waiter that was bringing out another table's orders as well that put in front of my husband fried shrimp w/fries when he ordered crawfish au gratin w/baked potato. Turns out, he put the order in right and the kitchen staff didn't mess up, he messed up by admitted he didn't grab the correct entr�from the kitchen. That was a minor error even though it was sort of major, only because it got fixed immediately. I saw our waiter didn't even compare his written order to which table had which entr�. Now that's a dumb and lazy waiter, but still left 17%, because he profusely apologized and fixed it immediately. NO, I don't expect a comp for that, because we didn't have a long wait to get it fixed. It was just simply bringing out the wrong food is what happened. Overcharges I feel are major, because it deals with someone's money. It doesn't matter if it's only 30 cents, that's someone's money. If it's a major amount overcharge like $5, the server would be making an extra dollar on the tip from such an overcharge unfairly so. I think any overcharge is major and should get a comp, even the 2 cent overcharge. Why you say? Because initially the restaurant failed in providing the correct prices in their computer and should give the customer at least a coke or even a dollar off the bill to show that they are sorry that they want you back as a customer. You may feel overcharges aren't major, but we have had MANY of them over the years, since Nov. 2000 when we met. "If the server is flippant and actively does not care, then sure, that is the mark of a bad server, somebody whose tip should definitely suffer." That's why the waitress that was mean about the salt on the rim got a huge slash in her tip. When you are mean, rude, and want to blame someone else for your lack of checking things over then what kind of tip do you expect back? That just was not nice to say "He didn't put it on there" as if it was only his responsibility to get it to me correct when the tip was going to her, not him.

• Thank you for not yelling. No, the problem is that I am not wrong. How can I be? My point is that you should treat people the way you would want to be treated. A little consideration, that is all. My point is that just because you are paying for service, does not mean that it has to be 100% to your specifications, specifications which the server does not even know about. Everybody will have different ideas of what a server should and should not do. Because of this, the server simply cannot cater to all of them. This means that there is some middle ground that has to be met, and the server should do his/her best to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves. This means that the server will develop a system of their own. Imagine you sit down to eat and your server puts a glass of water on your table. From what I have read, you do not like this. You do not want to the server to assume such a thing, and you penalize their tip because of it. But the guy at the next table expects this service, and penalizes the server's tip if a glass of water isn't immediately placed on the table. The server cannot win. One table or the other is going to be unhappy. Now if both tables are a little bit flexible and realize that the server is simply doing his/her best and has to have a system to work with, everybody can be happy. Now suppose a situation arrises where you are sat first at a table 25 feet away from the bar. Next is a couple sat at a table 15 feet from the bar, and thirdly a couple feet away from the bar. Your drink order is taken first, then that of the second couple, and finally that of the third couple. The server goes to the bar and gets the drinks. Now what is the simplest manner to deliver the drinks? Walk past the other two tables to your table so that you get your drinks first, or two deliver the drinks to the tables as the server reaches them? There is absolutely no difference between a tip or non tip environment, the only difference is with whom you have the issue. At a sit down restaurant you are giving your money for a good and/or service. At any other establishment you are giving your money for a good and/or service. Forget the word tip, it isn't important. Your issue with tipping is that you expect the service to be 100% to your demand. Why is this not the same with any other good and/or service you are paying for? If a server makes a mistake with your order or overcharges you in error, or makes some other mistake, the server should absolutely apologize. It is simply polite to do so. However, if the server does apologize and corrects the error immediately and is genuine about it, you should simply let it go. It's a small mistake, made by a fallible human who is now doing their best to rectify the situation. It is now your turn to be polite and thank them. Rise up to the occasion and be gracious. Don't expect somebody to comp you something over a minor mistake. Accept that these things can happen, especially in a high stress high volume environment. and appreciate the fact that server is genuinely apologetic and is now fixing the problem. If the server is flippant and actively does not care, then sure, that is the mark of a bad server, somebody whose tip should definitely suffer.

• "which I had to" I meant 2, sorry about the typo.

• Shawn You just don't want to admit that I am right and you are 100% wrong. Cutting is cutting no matter what unless it is a life or death or some type of medical emergency or if someone has a mistake on their order, that yes, that should take priority because that person was truly first to begin with. Why can't you admit that paying for service is different than when you don't? A good example, I was overcharged 20 cents per burrito more than the price on the taco bell menu, which I had to, so I was overcharged 40 cents, plus tax. The cashier didn't care and why should she, she isn't getting paid to care for her service from me, the customer. In a restaurant dine-in situation where the person is making at tip should care since it's their tip on the line. I have had a few apologies from some servers, because tipping was involved when that happened. They should apologize since they could have caught that too, just as I did. That's a good comparison of someone that wouldn't care, because they are getting paid anyways vs. a person that is at my mercy for that tip at the end. Get the difference?

• I am quite simply not going to continue arguing with somebody that insists on screaming at me. If talking about what is morally right and wrong and screaming about what is or isn't fair at a damn restaurant does not seem ridiculous to you, I simply do not know what to say.

• I put in the previous post about triple sat, the waitress was only double sat. What I meant to say is it wasn't a normal triple or double sat type of situation where all customers order drinks/appetizers when greeted.

• Shawn "You seem unable to understand simple comparisons," I do, one job is tipped, the other 2 aren't. That's why you can't compare those. No one is paying for service for 2 of them, just for the hair stylist, therefore, if you don't get the correct asphalt or the correct amount of chips, you can't blame the person doing the job or take away any money of the person doing that job, but you can for the hair stylist since she or he is a tipped employee. Do you understand why these comparisons don't make sense to compare to? One is a tipped employee, the other 2 aren't. You may not get what you want for your money at the store or when the people that put the asphalt down on your property, but that's a given since we aren't PAYING for the ***SERVICE****, unlike that hair stylist. Get what I am saying or not? "because they did not operate on the unwritten rules you have created inside your head." No, it's SOCIETY that has made it morally wrong to CUT, NOT me. SOCIETY!! Everywhere else besides hospitals people wait their turn, even when you wait for a table, you wait in the order in which you arrived in(not counting reservations/call ahead seating or if someone asked for a certain table/server of course or if it's impossible to do such as the next party is a party of 8, but the only table available is for a party of 4 that is empty). Why serve in the wrong order if EVERYWHERE except hospitals(because it has to do with people's lives which is a big difference than someone in a store line or at a restaurant) they do it, why do you think serving should be any differently done when no one's life is at stake? So I didn't make the rules, SOCIETY DID!! These are not just rules in my head, these are real society rules that have to do with common courtesy. "You want the server to perform to a series of exact instructions that you never give them, and penalize them when they don't." I don't have to tell them "Don't cut", because they know they wouldn't want someone to do that to them. Think about it. Why would I have to give instructions for common sense issues such a that, huh? They should be acting like they are in a line just as EVERYWHERE ELSE they go by WHO came first. Even at the DMV, you take a number. Now, they may call someone over that was second or third due to the worker that is free only does for example, license renewals and the first person in line may only need a registration. It is still going in line for each category. That to me is just like when a party of 8 is next, but they only have a table for 4 available, same difference. I also will tell them if I make a complaint with the manager, so they will know or sometimes I may say something to them myself. "you are way too set in your delusions." NO, SOCIETY has made these rules, NOT ME!! You know what is morally right or wrong, so why do something morally wrong and then expect a good tip? Does that make any sense? "Your utterly ridiculous rules designed to get you cheaper meals" First off, these are not ridiculous rules, these are SOCIETY'S RULES that you don't CUT, because it is UNFAIR and it IS!! Secondly, it has ZERO to do with the money. It has to do with RESPECT, lack there of and treating another human being as if that were THEM in the customer's seat. In my previous posts, Table B would have had their time compromise for example doing it Karl's way, UNFAIRLY so. The way it's supposed to go, the way I said, Table C would have waited the correct amount of time instead of getting theirs way before they deserved to since they were LAST out the group. Also, you have to think about it, someone might actually ask for something at Table C as you bring the refills, so you would actually get it and make Table B wait even longer? I bet you and Karl would, aren't I right? A good example that really happened. We ordered fully(not desserts of course)(me and my husband) when we got greeted. My husband ordered a beer, I ordered an iced tea. This waitress instead of putting our orders in and telling the next table "I'll be right with you all", no, she got their drink orders and possible appetizer order or questions. After she went to get 9 or so other soft drinks or teas or waters along with mine. At least I will say she handed mine first, but think of HOW LONG she made me wait for ONE FREAKIN tea. My time was compromised. What she should have done is after she put our food orders and beer order into the computer, she should have just gone to get that one tea and brought it BEFORE getting all those other drinks. Do you see how MY TIME was made to wait around 10 minutes when she didn't have to? This wasn't a normal triple sat situation either, because we fully ordered when greeted, so she made our food take longer to get to us by greeting that next table instead of putting our orders into the computer as well. You don't see how it was unfair for us, but the other table got their stuff FASTER UNFAIRLY SO when they should have waited their turn, but couldn't because of the unfair server?

• Shawn, I've given up; the bitch is crazy.

• Jesus Christ, I feel like I'm arguing with Cartman from South Park... Stop screaming your arguments. Writing something in caps does not magically make it true. It is really irritating to read a person yelling at me, and I sure as hell would not accept it in a face to face discusion. You seem unable to understand simple comparisons, and prefer to scream about "fair" and "cutting", and then calling people inconsiderate because they did not operate on the unwritten rules you have created inside your head. I really don't know what you expect. You want the server to perform to a series of exact instructions that you never give them, and penalize them when they don't. I honestly have no idea how to argue against you. You don't seem to understand anything other than the fact that you seem to think that you are the center of the universe and your each and every whim must be catered to, and any deviation from this is unfair and makes people bad. I am obviously not going to convince you otherwise, you are way too set in your delusions. All I can tell you is that if I were you, I would double check my food for things like spit and the like. I would also not frequent the same establishment twice. Your utterly ridiculous rules designed to get you cheaper meals is not going to gain you any friends at restaurants. Better yet, just eat at home. You don't seem to have the social skills required to eat in public.

