A few more things your waitress won’t tell you.

Having spent the better part of my teenage years slinging plates and begging for tips, I now have a great appreciation for
just how difficult and thankless a job it is to be a food server. Having been a customer that enjoys a sit-down meal
whenever she can afford it, I also have a great appreciation for how many bad servers there are out there. So to all the
servers that are fed up with bad customers and to all the customers who are fed up with bad servers, here’s some tips
and tricks of the trade to make both sides a bit happier with each other.

 Use the straws. Yes, we wash the glasses but there’s no guarantee how sterile they are when the same jug is
used to fill a hundred glasses a day.
 Ever wonder why we always show up just as you take a bite? It’s our internal check-up timer, it just works out
that way. We try and remember you as often as we can.
 If we seem a little ansty or even drugged, it's probably because we haven’t eaten all day. Because regardless of
the laws, if we’re busy, we don’t get a break.
 Got your order wrong? Food was bad? Okay, we can usually comp you a slice of pie or even the whole meal.
There’s no reason to get upset and leave without paying. They take that out of our pay, you know.
 And since we don’t cook the food, don’t punish us by skimping on the tip. That should be service-based, not
food-based. Food issues should be brought to the manager.
 The upside down penny sends a clear message that we would rather have heard from you. What did we do to
deserve that tip? Really, we want to know.
 Sometimes we just don’t care; sometimes we are just bad servers; in that case go up the ladder to the manager.
Still no results? Contact the owner, you can usually find that info on-line on sites like manta.com. It’s a
corporate chain? E-mail customer service. You will get results.
 If we do not automatically bring you water, don’t ask for it if you won’t drink it. That's wasteful.
 We know it’s hard to get our attention sometimes, but don’t whistle at us like a dog, simply raise your hand and
gesture. If we don’t see you or purposefully avoid you, either you’re a bad customer or we’re a bad server, act
accordingly.
 We have other tables to take care of besides yours. We also are probably a prep cook, hostess, cashier, busboy,
and dishwasher when the need for one arises. Be quick when ordering please; if you don’t know yet, have us
come back.
 Think of how many people have touched your food before you got it; now you know why we have that hand-
washing sign in the restroom.
 Don’t leave the tip space blank if you’re leaving a cash tip, cross it out. Yes, we can, have, and will add a tip for
ourselves. We're not all angels.
 More tips and info: http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/10-things-your-restaurant-wont-tell-you-
13791/?page=1
 http://www.rd.com/home-garden/30-secrets-your-waiter-will-never-tell-you/article169699.html
 http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/20-secrets-your-waiter-will-never-tell-you-550722
 http://www.bspcn.com/2010/07/29/20-secrets-your-waiter-wont-tell-you/
 http://www.rd.com/home-garden/20-secrets-your-waiter-wont-tell-you/article169685.html#slide