I greet my table with a smile and ask my guests how they’re doing today, but there is no response to my “how are you?”
Instead, they quickly say, “Diet coke.”
Okay, you’re Diet Coke today, I think to myself, still smiling and carrying on with everybody else’s drinks without missing a beat.
I go get their drinks as quickly as possible. Jeez, this tray is so heavy. I had to add drinks for my other tables who now need refills.
I start taking their food orders. I try to help them with everything they ask until they have everything the way they would like it.
Once their entrees come out, I make sure everything is cooked correctly and they received every item they ordered to their liking.
I check back on them periodically, bringing any extra items they may want throughout the course of the meal and refilling their drinks whenever they start to get low.
Once they’re finished, I ask if they’d like any dessert. If not, I hand them the check and assure them there is no rush for it and if they need any to-go boxes or drinks that I’d be happy to get for them.
I get their change or swipe their card as quickly as possible, take it back to them and wish them a great rest of their day.
All the while, I’m running to my three other tables. On top of the extra tables, I’m also expected to run food and do side work, like restocking the ice, cutting new lemon wedges and restocking to-go cups.
After my guests leave, the receipt I pick up from their table has a $4 tip left on a $75 bill.
But, why? It seemed I did everything well. All their food was right. They never had to ask for any refills.
Well, word on the street is, a lot of people think it’s okay to either not tip your server at all or to tip less than 20% of their bill.
I’ve heard people say, “You picked this job so it’s not my problem you only get paid $2.13 per hour.”
Newsflash: yes we chose this job and accepted $2.13 per hour because when being serviced on your every want and need, it’s polite and respectful to tip the person serving you.
Yes, I would much rather take the job at my college’s bookstore or gym to stay off my feet and maybe get some homework done on the clock, too.
But those jobs pay minimum wage, not to mention the taxes cut out of every paycheck.
So, while I’d love to have a less stressful and physically exhausting job, I take the serving job to support myself.
What people don’t realize is that servers work their butts off for customers every time they step into a restaurant.
We juggle a million tasks at once and take care of multiple tables at a time which could easily lead to taking care of 15 to 30 different people at once.
So, when we see that couple dollars after we ran to and from your table making sure you had everything you needed, it truly hurts.
When you go out to eat somewhere, don’t forget to tip the server at least 20 percent.
And remember they’re human too.
prhurst@indiana.edu
@IDSPeyton