• Karl �Things will always seem different from a customers perspective than an employees� That�s proof that you must not be a customer in a restaurant yourself much to understand the things I have said, are you? �It sounds like you need to become waitress for a month, put on an apron and try it. Guaranteed your opinion would change.� No, because I know what it�s like to be a CUSTOMER, so NO I would NEVER change my opinion, honestly. If anything it sounds like YOU need to eat out very often complicated orders and have things go wrong with your food, your bill, waiting a long time to get things, etc., then we will see how you feel time and time again having these same issues happening over and over. �It takes two minutes, if that, to fill up 10 drinks and, therefore, be more efficient with my time so no one sits around waiting.� As in my example, if table A asked for 2 refills, then table B asked for 8 refills right after you passed by them, you would be having to fill 8 glasses more which can take longer than 2 minutes anyways, but even if, that�s not YOUR PLACE to take up even MORE SECONDS of ***SOMEONE ELSE�S TURN**** by getting all of those 10 drinks. It�s not more efficient for the party of 2 that only has 2 drinks. That�s more efficient for the you and the party of 8, but hell with table A that has to wait the longest, right? That�s your philosophy. What does anyone �sitting around� have to do with WHOSE TURN IS IT? No one at Wendy�s ask me if I am second in line if it�s only one thing that they can get me first. I have to wait for the first person to order and have their combos fixed before I can even ORDER my frosty, much less receive it. I may have to wait several minutes(I have before). No one at Wendy�s decides to fix my Frosty instead of getting someone�s coke. Sitting around has NOTHING to do with BEING ***FAIR**** AND NOT CUTTING!!!! It doesn�t matter what the second person wants if the FIRST person that asked for something didn�t get theirs first. WHY make the first table wait the LONGEST? WHY make them wait for you to fix 8 other glasses when they shouldn�t have to? Why should Table B get their drinks that much faster UNFAIRLY SO? WHY is that fair to you? Are you that LAZY that you can�t make separate trips to SERVE IN A FAIR MANNER? I KNOW I WOULD, because I am NOT LAZY LIKE YOU SEEM TO BE TO NOT WANT TO MAKE SEPARATE TRIPS FOR EACH TABLE AS YOU SHOULD BE DOING!!! �Then, yes, all drinks get delivered in the order they were asked for. I didn't mean to omit that, but I did figuring you would use your brain and infer that of course we still go in order.� Some people wouldn�t do as you are saying, because some do go out of order and don�t care. So don�t tell me about using my brain when I have and KNOW some servers don�t care who came first as the Red Lobster waitress did to us. �It's not cutting by grabbing multiple tables, � IT IS CUTTING AND YOU KNOW IT!! If I go up to you when you are at another table getting another order and you actually decide to go get that refill I asked for interrupting them ordering their entr�, you don�t see that as �CUTTING?� If it�s someone�s turn, it�s someone�s turn, not another person�s turn. We all have turns. �it's getting multiple things done in the shortest amount of time, EFFICIENCY, so every table is happy.� NO, it�s doing things in the WRONG ORDER and CUTTING!! IT�s NOT MORE EFFICIENT FOR THAT FIRST TABLE and it certainly is NOT MAKING THE FIRST TABLE HAPPY, THAT�S FOR SURE, it�s pissing them OFF!!! It�s making the first table wait a lot longer for no real reason except for laziness and thinking about other people�s turns instead of the current person�s turn they should be ONLY concentrating on. IT�s not making all tables happy, otherwise, why would I be having this argument with you and why would people complain about how long they wait for refills or the check, etc.? Go to complaints.com or planetfeedback.com or my3cents.com to see some time complaints in restaurants. While getting something done your way may take less time as a whole, it costs the first table their time instead of the last table that should have waited longer for their stuff. It�s only fair and you KNOW IT!! It doesn�t make me happy, that�s for sure waiting for you to fill 8 glasses with ice and drink. Especially, if it�s something like with a slice of lemon, then that�s extra time right there dealing with that as well. Why take up even a minute more of another party�s time if it is their turn? �Any and every server is going to deliver what the first table asked for first, but why not spend the 1-2 minutes to grab everything for all 3 and then yes we deliver them in order they were asked for it makes sense and gets you better tips from all tables.� Because if you got all 3 things, you just took up time for 2 tables to get something for the third, which makes your tip BAD, NOT GOOD doing things out of order, making the first person wait the longest. Are you that lazy that you can�t do the right thing by actually going in order? A good example of a lowered tip just this year. I asked for the check. Our waiter was right by the computer terminal even. Instead of getting the check as asked, he literally made us wait 4-5 minutes for it all because he DECIDED(he wasn�t called over) to ask another table if they needed anything, they said a box, which this table wasn�t even near us. He got the box before getting our check. THAT IS SO RUDE and INCONSIDERATE!! His tip did get slashed some for doing just that. WE ASKED FOR OUR CHECK FIRST GET THE DAMN CHECK!! If they would have asked for a box before our check, I would have honestly hoped(FOR REAL) he would have gotten their box first before getting our check, because that is the RIGHT THING TO DO NOT TO CUT!!! It doesn�t always take 1-2 minutes, most of the time it�s several minutes, but even if it would be, WHY not get me what I asked for RIGHT WHEN I ASKED FOR IT if you don�t have anything that was previously asked for or no one calls you over? WHY NOT JUST DO IT IN ORDER INSTEAD TO GET A GOOD TIP FROM EACH TABLE DOING IT IN THE PROPER ORDER THEY ORDERED IN? You are so unfair making the first table or tables wait longest just because you have 3 table�s request for example. Let�s say Table A asked for 2 refills, Table B asked for a dessert, a box, and their check, Table C asked for 2 refills. If you were to get 4 refills first, table b would be waiting a longer time for no real reason when they should have gotten their stuff second, not last. That�s probably would YOU would have done. What I would have done would have been to get table A�s refills and deliver them. Then put in the computer the dessert, then print out their check. If the to-go container was right by I�d grab it while I delivered the box, but if it was far away and I was right next to their table, I�d bring them their check first, then get the box. Then bring them their box. Then I would get the 2 refills for table C. Do you see that table C should have waited for their refills the longest and that table C should have not gotten their request faster than Table B since table B was BEFORE table C. While doing it your method might have sped up the entire process, the people waiting would have been punished would have been table B, UNFAIRLY SO, which if that would have been us, we would have tipped you poorly for doing things out of order on purpose, letting others CUT in front of our turn. Why should their time be COMPROMISED when they were SECOND, NOT LAST of the 3 tables? WHY IS THAT RIGHT OR FAIR IN YOUR EYES JUST BECAUSE IT�S FASTER FOR THE OTHER 2 TABLES? It�s not faster for table b. Someone has to suffer by doing it your method that shouldn�t have to in an unfair manner. �Experienced servers, like myself, can do this very well and everyone leaves happy.� NO, they don�t. One table or 2 tables will have their time compromised. NO, table B would have not left happy, I guarantee you that. We don�t leave happy when it happens to us that�s for sure, both of us. �You didn't say that your food was late, enough to put any customer in a bad mood, or that your restaurant was not busy.� If you would have **READ** MY POST*** I DID: �We ordered around 11:20a.m. on a Friday at Red Lobster(meaning we were seated at 11:15a.m.). It was a little after 12p.m. , our entr� finally were ready,� This is what I SAID and if you think it was busy on a weekday(not even on Saturday it is busy that early, EVER, I know), you really don�t have much experience at restaurants at 11a.m.-12p.m. I can�t say all restaurants are like that, but Red Lobster is. I said my food was late, because I gave the TIME of when we got our food a little after 12p.m. READ NEXT TIME!!! �It is unfair how you are prejudiced against servers and nitpick them just so you don't have to tip them as well.� How is that unfair if you are getting PAID for the type of service you provide and how you treat us? It�s not about the money, it�s about the service. If you treat me poorly, why should I reward you with a nice tip? What goes around, comes around. Treat us as if that were YOU in the customer�s seat. �because I don't wish you on any server, anywhere.� I wouldn�t wish on any customer, because you wouldn�t play fair. You would be unfair to them and that�s just morally wrong to do that by CUTTING. It�s not right to cut and you know it!!! �my customers are ALWAYS happy (I get 20% tips on a regular basis), so thanks, I'll keep things my way.� Do you realize you could be getting more than 20% if you did things the MORALLY RIGHT WAY? �If I was lazy I doubt that would be the case� As I said, the servers that bust butt and be FAIR make MORE than 20% on a regular basis. �You tried to make an argument over a 10 second wait. TEN SECONDS!� You don�t get that it�s more about the PRINCIPLE of it than the seconds. The fact that your server decides to be unfair is the issue and that they know who ordered first, but decided to play unfair, then expect you to pay them well in the tip. Don�t you get it�s the cutting that gets me more than the SECONDS? The cutting is what bothers me. I don�t like it when people cut in front of me in a line even if it�s for one second to ask a question. It�s not about seconds, it�s about being rude and doing the wrong thing.

