Thursday, May 13, 2010

Serving Saved My Life!!

No, you definitely did not read that wrong. To most, it's a dead end job, or a means to an end, a way to pay the bills while you're getting to where you REALLY want to be.



For me however, it changed my life and continues to do so on a daily basis.



I was painfully shy when I was younger and would never imagine talking to random people on a daily basis for work, let alone actually being good at it! I'm not exactly sure why I even chose a job like waiting tables if I was so shy, doesn't seem like a good fit. All I know is that I needed money, and I heard that servers can make a killing, so there I was.



Serving taught me a LOT about human behavior. The fussy people, the ignorant, the demanding, the arrogant pricks, you have to talk to them ALL on a daily basis.



My family can be put into the "fussies" category. I'm sure I would have turned out just like them had I not been saved. They're always unhappy in some way, shape or form when they sit down in a restaurant. It actually starts before they sit down.



The table they're sat at is always "under a vent" or the music is too loud, or they'd rather have a table not in the middle of the dining room, it could actually be one of a number of stock complaints in their repertoire.



They also do the very annoying "I will have a drink, but serve it with my meal" bullshit, then turn into a bobblehead doll if it's not dropped within seconds of the food delivery.



They will be in the process of still eating their appetizer, while looking around and lamenting to each other that the entrees have not been delivered yet!



It honestly seems like they go out just to nitpick service! The grande finale is when the bill comes (tip time!) and they make excuses as to why they should tip the server less. "Well, she forgot my water and I had to remind her" or even worse "I told him I was cold and I can feel the vent is still on!". Totally ridiculous excuses just to save a few dollars. The worst part about it is that I work in the field! I get beyond embarrassed and always used to leave a $20 under my plate to make up for hopefully some of the idiocy. (I say "used"to because I barely talk to these people anymore, but that's for another blog)



Serving has taught me patience and also to enjoy myself. One thing I could never understand about people in a dining setting is when they complain that the food is taking too long. Don't get me wrong, there are circumstances where the food takes an extraordinarily long amount of time to get there and even I'm wondering what the heck is going on. However, the majority of complaints are voiced to me at the 20 minute mark. That's a significant amount of time, sure, but if you enjoyed your company and were having a good time you wouldn't even notice!



I notice that the majority of tables that complain like this aren't even talking to each other. Last I checked, eating out is a social thing. If you don't like to socialize with the person you're sitting across from, why did you go out with them in the first place?



Serving has also grounded me and shown me how ridiculous people look when they blow things out of proportion. I mean seriously, people look downright silly when they make a big stink if something isn't cooked properly. I'm not saying that you shouldn't say something, by all means please tell me so I can fix it. I'm talking about the people who make a big dramatic scene because their burger is a little underdone, or act disgusted and tell me their soup is "ice cold" when it's warm instead of hot. Or the absolute worst, when they argue if I tell them they can't use more than one coupon per table, now you look like you're cheap AND an asshole!



Restaurants are a great place to observe humans in their most pure form, when they're feeding. Whether you're working at one or just dining at one you can witness some incredible behavior flaws. If you're anything like me though, you're too busy enjoying yourself when you're out to even pay attention! :)