• Shawn �- Can you honestly tell me that your boss at work dictates every minute detail of your job?� Not every job is the same and you KNOW IT!! Servers are, office workers aren�t being scanned every second. �That your boss knows how to do your job better than you do?� They should honestly since they are my boss. They may know more than me. It depends on the boss. �That you allow your boss to micro manage every detail of your day?� That�s why I don�t work as a server, so I don�t get judged like that. �Not only that, but do you have 5 or 6 bosses simultaneously doing the same thing?� What does that have to do with anything? Not sure what you mean that this has something to do with comparing this to serving in a restaurant? �I can assure you that you don't.� Then HOW can I see all the mistakes and know what NOT TO DO? I know how to do it better!! If you have been through mistakes yourself, you would be more sympathetic about doing things wrong to someone else to KNOW how it FEELS when YOU have things go wrong. �I can assure you that they can not.� You are WRONG, because WE HAVE HAD SERVER CATER TO OUR EVERY WHIMS and THEM SOME!!! �be a little bit lenient in your desire to micro manage them, and you are likely to be surprised.� I have been lenient at times and no I am not surprised, if anything I wish I would have tipped lower to teach them to not do that again. �Just because you are unable to understand my comparisons does not make me a liar. In all circumstances you are exchanging money for a good and/or service. How is this different from a tip?� It IS different, because 2 of the 3 jobs you mentioned are NOT TIP PAYING JOBS, they are hourly paying jobs from their EMPLOYER ONLY!! �You give them money, they give you a good and or service, just like your visit to a restaurant.� No, it�s not just like a restaurant if you go to a store, NO ONE IS PAYING for the SERVICE, which at a restaurant, WE ARE by TIPPING THOSE THAT SERVE US!!! When a cashier checks my groceries out, I am not tipping her for her service at the end. THAT is why the comparisons are like comparing oranges to apples. You can�t compare a non-tipping job vs. a tipping one. The non-tipping job employee can make a lot of mistakes and not get a penny off of their pay(unless they are demoted, which doesn�t happen to often) unlike servers. �The comparison is perfectly apt. Why is it you can use your money to dictate every single detail at a restaurant, but not in other circumstances?� Because tipping is a CHOICE(not counting automatic gratuity of course) of the customer and customers aren�t LEGALLY OBLIGATED to pay you, so you have to EARN it unlike when you go to a store or someone putting asphalt on your property, you have NO CHOICE TO PAY THAT AMOUNT, which tipping YOU DO in a restaurant or at a bar or anywhere you tip. �- So if you ask for special treatment from a hairdresser and the net result is that it ends up costing her money because you have monopolized her time so that she cannot handle other customers, you think that this is acceptable?� Yes, just as it is acceptable for someone else to do the same to us. Our time is just as important as theirs and if their turn is takes less time than me, so be it, that�s THEIR CHOICE. It�s just like my complicated orders for example vs. a table that orders �AS IS� from the menu. My order will take longer than the other table. Does that mean that I can�t order complicated orders just because other people don�t take as long as I do ordering, that I would have to consider others when I order when they aren�t doing the same for me? �- First off, if you are only leaving 8% tip, I have to assume that the server did something massively wrong like sat at the bar chatting with a friend instead of serving you.� Overcharging us or giving us the wrong food or something like that basically. �Secondly, why on earth do you need something comped? If a mistake is made on the bill, it is then brought up and corrected, what on earth is the problem? A mistake was made, people are human.� It�s not about �NEEDING�, it�s about EXPECTING a good tip, so in order to do that, you need to SHOW YOU ARE SORRY, NOT JUST SAY IT!! Actions speak louder than words. Words are very easy to say. While they mean something, they don�t give you back your time you lost or inconvenience. I would tip you much better if you would get something off my bill if you messed up than if you just apologized. That�s common sense that you would consider in the tip someone trying to get forgiveness for a mistake by trying to make-up for it in some manner besides just words. How could I not consider someone doing something nice to give back to them? You expect a good tip, we expect some compensation for our LOSS TIME and INCONVENIENCE if you messed up. For example, when a waiter admitted putting in an order wrong, I would have expected him to ask his manager to comp at the very least a soft drink off for the customer�s inconvenience. No, he didn�t do that, which that showed his selfishness. When you royally mess up, you should ROYALLY make-up for it, even if you have to pay for a soft drink yourself. You want someone�s money, you decide if or how much forgiveness you want. It�s up to you. �- A lot of people don't choose to work where they do. They have bills to pay, and sometimes have to take the job. Sometimes they are students and need a flexible schedule. Sometimes they need that job.� What does this have to do with serving? They aren�t concerned about us on a PERSONAL LEVEL(whether someone is poor or not), so WHY should we be concerned about them on a personal level? Why should we care if you all don�t care about if we need a job we have or not? This parargraph is 100% IRRELEVANT to our conversation. NO ONE CARES when they go out to eat in a restaurant about someone else nor do the servers care about customer�s personal issues. �Just to clarify: If your boss pulled you aside tomorrow and told you that your pay would be deducted for every infraction, not tell you what these infractions are, and then deduct your pay, you would be okay with that? You would be absolutely fine with that decision?� If I accepted the job, then I accepted those TERMS, like DUH!! As I said before, it�s just like a pizza delivery job. I don�t like the terms of the job using your own vehicle expenses as an asset to the company, therefore I don�t apply nor even CONSIDER WORKING THAT TYPE OF JOB!! If you know going into a job that you don�t the specifications, then WHY are you working there then? It�s YOUR CHOICE TO BE A SERVER, NO ONE IS MAKING YOU!! �You are showing these people a complete and utter lack of respect. You are treating them like less than people.� NO, I tell them �Thank you� when they bring me things. When I ask for something, I am VERY NICE about it asking NICELY. You are SO WRONG!!! If anything, a lot of them aren�t treating us like people. Once they were out of something, which our waitress decided to bring the next closest thing instead of asking first. That�s treating us like we aren�t people. Most don�t say they are sorry when they mess up and blame others for THEIR mess ups. SO IT�S THEM, NOT ME!!! �You are taking money of their pocket because you are overly demanding and do not respect the difficulties they may encounter.� No, they aren�t LISTENING TO INSTRUCTIONS AS TOLD AND SOME AREN�T BEING FAIR!! Some are making decisions without asking. If you think we are overly demanding, then you need to call yourself LAZY, because that�s how you sound to complain about DOING A LOT OF WORK!! Anyone that complains about their job as a server about overly demanding customers is LAZY, LAZY, LAZY!! There�s no such thing as an overly demanding customer. They should all get what **THEY*** personally want for **THEIR** money!!! �- A good job is them using common sense and serving to the best of their ability. Not catering to your every possible whim.� It sure is getting every single solitary thing I want. You have no clue of what you are talking about. People want what THEY want for THEIR MONEY as anyone would, even you. �You are being rude� I am NOT RUDE, THEY ARE by not saying they are sorry when they mess up or blame others when they mess up. �have a sense of entitlement that I simply cannot understand.� You have a sense of TIP ENTITLEMENT that you are ENTITLED to money just because you serve us!! You have proven that with your attitude about 8% tips and losing money from other customers. You are only concerned with the money, not about people. You aren�t entitled to a tip, you EARN IT!!! �I wonder if you are looking at dining out as some sort of power trip.� NO, because there have been PLENTY of outings that were PERFECT, let me tell you PERFECT, NOTHING went the way I didn�t want it to, NOT ONE THING!! They did as they were supposed to do. Sometimes some things might have gone wrong that were minor, but if they were nice about the mistake, I didn�t take off or took off a tiny bit such as a percent or 2. �Sure, there are some that are horrible at the job simply don't care. I find them to be the exception and not the rule.� That is the majority of servers out there is that they DON�T CARE about what they bring you or your time or your money or your inconvenience if they made a mistake, etc.

• I started commentating on thing I have seen that annoy servers, such as myself, not to get in some random, asinine argument with a woman who has never worked the position in her life and really has no idea what she is talking about. Things will always seem different from a customers perspective than an employees if you want to get better argument and actually try to have an intelligent conversation with someone speak from experience not second hand knowledge. It sounds like you need to become waitress for a month, put on an apron and try it. Guaranteed your opinion would change. *Standing on soap box* I feel that if everyone was a server once in their life, there would be less war. Whenever I have talked about grabbing multiple drinks you make it sound like 10 minutes. It takes two minutes, if that, to fill up 10 drinks and, therefore, be more efficient with my time so no one sits around waiting. Then, yes, all drinks get delivered in the order they were asked for. I didn't mean to omit that, but I did figuring you would use your brain and infer that of course we still go in order. It's not cutting by grabbing multiple tables, it's getting multiple things done in the shortest amount of time, EFFICIENCY, so every table is happy. Any and every server is going to deliver what the first table asked for first, but why not spend the 1-2 minutes to grab everything for all 3 and then yes we deliver them in order they were asked for it makes sense and gets you better tips from all tables. Once again, obviously I shouldn't have omitted such a small detail, I just figured you had a brain and would realize that we understand customers needs too and we understand the hierarchy of tables. Experienced servers, like myself, can do this very well and everyone leaves happy. Now onto my comment on anticipating needs that you tried to break down. You are, again, way off. When I say I get things ready, I do not just bring out a random extra and say, "Here you go whether you asked for it or not!" No server ever does that, I anticipate needs by having things ready in the back or in the server station. If you order a burger or sandwich I will have condiments ready IN THE BACK, so if you ask for extras or anything else, I can have it to your table in 20 seconds flat. We can assume what most people will get with their burger, because we sell hundreds of them, a good server learns patterns, it helps with efficiency. Next, if an individual asks for something random, we will accommodate as fast as humanly possible so as to keep you, the customer, happy. As for the salads before the entree. You didn't say that your food was late, enough to put any customer in a bad mood, or that your restaurant was not busy. By omitting these two important facts one cannot accurately gauge what the server was doing and implies that it is a normal crowd a.k.a. busy. Now my argument doesn't hold water, but it is because you omitted important facts. If it is not busy each table gets their food alone on one tray. Grabbing a few drink and leaving a person waiting for a check for 10 MINUTES! I am not even going to address this, that server has a problem. Ma'am I am an experienced server, so guess what, when I say lunches are easier, it is because they are. You have never worked a lunch shift as a server, therefore, your argument holds no weight. Maybe if you don't like how you are served for lunches, try upgrading to a nicer establishment than Red Lobster. Finally, the writing things down portion. Everyone has a different way of doing things, BUT I WILL TELL YOU IN CAPS, LIKE YOU SEEM TO LIKE, MY METHODS WORK, THEY WORK FOR MY FELLOW CO-WORKERS, MY TABLES ARE HAPPY, I KNOW BECAUSE I RECEIVE GOOD TIPS, I DO NOT NEED TO WRITE THINGS DOWN OR DO THINGS THE WAY SOME CRAZY WOMAN ON THE INTERNET WHO HAS NEVER BEEN A SERVER IN HER LIFE THINKS THINGS NEED TO BE DONE! MY RESTAURANT OWNER WOULD NOT KEEP ME EMPLOYED IF I WAS NOT DOING WELL! AFTER ALL, IN FINE DINING, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF EXPERIENCED SERVERS WAITING TO GET A FOOT IN THE DOOR. I KNOW THIS; MY OWNER KNOWS THIS. IF A SERVER IS NOT UP TO SNUFF, THEY ARE REPLACEABLE AND WILL BE SENT BACK TO RED LOBSTER! Hopefully, that got through to you since it was in caps. Unfair? Unfair? It is unfair how you are prejudiced against servers and nitpick them just so you don't have to tip them as well. Maybe you should try spending less time nitpicking your server and spend more time at the restaurant with your husband/boyfriend/friend/guest/cat, whomever. I'm sure they would really appreciate the company. I am sorry you decided to eat at a Red Lobster, a mid level restaurant employed with know nothing servers, at least in my experience and, it would seem, your's as well. Maybe with the way you try to Micromanage everything you should try a fine dining restaurant where your server will take care of everything, because they are experienced and knowledgable with how to make sure their customers have an excellent night. I'd recommend mine, but I wouldn't wish you on my worst enemies. In fact, I think you should just eat at home, because I don't wish you on any server, anywhere. This is my last post in regards to you, as I am truly tired of your asinine comments. I have worked in fine dining for 6 years, I make a great living, my customers are ALWAYS happy (I get 20% tips on a regular basis), so thanks, I'll keep things my way. After all, I earn the money based on the effort I put in. If I was lazy I doubt that would be the case or that I would even have a job. Good luck to you and hopefully you will find a restaurant you like, but based on your posts, I doubt that will ever happen. P.S. You tried to make an argument over a 10 second wait. TEN SECONDS! I have a feeling it takes you longer than 10 seconds to read a digital clock.

• Karl "If I can handle grabbing things for multiple tables I absolutely do," Sometimes it's unfair to do that. For example, let's say me and my husband ask for refills. As you pass by, the table next to us that has 8 people wants refills as well, if you actually take OUR TIME to fill 8 other glasses, you are an asshole, uncaring excuse for a human being. Now, if it was the other way around and the 8 people asked for their drinks first and we asked after for the 2 refills, honestly, you should only get those 8 glasses or if you do get all 10 since it's only 2 more on the tray, at least hand them in the order in which they were asked for. Don't go handing us ours if the table of 8 asked for theirs first. I can see you getting all 10 at once if the table of 8 asked for theirs first, but not if the table of 2 asked for theirs first. It's just unfair to make the table of 2 wait for you to fill 8 entire glasses. That's just morally wrong. You can control which ones you hand off on the tray as far as what order they came in if you get all 10 drinks when the table of 8 asked for theirs first. "With the writing everything down, it's not practical, Well, if I do it at every table it adds up fast and service gets slowed down," Anyone would rather you do that than get things wrong, then the service is slowed down WAYYYY THE HELL MORE than if you would have written it down, like DUH!!! Knowing that mistakes affect your tip, you should know it's better off spending 10-15 extra seconds to write something down than to get something wrong or forget something, especially knowing it does make a server look lazy if they forget something or get something wrong when they didn't take ANY EFFORT into getting it right. "and that's IF I have hands free to even write something." I have been told by a server once that she'd have to come back so she could write it down, because she had dishes in her hands. THAT is what the servers should ALL DO, because you can't most of the time remember it by memory alone if it's a lot of things or something with modifications. Even if it's one thing, you may forget. You are trying to make EXCUSES to be lazy instead of doing what that server did for us. THAT is a SMART, NON-LAZY server that told us that. WHY NOT TRY IT? Mistakes get you a worse tip, because then how much time you think you are making them get delayed then when you mess up, huh? Much more than 15 seconds. "The best solution is anticipating needs and predicting what each table will ask for and handle each table individually." NO, that's a TERRIBLE idea. You aren't supposed to ASSUME things. You are there to please THEM, NOT LAZY SELF that doesn't want to write down things. You may anticipate they may need extra napkins, but don't anticipate people wanting the check or refills, because that's up to the individual customer if they want you to do that or not. You should be asking questions, not ASSUMING EVER!! You could be wrong by predicting. Do you realize that servers that have done that have been wrong MANY of times in our dining experiences? "It works the best for me and for my customers, I will not change it." Then when you are wrong at times by your predictions, you can only blame YOURSELF for getting that bad tip and having to go back to do something that you wouldn't have had to do all over again. I would NEVER PREDICT or ASSUME ANYTHING in someone's service, because it's not MY SERVICE to decide things since I would be their server, so I would be at their mercy, not the other way around. "I can anticipate what extra sides you will probably need and have them ready to go once you ask for extras." At some restaurants that don't have ketchup bottles on the table, even though I told the servers what condiments I wanted, they still brought ketchup, which I don't like ketchup. Now, it's not a huge deal, but it's the fact that servers should be going by INDIVIDUAL TASTES, NOT by MAJORITY!! Just because I really like ranch, doesn't mean everyone does for example. I don't care for bleu cheese dressing for example if you brought extra for wings, I would send it back and tell you I would rather ranch if I had extra. That's just a good example of that can be WRONG with these predictions. "Still, in my experience as a server, lunch, and sandwiches in particular, are easier no matter what all the side requests are." I fully 100% disagree with you, because 80% of my outings I have missing condiment issues. I order it with my food, which sometimes it's another server or even our server that delivers the food without them. Condiments are my number one problem in dining out as far as them getting forgotten. "So she put side salads first, it took you 10 extra seconds to get your meal and that's your basis for not tipping?" We did tip, we tipped her a dollar instead of ZERO. Secondly, OF COURSE IT IS!! If the food wouldn't have taken as long, it wouldn't had bothered me AS much when she did that, but still would have bothered me a whole lot. You don't get it's mostly not about the seconds(in that situation it somewhat was, because of the length of time we waited for our food), it was that she had 100% FULL CONTROL OVER NOT CUTTING, but did so anyway. She KNEW who ordered first, so WHY would she serve any differently than a line if she has more than one table's food on a tray to not deliver the food in the order in which it came in? That's just common courtesy. You don't like it when someone cuts in front of you waiting more than 40 minutes, right, so WHY should we be ok with it even if it was only for a few seconds, it's still RUDE and WRONG as well as VERY INCONSIDERATE of OUR TIME. That was OUR 10 seconds, NOT THEIRS to have. "Sounds like there were other disagreements going on between yourself and this server before your meal arrived." No, as I said before, the food took longer than normal, which could have been the kitchen staff or could have been that our waitress didn't put in the order when she put in our salad orders. I am pretty sure you know about that sometimes servers wait to put in entr�orders so the salads don't run into entr�times? Now, it could be the kitchen staff, so I wouldn't have taken off for that since I didn't know, but it COULD have been that she waited to put in our entr�orders when we finished our side salads, which we received them around 11:30a.m. Honestly, even my food was correct, with my condiments, amazingly so, so there was truly NOTHING, NOTHING ELSE that pissed me off until she did that. When you cut, you are an asshole. You know who ordered first, but chose to do that and even brought out both at the same time when she should have just brought out ours and left the side salads in the kitchen. I bet that our food was ready BEFORE she finished making the side salads(the servers make the side salads at Red Lobster a manager told me). "did you think maybe she put the salads down first because her hands were full or by doing so it would allow her to spend more time at your table asking if everything is correct and fetching anything you may ask for, for your entree a.k.a. the meal more important than salads." NO, because 2 sides salads could easily stay on a tray. Secondly, if she felt that way, she should have not taking the extra seconds to put the side salads on the tray to begin with and been FAIR!! I would have not done that. It wasn't busy or anything. "About the sodas before the check, ma'am, there are other tables there besides yours and they need to be attended to as well." UH, EXCUSE ME, BUT IT WAS ***OUR*** TURN, NOT THEIRS SINCE WE BEAT THEM TO THE PUNCH!! For example, if table 5 just asked for a check, the box, and 2 cokes to-go. Then as you pass by, table 6 needs a side of ranch, table 7 needs 3 refills. WHY put table 5's order last and be UNFAIR like that to CUT? What an asshole that does that!!! If table 5 asked FIRST, ALL of those items should be gotten FIRST(unless someone else's order or request came before that was either ready such as hot food/bar drink or if they asked for something else before them OR if someone has a mistake, of course mistakes come before anybody's stuff. So as the person that started this blog said "DON'T ASK FOR THINGS ONE AT A TIME", well if you do PART of the things, you are RUNNING YOURSELF MULTIPLE TRIPS ON YOUR OWN CHOICE and being UNFAIR to the first customers. Table 5 should get their check, their refills to-go, and their box BEFORE doing the other 2 table's request. WHY do part of their request? Also, WHY even go to their table unless they call you over if it's not either a mistake or something previously ordered? WHY should the FIRST TABLE WAIT THE LONGEST and HOW IS THAT FAIR? It has NOTHING to do with not realizing there are other customers, because I know there are. It has to do with WHO ASKED FOR WHAT FIRST(unless there is a mistake made, then that takes top priority)!!! The third table's request should wait the longest since they were LAST to ask for something. It is the right thing to do and if it were a line, they would be waiting the longest as they should. I don't care if the first table had 10 items to request, they ASKED FIRST, so they get top priority. WHY should a server put them last if they were first? You don't do that in a line. You go by who is next. I don't get to go to Wendy's when I would just want a frosty and get to cut in front of the people that want 3 combos with modifications do I just because MINE takes LESS TIME than theirs? SO WHY is this any different? While it sucks to wait, I have to do it then, WHY should it be any different in any other situation? We all take turns. If I were to go up to a server when they would be taking an order to ask for some refills, that would be interrupting someone's TURN. Same thing when a SERVER DOES IT!! If it's someone's turn, unless you are either called over or someone's stuff is ready or requested something before them or if they have a mistake, you shouldn't even go to another table before doing the tasks given. Now in a triple sat situation, I can see getting all the drinks on a tray at once due to that the last table wouldn't get greeted until 15 minutes later if you didn't, but you can hand those out in the order in which they came in and you can go put in orders into the computer right after getting each of them. "In my experience, customers tend to get angrier if they sit thirsty, than when they are done and satisfied and waiting for the check" There have been times when we waited 10 minutes to leave and left zero just because of the length of time that we waited to leave. Also, you are being UNFAIR putting their needs over someone else's, when one person's needs are NO MORE IMPORTANT than anyone else's. YOU ARE AN UNFAIR SERVER!! I don't care if one person is waiting for a drink or the check, because I would SERVE FAIRLY, unlike you. I wouldn't and couldn't FATHOM treating human beings unfairly like that. WHY do you think someone's time is more important just because they don't have a drink? If they are late for something, that's just as important, I have news for you. A good example, people going on their lunch break to eat. You are such an UNFAIR person. How can you live with yourself knowing you are letting people's turns cut and that you are being PREJUDICE against the people that need their check vs. people that are thirsty? WHY play the what is more important game and actually play the WHAT IS FAIR GAME so you can get a better tip? If you aren't fair, why should we be back in the tip? In my eyes and a lot of people's eyes, I'd rather have my check sooner WHEN I want it, not waiting 10-15 minutes to leave being held hostage sort of like. "At my restaurant I keep all my finishing tables checks in my apron to present immediately upon request so as to avoid these situations." That's good, that's what a server should do. I will agree on this one.

• @Springs1: - Can you honestly tell me that your boss at work dictates every minute detail of your job? That your boss knows how to do your job better than you do? That you allow your boss to micro manage every detail of your day? Not only that, but do you have 5 or 6 bosses simultaneously doing the same thing? - You seem to think that you know how better than the server how to do their job. I can assure you that you don't. You seem to think that the server is able to cater to your every whim, while they cater to every whim of every other customer they have. I can assure you that they can not. Trust your server a bit, be a little bit lenient in your desire to micro manage them, and you are likely to be surprised. - Just because you are unable to understand my comparisons does not make me a liar. Again, please stop calling me names. In all circumstances you are exchanging money for a good and/or service. How is this different from a tip? You give them money, they give you a good and or service, just like your visit to a restaurant. The comparison is perfectly apt. Why is it you can use your money to dictate every single detail at a restaurant, but not in other circumstances? - So if you ask for special treatment from a hairdresser and the net result is that it ends up costing her money because you have monopolized her time so that she cannot handle other customers, you think that this is acceptable? - First off, if you are only leaving 8% tip, I have to assume that the server did something massively wrong like sat at the bar chatting with a friend instead of serving you. Secondly, why on earth do you need something comped? If a mistake is made on the bill, it is then brought up and corrected, what on earth is the problem? A mistake was made, people are human. - A lot of people don't choose to work where they do. They have bills to pay, and sometimes have to take the job. Sometimes they are students and need a flexible schedule. Sometimes they need that job. - Just to clarify: If your boss pulled you aside tomorrow and told you that your pay would be deducted for every infraction, not tell you what these infractions are, and then deduct your pay, you would be okay with that? You would be absolutely fine with that decision? - A good job is them using common sense and serving to the best of their ability. Not catering to your every possible whim. - You are showing these people a complete and utter lack of respect. You are treating them like less than people. You are taking money of their pocket because you are overly demanding and do not respect the difficulties they may encounter. You are being rude and have a sense of entitlement that I simply cannot understand. I honestly have no idea why you seem to think the way you do. I wonder if you are looking at dining out as some sort of power trip. Perhaps you feel powerless in other walks of life and therefore like to use a situation such as this to grab yourself a slice of power. - Most servers (in my experience) are helpful, friendly, and willing to make a person's dining experience a good one. Sure, there are some that are horrible at the job simply don't care. I find them to be the exception and not the rule. Most customers around here seem to generally be gracious as well. I can only assume that it is simply a strange situation where you live where the servers are incompetent and the customers are rude.

• Shawn "Please refrain from calling me an idiot. It is uncalled for." Sorry, but you are making me mad with the stuff you are saying. "It does not mean you get to say exactly how the service is carried out." Since YOU are getting PAID for the service, it's just like as if WE are your BOSS saying what's NEXT. We are PAYING you, so it's your job to ask us what's next or if we want to tell you what is next, we will. WHY do you think it's not up to the PAYING people that are PAYING YOU? You are at OUR MERCY, NOT the other way around. I don't have to please the servers, the servers have to please US to get that good tip at the end. The more you please us, the more money you are more likely to make, so doesn't it make sense to do as THEY want? "They will endeavor to give you the best service they can, but that does not mean it is subject to your exact specifications." It sure IS if you want a good chunk of someone's money called a TIP at the end. You do things the way each customer wants, not the way you choose to do it. For example, some people may want their check right after ordering their entr� for example due to they are in a hurry, well if you don't come through for them, don't you think they have EVERY RIGHT to take points off the tip? Customers are your boss basically telling you how, when, and what to do to get a good tip at the end. If you are unfair, there is not reason why they shouldn't be back to you. You don't like people cutting in front of you in a line, don't do it to them. "My comparisons are perfectly apt. You are exchanging money for not only a service, but also a product." No, not in ALL of your comparisons: 1. "Do you go to the store and ask them to sell you half a bag of chips simply because a full bag is more than you want?" This one is not, because there is NO TIPPING INVOLVED in this. When you go to a grocery store or a store in general, you don't tip. I have never seen anyone tip at a grocery store or wal-mart or the mall stores. 2. "Do you dictate to the people doing your driveway the brand of asphalt they have to use?" This one no one is getting a tip either. When people are hired to do a job such as that for your home lot, there is no tipping involved in that. So NO, in 2 of the 3 examples, you are NOT paying for the SERVICE. Now you see why I called you a name, because LOOK at how you are such a LIAR. This is a FALSE STATEMENT, it isn't TRUE. You aren't paying for the service, you are paying for either the job done such as the asphalt situation which is just like a mechanic that gets no tip or at a grocery store buying a bag of chips at the walmart. I am not tipping that cashier when she rings up 2 instead of 1 that I have, then I have to go in the customer service line to get it fixed. I wasn't tipping her service. I wasn't tipping that customer service person either that fixed the mistake. I had to go to fix it, not the cashier even. When you are putting your groceries in your basket or on the conveyor belt, you sometimes don't notice that the cashier makes a mistake. The only person I would be tipping in your examples is the hair stylist, because they receive tips, the others don't. "If you tip extra for a hairdresser to spend twice the time with you, are you tipping her enough to make up for lost business?" Why would anyone be so stupid as to pay for services not received? Making up for lost of business may or may not happen for one thing and another thing is that I am paying for MY SERVICE. So if I am paying extra already for her spending more time on me, then that's for MY SERVICE, NOT for **SOMEONE ELSE'S** service when they aren't getting any service, I am. It's just like customers(which we aren't), that camp per say at restaurants that stay longer after they are finished. The customers shouldn't be paying more for IF they would have a tipping customer. That is not the customer's concern nor is it honestly fair to pay for someone else's missing service that wasn't there. If those customers are one party, then why should they pay as if they are 2 parties? They aren't 2 parties, they are one. They might leave a few dollars extra, but to leave for example 40% instead of 20% just because they took a table for 3 hours is not fair and insane. Customers aren't responsible for someone's loss of income or business. Why should someone pay for something they aren't receiving? If they stay longer, but don't get any refills or anything in that extra time, then they shouldn't leave anything more. If they get refills, but no more food, they should leave $3-$5 more. "-Cutting? This isn't a line in a theme park. Your server has only so much control over what happens in the kitchen." It doesn't have to be a physical line to hand things off of a tray in the order in which they came in. I agree that the server has only a certain amount of control, but they have control over what they decide to bring and in what ORDER they hand it off a tray in. That Red Lobster waitress could have just brought out our entr� instead of evening fathom putting 2 side salads on a tray. THAT took more time too of ours as well as handing it to those people BEFORE she gave us our entr�. "If the kitchen staff decide to prepare the meal from another table ahead of yours (and there are valid reasons for doing so) why take this out on your server?" I didn't say I would EVER do such a thing. Of course I wouldn't take it out on them. "How on earth is a server selfish for not spending their money on you?" By acting like they want that tip at the end, so your money is just as important as mine. Let's say you put something extra on my bill worth $5. Let's say you ask the manager to comp something, but he doesn't budge. If I don't know, because you didn't tell me that you ask the manager to comp something, let's say I was going to leave you 8% only because you apologized, because if you didn't you would get a big fat zero. If you would actually let's say you pay for one coke($2.50, let' say that's tax included) and told me about it. I would give you 19% instead. Let's just say the bill is $50, which $9.50, which 8% if $50 is $4, so let's say you spent your $2.50. That means you would make $3 more just for doing that. It doesn't seem like a lot, but just think if you were to do that how it could benefit you if people are nice like I would be to give back just as someone would do something nice for me. Instead of $4 you would have received $7 profit, even though the tip would be $9.50 due to the rung up soft drink you paid for. So just think about that a customer like me can give back some if you give some, but if you don't give any for a major mistake, why should we give as much in the tip when you didn't SHOW you cared(not just by saying you are sorry, but showing it just as servers want the money, not just that they were a good server)? "If you went to work tomorrow and your boss started cutting your pay for mistakes, would you be okay with it? Would you like that? Would you think this is fair?" That's why I don't CHOOSE to work at a job like that. A good example is that working as a pizza delivery person you have to use your own vehicle. That is something that I feel would be actually putting you in the hole instead of making a lot of money, because of wear and tear, mileage, risk of accidents, flats, and needing a new vehicle that much sooner, etc. SO YES, it's fair, because REMEMBER CUSTOMERS DON'T HAVE TO TIP YOU UNLESS AUTOMATIC GRATUITY IS ADDED!! If customers were tipping me instead of my boss paying me, it sure is fair as they are there to judge what I do, not my boss for what income I take in. It would suck, but it would be FAIR, yes it would. Why should a company pay you to mess up something? Is that fair? WHY when a servers mess up dining experiences, A LOT OF TIMES THE COMPANY pours out the money to the customer? IS THAT FAIR? NO, it's not, it should be the PERSON that MESSED UP to PAY the customer. The company didn't mess up the service, the SERVER DID!! Now if it is a manager that is bad, then the manager should come up with the money and not the actually restaurant's money. When I have gotten sent a gift card due to bad service from a server, does that mean the company messed up? No, the server did, but doesn't pay for their own mistakes. So honestly this is a better way of making the person do a good job, but the reason why it's so poor is because people tend to tip for bad service at times anyways or some don't tip well because they are too cheap when they do get good service. If everyone would tip like us, service would be 5 star everywhere, because you know you'd get punished in your income for mess-ups or being unfair, etc. It's called positive and negative reinforcement. "But there is a massive difference between them doing a good job, and them catering to your every whim and having everything go the way you want it to." No, there isn't any difference. A good job is doing everything that you want. "If they are attentive, friendly and are giving you good service, tip them. If they go above and beyond that, tip them even better." We already do that already. We have gone to 30% even at times. You have to do well and be caring to get that type of money. "Show them some respect, they are people for crying out loud!" We are the ones that do, it's the SERVERS that don't. Saying "thank you" when they had forgotten an item when they bring it to you, but they still didn't say they were sorry for forgetting it, how is that US being the mean people? Once, my husband's baked potato was forgotten by our waitress. She didn't say she was sorry once, even when fixing the problem and he was nice as pie about it. IT'S MOSTLY THE SERVERS THAT ARE UNCARING AND MEAN!!!

• I could care less if someone thinks I'm cheap because I order water. I actually care about my HEALTH, which is why I order water. And so what if someone orders water because they're on a tight budget?! Is it really that big of a deal? Yeah, I know it means a smaller tip, but not by much! By the way, I used to be a waitress. I agree with almost everything else on this list. But I also think that, given the state our country is in, those who have jobs should be grateful they have one. There are a lot of great servers out there that deserve good tips and good customers, but there are also a lot of bad servers out there...and I'm sure someone could make a "5 Reasons Your Customer Hates You" list.

• Just an FYI Springs1, when I was talking about things falling through the cracks, I was talking about table A having to wait a little longer than table D to get a refills or food, because I am on table C and going in rotation of importance. Then table A gets angry leaves a poor tip, that is why I was saying a little recognition on both sides is nice. If I can handle grabbing things for multiple tables I absolutely do, but sometimes you just don't have enough hands or room on your tray. With the writing everything down, it's not practical, IF I have two free hands, then it will still take time to pull out my pad and write it down. Now you'll say that it's no time at all right? Well, if I do it at every table it adds up fast and service gets slowed down, and that's IF I have hands free to even write something. The best solution is anticipating needs and predicting what each table will ask for and handle each table individually. It works the best for me and for my customers, I will not change it. That also flows into you sandwich idea, I can anticipate what extra sides you will probably need and have them ready to go once you ask for extras. The second part with extra crispy bacon, lettuce, etc., I will get when I get your order in the beginning when everything will definitely be written. If you even tell us what extra sides you want with your meal then, your server will be very happy. Still, in my experience as a server, lunch, and sandwiches in particular, are easier no matter what all the side requests are. Also, what is this tangent about cutting? So she put side salads first, it took you 10 extra seconds to get your meal and that's your basis for not tipping? Sounds like there were other disagreements going on between yourself and this server before your meal arrived. To play the devil's advocate though, did you think maybe she put the salads down first because her hands were full or by doing so it would allow her to spend more time at your table asking if everything is correct and fetching anything you may ask for, for your entree a.k.a. the meal more important than salads. About the sodas before the check, ma'am, there are other tables there besides yours and they need to be attended to as well. In my experience, customers tend to get angrier if they sit thirsty, than when they are done and satisfied and waiting for the check. At my restaurant I keep all my finishing tables checks in my apron to present immediately upon request so as to avoid these situations. Finally, as you can see with my other posts I have completely agreed that a server's tip is what they earn. It is the entitled servers that give the rest of us a bad name.

• Omg! Waaaa! Shut the f. Up

• @Springs1: Please refrain from calling me an idiot. It is uncalled for. Some points: - Yes it is a service. It is a service offered by the restaurant. It does not mean you get to say exactly how the service is carried out. They will endeavor to give you the best service they can, but that does not mean it is subject to your exact specifications. - My comparisons are perfectly apt. You are exchanging money for not only a service, but also a product. If you tip extra for a hairdresser to spend twice the time with you, are you tipping her enough to make up for lost business? What about the lost income for the establishment? At a restaurant, what if your giant list of demands clashes with the demands of a patron at another table? -Cutting? This isn't a line in a theme park. Your server has only so much control over what happens in the kitchen. If the kitchen staff decide to prepare the meal from another table ahead of yours (and there are valid reasons for doing so) why take this out on your server? - Under what circumstance is a server spending your money? Really? How on earth is a server selfish for not spending their money on you? Think that one through for a second. - If you went to work tomorrow and your boss started cutting your pay for mistakes, would you be okay with it? If you didn't staple a report the way he liked, 10$ off your next pay. Maybe you spilled your coffe. 10$. You didn't act on that email quite as fast as he would have liked. 20$. Would you like that? Would you think this is fair? - People earn their tips. I agree. If they sit around and do nothing or give you a bad attitude, then sure they are kicking themselves in the ass. But there is a massive difference between them doing a good job, and them catering to your every whim and having everything go the way you want it to. If they are attentive, friendly and are giving you good service, tip them. If they go above and beyond that, tip them even better. However, they aren't there to be your slave, to wipe your ass, and to help you chew your food. Show them some respect, they are people for crying out loud! I am starting to wonder if this entitled attitude is an American thing. I certainly have never seen anything like it Canada.

• Shawn "Every little detail is precisely what you want simply because you are paying customer?" No, because I am not paying for the service in mostly all places such as stores. "Do you go to the store and ask them to sell you half a bag of chips simply because a full bag is more than you want?" They wouldn't do that at a restaurant either you idiot, so this comparison is STUPID!! Restaurants don't sell me a half an entr�you idiot!! "Do you demand that a hair stylist go extra slow so you can see exactly what she is doing, resulting in her taking twice the time for the same price?" If I did, I'd TIP her or him more regardless of the price just as I tip beyond 20% if a server I see has done more work than most. "Do you dictate to the people doing your driveway the brand of asphalt they have to use?" NO, because I am not paying THEM personally, I am paying the company for the job. There's no tipping involved, so that is not a comparable thing. "Dictating the minute details of precisely how you expect a server to work is ludicrous." No, because I am PAYING FOR THAT SERVICE unlike at McDonald's or at a STORE!! It's ludicrous that people shouldn't get what **THEY** want for their money. "Dictating whom gets served in what sequence is ludicrous." NO, it's called BEING FAIR!! If you aren't, why should we tip you well or if at all? CUTTING is not nice and it is VERY RUDE to do that!! My husband and I have had this happen before. A good example of a time we left a dollar tip. We ordered around 11:20a.m. on a Friday at Red Lobster(meaning we were seated at 11:15a.m.). It was a little after 12p.m., our entr� finally were ready, which our waitress had 2 side salads on the tray as well as our entr�. The couple that ordered the side salads weren't even there when we ordered our food, meaning they weren't even in the building, because there was certainly no wait for a table that early(there wasn't). Anyway, the uncaring, bitch waitress decided to not bypass their table and actually hand them their side salads BEFORE our HOT FOOD that we had BEENNNN ORDERED!! That was just morally wrong!! That was CUTTING, plain and simple. Any decent waitress would have came to our table to deliver the hot food first and then had gone to the other table to give them their side salads afterward. You don't get to cut and then get a good tip, NO WAY!! You are mean, we are going to do it to you too!! She also when we asked for a box, some containers for the condiments, and the check decided to just give the box with the containers, then go to get 3 refills BEFORE getting the check when we had asked for the check FIRST. So you see, why it matters? It's all about BEING FAIR if you want US to be FAIR to YOU!! Why is someone else's time more important than ours? If that other couple would have been us, I would have gladly waited for our side salads while the people that had been waiting to get their hot food, go theirs. That's the FAIR way it SHOULD BE!! What's ludicrous is thinking you can get a good tip for CUTTING AND BEING UNFAIR!! I couldn't have fathomed doing that to customers even for not tip like at a McDonald's. That's just not right!! "Dictating how the kitchen staff chooses which order to process in which sequence is ludicrous." No, if some customers want certain things at different times, no it's not. It's not ludicrous to think your server will hand things out in the correct order. That's just being FAIR to ALL!! "but they have their own systems" If their systems are unfair, they deserve a low to no tip!! "You are there to enjoy your meal, that does not mean that you can dictate how everything needs to be processed." If you want our money at the end, it SURE DOES!! "but you expect them to actually pay money out of their own pocket? What the hell is the matter with you?" What the hell is the matter with you with just thinking about YOUR OWN MONEY and NOT ANYONE ELSE'S MONEY? What kind of SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED person are you? If you want our money at the end, you are at our mercy, not the other way around!! Of course I feel you should pay for something if you messed up majorly if you want a good tip. Why is your money somehow more important than mine? "stiffing them on the tip because they make a mistake is somehow fair to you?" It depends on WHAT the mistake is and HOW is it handled. It is fair if they don't apologize, don't try to get something comped, act like they could care less, etc. "Do you take a cut in pay every time you make a mistake at work or don't do something exactly the way your boss wanted you to?" No, but people do miss out on raises or bigger raises as wells a promotions. Also, a lady back in 2008 got demoted where I work for making too many mistakes. If you don't like getting your pay cut, work for an hourly wage from your employer like the rest of us or try harder!! I know if I for example would ring up an order completely wrong, I know that I would deserve a zero tip, even if I got somebody's food comped, because no one can give back their time regardless of money, even though I would and have given a decent tip for someone making up for something when that has happened before. In other words, you act ENTITLED!! You aren't ENTITLED because you gave me stuff. It's GOT to be the way I want it, correct(as much that you can control), be fair, things in a timely fashion, etc. You can't just get a good tip and give me something I didn't order or forget my refills. Act like that was YOU, how would YOU feel if that was your service. DO you want to pay for service you were miserable in? Is that really fair to have to pay for service you were miserable in? I don't feel it is. Why do you? You aren't entitled to that money. You EARN IT!!

• @Springs1: Are you for real? Not only do you feel it is justified to stiff your server on the tip because they cannot meet your lofty standards, but you expect them to actually pay money out of their own pocket? What the hell is the matter with you? If the person is attentive and is noticeably doing the best they can to make your meal a good one, give them a decent tip. If you cannot afford to do so, fine, simply dine at another establishment. It is incredibly simple. These people make crap all, and live off of tips. Whether you like it or not, society has structured their income around you tipping them. Sitting there with a massive list of demands as to how they need to satisfy your every whim and stiffing them on the tip because they make a mistake is somehow fair to you? Do you take a cut in pay every time you make a mistake at work or don't do something exactly the way your boss wanted you to?

• @Springs1: Just an FYI, but using CAPITALIZATION to EMPHASIZE your point every second sentence is ANNOYING. But I digress. How many places do you go where you expect everything to be exactly as you like? Every little detail is precisely what you want simply because you are paying customer? Do you go to the store and ask them to sell you half a bag of chips simply because a full bag is more than you want? Do you demand that a hair stylist go extra slow so you can see exactly what she is doing, resulting in her taking twice the time for the same price? Do you dictate to the people doing your driveway the brand of asphalt they have to use? Dictating the minute details of precisely how you expect a server to work is ludicrous. Dictating whom gets served in what sequence is ludicrous. Dictating how the kitchen staff chooses which order to process in which sequence is ludicrous. A good server will do their best to accomodate you and make your meal a pleasant one, but they have their own systems and the restaurant will have it's own method of working. You are there to enjoy your meal, that does not mean that you can dictate how everything needs to be processed.

• Shawn "These are people trying to earn a living in an incredibly demanding job, and attempting to hold them up to some self created standard of perfection that I can guarantee you do not come close to matching in your own profession is ridiculous and insulting." Then don't expect that PERFECT SCORE at the end. 20% or more is for servers that EARN their money and if you can't do it, don't EXPECT that you are ENTITLED to that 20% or more if you mess up. If you want it, try to make-up for it in some manner such as if it's a major mistake, getting something comped from your manager or even paying for a soft drink YOURSELF if you can't get something comped for a major mistake you made. Quit complaining and KNOW what you deserve by EARNING that money, it's not a RIGHT!!!

• Ex-Waitress "Do you all not realize that many restaurants, especially nicer ones, won't allow you to write orders down?" Mostly all do, even the fine dining ones we have gone to. If they don't, don't work there, because I know I would fired the first hour without writing things down. I am HORRIBLE at short term memory without writing things down.

• Karl "If I have 4 tables and one of them has 6+ customers, I will be busting my ass and some things may slip through the cracks and I will not be able to give my 100% to all tables." Why do some slip through the cracks? Did you WRITE ALL REQUESTS DOWN and go back to your pad of paper to reread them? If you didn't, there's no excuse for being lazy. Busting your ass is TRYING to remember things by WRITING THEM DOWN!!! "(I'm mainly talking steak/chicken/pork temperatures) Then the customer thinks they are justified in giving less of a tip like it's the server's fault." Steak can be your fault if you put in the order wrong such as pressing "medium rare" instead of "medium well" on the computer. "When you order a sandwich, it is priced much lower and will usually require less work for the server, which is why most servers are okay with a lower tip." A server works much harder for sandwiches and burgers for me, anyway. I order 2 sides of mayo, 1 side of mustard, 1 side of ranch, sometimes I will order one side of tartar sauce or/and 1 side of bbq sauce. Also, if I order bacon, I order it extra crispy. I tell them I want lettuce, cheddar cheese, and extra onions only. If it's a burger, medium well. That's WAY MORE WORK than a steak entr�with mashed potatoes for example. The lowered price items are much more work I find and that IS the truth!!

• Shawn "when they fail to meet their ludicrous expectations" What would be a ludicrous expectation in your opinion? I am just curious? Most expectations aren't, because if you are PAYING for service, it should be the way YOU personally want it and it should be the most correct it possibly can(meaning the server should try their very best).

• Michael "Springs1 thanks for agreeing on my other post." It is SOOO TRUE!! A number of times servers just go and not ask if you want something else(only one or 2 people in the party) or don't let you completely say what you do want if they do ask you. Also, sometimes they may bring something, not thinking about someone else at the table might need the same such as just bringing a refill without asking first. Do you agree with me about the not writing things down? For my husband and I, I don't think I have ever had a server write down refill request or the check or a bag or a to-go box or to-go condiment containers or extra napkins, or bread etc. They SHOULD if they want to try to remember it. Especially, being that I do ask for many things at once. Once, I even told a server I was going to be asking for a lot, she didn't take her pad and pen to write any of the 6 things I asked for and forgot the check. I requested: 1. a dessert 2. the check 3. a bag 4. a box 5. a to-go coke 6. to-go condiment containers I TRIED, the waitress was too lazy to write that list down. I even TOLD WARNED HER, she didn't listen. I didn't ask her to write it, but even at times I have asked servers to write down food orders and gotten refused, so I figured why bother asking. Stupid is that stupid does!!! That was a lazy server to decide not to get her pad of paper and pen.

• current cook "remembering who had what of the 6 dishes" There is no "REMEMBERING" 6 dishes. YOU WROTE IT DOWN, you have ALL of those 6 written orders to compare the food to, so this is a bunch of BS!! There's no "REMEMBERING" any of that if you wrote it down, like DUH!!! "get interrupted for a special request at table 2 (with no free hands to write it down, so you are forced to memorize it). STILL not forget what table 2 had asked from you?" I have had a server before tell me they needed to be able to write it down, so they had to come back to my table. WHY not do that? I know ***I*** would personally have to, because my short term memory is TERRIBLE!!! "if your glass is empty for a few minutes, look at what your server is doing, is he/she leaning against the bar talking to other servers, or is he/she running around like a demon trying to accomidate all 20+ guests' needs at once?" I do tip according to if I see them serving others or not. I also know if I just asked for a refill and my server decides to buss table or take 2 or 3 other table's orders first, yes, their tip will be just as they did to us, CUT some. They shouldn't let others cut in front of someone's turn. Everyone has turns just as you wouldn't expect me to interrupt you at another table if you were as server taking an order. It would be their turn, not mine at the time, well same goes for when we place an order. It shouldn't take 10 minutes to get a refill, unless there is a really good reason such as you were delivering another table's food. "the kitchen will probably end up getting backed up and there may be a slight delay in your table of 2 that was ordered 5 minutes after the table of 25ppl." Let's just say the 2 orders, let's say they are mine and my husband's orders, are done at the same time. Even though we are only 2 people, the table of 25 did order first and should be served first since they were there first. It's only fair. Think if you were in the table of 25, so that's how you have look at it, in a FAIR manner.

• After having worked in the service industry from the time I was 15, (at a little pizza shop) until I was 23, I can tell every person on this page that even if I am dying of starvation, I will never be a waitress again. Imagine this scenario: Three servers called out. No replacements were found, and as a result, you have 6 tables instead of three. You are hot in your long sleeved uniform. You are moving as quickly as possible in order to be as efficient as possible. You are polite and friendly, dispite the heavy sheen of sweat on your face, and the cooks in the back who were just screaming at you because your customer ordered a psychotically complicated rendition of your featured entree. Even though you are working insanely hard and providing everything that your tables request very promptly, two of them are nasty and aloof, and pick for problems because they didn't enjoy the taste of their mashed potatoes or something of the sort. One of the aforementioned tables has 4 children running around your legs and throwing cheerios all over the place, and little sandy thinks it would be funny to duck under your legs while you're precariously balancing a tray of 8 glasses. Little Sandy's mom thinks this is just adorable. Table number four has also decided that they need something new everytime you go back to drop off the last thing they ordered, even though you linger and ask if anyone needs anything else; you even go so far as to anticipate and suggest things they might need next time, which they chronically refuse, then decide to take you up on about one minute later. After your most earnest smiles, your accomodating kindness, your flawless efficiency, and your astronomical patience, Sandy's mom still left a crumpled dollar and some dimes for your tip. Table two seems to have "forgotten" to tip you entirely, even though they stopped the manager on the way out to compliment the fantastic service, asked for my name, and promised to come back and see me, (which I pray to GOD THEY DON'T!)and another table left a Jesus pamphlet and a "Thank you, you were so lovely!" on the check. Luckily, the other three tables left you 20 percent of their 25 dollar check, so in that two hours, I've made about a whopping 15 dollars or so. I remember recieving 2 paychecks in all of the years I was a waitress. I vaguely remember them amounting to about 12 dollars or so after taxes were taken out. The rest of my paychecks were in the negative because we are legally obligated to claim our tips, or answer to the IRS. There were some nights when waitressing was very rewarding. I would have friendly tables that would tip appropriately, treat me respectfully, and order as efficiently as I would serve them. Some days I loved my job because I loved the staff and I enjoy multi tasking and challenging myself to be perfect. Those days didn't compensate, however, for the days I found myself sitting on the bathroom floor and crying in helplessness and frustration because of how nasty people were to me for reasons that were unfathomable, and for the tips I was OWED for providing exemplary service, and wasn't paid for reasons I also found to be unfathomable. An old woman called me a "stupid cow" one night because twice in a row the kitchen cooked her Filet to a perfect medium rare instead of the well done she'd ordered. Bottom line: Tell your servers what you need, keep on top of what YOU expect from your experience, be aware of the difficulties the job proposes, be grateful for an excellent experience provided, and honor the time held tradition of our county...TIP YOUR DAMNED WAITERS AND WAITRESSES.

• @DJ: How about not expecting people to do *every* little thing and treat them like garbage while doing so? If the server does a good job (refilling your glass, paying attention to your order, and is attentive) give them a nice tip. It's really simple. A server doing a good job should receive a decent tip (18-20%). The problem is that people either expect wayyyy too much out of their server and then when they fail to meet their ludicrous expectations use that as a reason to not tip or undertip, or people are just cheap. I am not talking about servers who aren't doing a good job.

• Shawn...There is a difference between being able to afford 18% to 20% and actually being dumb enough to hand it over to someone for refilling my glass and bringing my food to my table. How about actually being accountable for your actions and figuring out what you are doing wrong that is causing people to not tip better.

• Who is going to change the system? The people that might be college students trying to pay their schooling? Single parents who work as many shifts as they can to make ends meet? People that have just worked a double shift and dealt with a massive rush? The system is flawed. Absolutely. But these are people doing the best that they can in a very difficult job. They simply do not have the time to "change the system" how could they? If you cannot afford to eat at a sit down restaurant and leave a tip (18-20%, by the way) simply do not go there. Eat at home or go to a less expensive establishment. Don't screw over the people working for peanuts because you are cheap.

• Restaurant food is already overpriced to being with. And on top of that the customer is "expected" to leave at least a 15% tip? I understand that owners can get away with paying the wait staff less than minimum wage but that is where the problem is. Why not work to make it illegal for a restaurant to pay their wait staff less than minimum wage? Boom, problem solved.

• More entitlement BS. You are not entitled to tip. You earn it. That's why its called a tip and not a wage. You work in the service industry. Which means you provide a service and depending on how well you provide it you have the potential to earn more money. If I think of things one at a time. TOO BAD! Get over it. I work in IT and you know how many times a day I get one off request in my line of work??? And I dont get any tip for doing them. For those of you that do your job without crying over any extra work you might have to do thank you. Most of my waiters in my life have been awesome. Its the people who have a passion about their work and dont do everything expecting a big tip in return who usually earn the big tips.

• God forbid you actually have to work for your money like I do...

• Ryan says: "You people are a bunch of entitled assholes... Grow up, assholes. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. The golden rule, remember that?" Wait...so, you *want* us to call you an asshole? Because we're all using the golden rule, and you're treating us the way you expect to be treated, right? Okay. ASSHOLE.

• Austin said: "...in my restaurant, is usually never worth it. We don't want or care about your business. Really, we don't." Great. So, to prove that point, please post the name and address of your restaurant so we'll know NOT to encounter you. And when your boss finds out that you posted HIS restaurant info along with your attitude, we'll see how fast your two-degrees will keep your job for you.

• Always with the tip. You bitch about "only" getting 10% tip, but for me it is a 10% hike on the prices on the menu. I did not step in to your diner to GIVE you money because you do your job. I will leave a tip, but just because the bill is for 20 does not mean you get a $10 tip. It makes me so tired that in the states EVERYONE gets a salary except the servers, for some reason they have been singled out.

• @AverageTipper: Your damn right I respect my mechanic, a random cashier or the mail carrier. Why on earth wouldn't I respect them? Why shouldn't I respect the person working at a restaurant in a difficult job that is chronically underpaid? Shock of all shocks, you are not the center of the universe. You should respect these people and treat them in a manner that you would like to be treated. It really isn't a difficult concept.

• Yeah all true, i have been a waiter some point in my life, its tough dealing with difficult customers and a boss who believes they are always right so i let them customers have their way to keep my job sadly, i know what it feels like which a why my last day in the restaurant is Heaven for me but Hell to them.

• The solution to ALL of this bitching is to patronize (or be employed at) fine dining establishments. If you don't want to be around children, don't go to Disneyland.

• #5 is moreso for the cook than the servers #6 an extra lemon? lemons are cheap, and usually fairly disposable #10 dont go rummaging trough the kitchen to get something, if you want an extra fork, ask the server. #11 if you are a vegetarian, dont go to a place that ONLY serves meat, thats just not logical #12 "it doesnt take any skills to serve tables"? what kind of bull shit is that? lets just play out a scenario can you carry 6 plates to table 1, get interrupted for a special request at table 2 (with no free hands to write it down, so you are forced to memorize it) drop plates off at table 1, remembering who had what of the 6 dishes, and STILL not forget what table 2 had asked from you? do that, while watching the drink levels, meal progress (time for dessert/bill?), possible dine/dashers of your 8+ table section. once you can do that no problem, then you can pick apart your so called "shitty service" not saying that all servers are saints and should be treated as so, as of any profession, youll have a bell curve of skills. 15% that are ace, 15% that are terrible and 70% that are somewhere inbetween. you just have to notice things like: -if your glass is empty for a few minutes, look at what your server is doing, is he/she leaning against the bar talking to other servers, or is he/she running around like a demon trying to accomidate all 20+ guests' needs at once? if its the latter, just be a little more patient and try to get his/her attention (not by snapping your fingers, thats rude. a polite wave works just as well, if not better) -was your food delivered to you within a reasonable time. once again, look around, was the restaurant busy? if the restaurant gets a sudden rush of 25 people ordering all at once, the kitchen will probably end up getting backed up and there may be a slight delay in your table of 2 that was ordered 5 minutes after the table of 25ppl. or the server is stuck at a table that wants 30 modifiers on their order. on the flip side, the server could be slacking off and standing at the bar talking to a friend -were you greeted at the door within a reasonable time? when a restaurant has a "please wait to be seated" type sign, you expect that you wouldnt have to wait 15 minutes to be seated, unless notified that there was infact a 15 minute wait for tables hopefully those points can help some of your more ignorant people put service into perspective. and about me? what is tip is all over the board, ive left 35% tips, and ive also left as little as 3 cents on 25$. but if the server ever asked me why i gave them a good/bad tip, i would be able to justify it with a very descriptive list of anything that went good/bad about the service. one more thing, dont let one thing ruin your night out. people tend to forget the good and only dwell on the bad ex: yes, your salad was a little heavy on the dressing, but it was also the best mixed bellini youve ever had you got your drinks within minutes of ordering them the salad doesnt warrent a 0% tip, but maybe a reduced tip

• Lindsay says: "Have any of you ignorant boneheads seen the movie "Waiting"? You think people don't mess with it if you piss them off? Oh, they do...and let me tell you, they get a kick out of seeing you dig into the salad that they spit in while you thought it was just Italian dressing." Really nice. And you wonder why people don' give you respect...

• I have an idea: all of us pesky customers could just eat at home. We would get the experience we want while not paying to be disrespected by servers. The veiled threat included here ("we're alone with your food...") is unforgivable. For MOST people, eating out is an option. We do not HAVE to patronize restaurants.

• "you give a verbal tip.." hahaha! that is brilliant.

• In reply to Rebecca, You seem sadly misinformed about how the restaurant system works in the US. You said (to David): "NO, a tip IS something extra ..." and "If the restaurant is underpaying their staff, that's not something that the customer knows or should be responsible for. Underpaying like this is a horrible practice. You can't expect customers to anticipate this and overpay accordingly." Rebecca, that may be how you think the system ought to run (and yes, it might be better if it were that way), but that is NOT the current system in the US. The current system is not just based on habits and tradition, it is also based on federal government law, and has been that way for decades. You may think that tips should only be given as something extra, when the service is extra good. And you may think that laws require waiters get paid at least minimum wage (any tips would be extra, like bonuses). Yes, that is how the system works in many countries. It is NOT how it works in US. The regular minimum wage laws do NOT apply to most waiters. These federal laws have a much lower wage for waiters. Anyone who has ever waitressed knows that. Also anyone who has ever actually read one of those official "minimum wage" notice-posters on a company bulletin board -- the place where the boring HR notices are posted. Rebecca, you said "Unless the wait staff tells customers about this arrangement, the tip can only be seen as reflecting the quality of service." I assume you are referring to the practice of paying much less than what you think is a minimum wage. You are expected to know the American system of restaurants, minimum wage, and tipping. The wait staff does not tell you that their paycheck is less than minimum wage, because it assumed that EVERYONE knows this (unless they just arrived from some other country and haven't yet learned of it). Knowing how restaurants and tipping works (for whatever country you live in) should be part of the basic manners (etiquette) that parents explain.

• "As for, "We don't want or care about your business. Really, we don't." That HAS to be my favorite comment of them all." While most places still pull the "the customer comes first, no matter what" bullshit, more establishments are starting to see how customers manipulate their policies while treating their employees like crap at the same time, and let me tell you...it doesnt make them happy. So yes, in some cases, the owner and not just the waitstaff, could really care less if you came back.

• "As for, "We don't want or care about your business. Really, we don't." That HAS to be my favorite comment of them all." While most places still pull the "the customer comes first, no matter what" bullshit, more establishments are starting to see how customers manipulate their policies while treating their employees like crap at the same time, and let me tell you...it doesnt make them happy. So yes, in some cases, the owner and not just the waitstaff, could really care less if you came back.

• @ Average Tipper. So are you saying when someone is doing a job, that they do not deserve your respect? Very insightful. I feel bad for those closest to you and even those that have to be around you. I love how a lot of you guys are complaining about one another, when in reality, servers and customers both need one another. Personally, when I was a server I was happy to see customers come through the door, because I know that I will be making more money than I walked in the door with. Because believe it or not, minimum wage doesn't help THAT much. Of course there are times, when you expect a good tip and you are dissappointed... but that's how it is. (But did they really need to buy $20 in alcohol that the server will need to tip to the bartender---which I'm sure most people don't understand either) Then again, if people don't want to deal with servers, fast food or cooking at home (its cheaper, there is no need to tip) is a healthier option. Pun intended. Physically and mentally, it is the most draining. I also have bailed hay, hauled grain, construction, roofing, bartended, sales, received my b.a. and attained a masters. But once you are in the server mentality and master the craft, it is not the worst.

• "Servers are servants. That's kinda sorta why they are called servers." God, I hate people like you. We are NOT your slaves, and just because we are catering to your needs does NOT give you the right to treat us that way. I don't give a rat's behind if you are spending your "hard earned money" at our establishment, that doesn't give you the right to treat anyone disrespectfully, especially someone who is (most likely) working genuinely hard to make your dining experience better. But we're just your servants, right? We obviously don't have feelings. We all must be high school drop outs who have no brains whatsoever, that's why we work at a no-skill job to pay the bill, because we OBVIOUSLY couldn't get anything better, am I right? What I don't understand is how you pretentious morons go about treating people like crap who are HANDLING YOUR FOOD. Have any of you ignorant boneheads seen the movie "Waiting"? You think people don't mess with it if you piss them off? Oh, they do...and let me tell you, they get a kick out of seeing you dig into the salad that they spit in while you thought it was just Italian dressing. Just something to think about.

• Trust me, you'd be surprised how wrong you are about how my boss and other restaurant owners feel about that. Where I work we are allowed to refuse service to anyone who is personally disrespectful towards us. As for my entitled attitude, go fuck yourself. You better believe I bust my ass for every customer that walks in that door, and I do it with a smile on my face, no matter how rude or arrogant they are, and regardless of how well they will or won't tip. Its my job, and I work hard at it. But because it has the word "serve" in the job title doesn't mean the customer is entitled to degrade me.

• I think the earlier poster was right about the over 35 comment... Older folks have less of a sense of entitlement, more of a "glad I have a job" frame of mind, and in most cases think they are eating out at a sit down restaurant specifically to be catered to. As for, "We don't want or care about your business. Really, we don't." That HAS to be my favorite comment of them all. Your JUST the server bubba, I assure you, the restaurant owner, ya know, the person that gave you a job that required little skill or training and yet still pays well enough that you chose it over ditch digging, also known as, Your Boss, I assure you, they DEFINITELY want "my business" much more than they want your entitled attitude or need your particular services. I know a lot of business owners that actually PREFER to hire illegal immigrants, simply because they work harder, without acting entitled.

• Servers are servants. That's kinda sorta why they are called servers. The problem seems to be that servers take things personally, feeling entitled to respect, notice, and acknowledgement, oh and a good tip, when the job role is to be invisible so the customer can focus on the meal and their companion(s). You want a ribbon and applause, win an award or be an actor. You want a good tip, provide great service, and do it invisibly. It's not about respecting you. It's about how well you perform the job. You don't even THINK about respecting, or disrespecting your mechanic, a random cashier, or the mail carrier, you just care about the quality of their work. Why expect it to be any different when it comes to the quality of your work? Look for respect on your personal time.

• Oh, and I've worked on a farm bailing hay, as a security guard and as a laborer on a construction site as well as waiting tables through college and high school. Waiting tables pays the best, but it is also by far the most challenging and stressful physically and mentally of all those.

• I'm with Karl. I just finished my undergrad degree, my SECOND one, and I wait tables at night to pay the bills. Anyone who thinks that this is an unskilled job needs to head on back to whatever shitty college their parents put them through. Sounds like most of you who feel like this article's 5 points were out of line is probably over 35. It's a tough job and dealing with you pathetic fat slobs who come in and do these things from the article and think you have a right to "because you're spending YOUR hard earned money" in my restaurant, is usually never worth it. We don't want or care about your business. Really, we don't. Educate yourself as a customer. Waiter pay is genrally affected on a state by state basis. For instance in Idaho server wage is 2.50 plus tips. Across the border in Washington its 8.55 plus tips. But no matter where you go, a tip is not extra, it is part of the cost of going out for a night

• I love reading these "I'm entitled to good tips" posts. Apparently servers: 1) Are skilled labor, even though there's usually a pile of applicants ready and able to fill their position with less than a weeks training. 2) Should be compensated for their level of education, number of kids, financial troubles, worth as a person, or just because their feet hurt. Unlike, I dunno, day laborers or the landscaping crew, who usually work harder, for much less. 3) Should not be compensated for the quality or quantity of their work, but solely based on the fact that the food doesn't look like it was dropped. Usually. 4) Are not really there to SERVE, and shouldn't have to look for ways to make the meal an exceptional experience, especially if the tip is under $10. 5) Shouldn't have to deal with bad customers. Well, ya know what, no one should have to deal with miserable people, except that ANYONE in a public facing job always will. And, hate to tell ya, but that cranky broad with the bad nose job, or that fat a-hole with the yellow collar stains? They have friends and they talk. Even if they don't tip, word of mouth affects how popular your restaurant is...and thus your wallet. 6) Are poorly paid... except that most average at least double minimum wage, and in an upscale place can pull in many times that. In fact, most servers make more than most teachers. and lastly 7) Apparently have no choice! They're trapped in their jobs! I guess because the pay is so much better than anything else they could do with their skill set.

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