Part-time work is hard to come by and so when you are struggling for cash you will be excited when you get an offer of employment from a restaurant or bar. Here is some friendly advice, just don’t. It is not like the movies where you’re a cute waitress, no. In fact, if you’re waitressing your back hurts reading just this, and you actually leave work looking like an absolute state from your miserable time dealing with the general public, who you will learn very quickly, are awful. Here are some relatable problems for anyone who has worked in the food and drinks industry…
“‘You can just leave that here love’ meaning the food in your hand. Haha so funny, haven’t heard that one a million times”.
One of the worst things is when you are happily walking past a table with some food in your hand and someone grabs your attention to ask for a drink. Firstly, this is annoying as you are clearly busy, but, after you listen to them, growing impatient because you have someone else’s food in your hand who is waiting, the person who stopped you has the nerve to say ‘You can just leave that here love’ meaning the food in your hand. Haha so funny, haven’t heard that one a million times.
Even more irritating is when your hands are clearly FULL of food you are bringing out to a table and someone on the table asks if the other food is coming. Of course, sorry Karen I don’t have three hands. I haven’t forgotten your food I just can’t pick up five plates.
People complaining to try and get free things even though there is nothing wrong is also one of the most infuriating things. I know that lasagne is fine, I ate the remains of it in the kitchen, but I cannot tell you that as I smile sweetly and say I will get my manager because I can’t be bothered to deal with your BS. What is worse is when someone has finished their whole meal, practically licked the plate and then has the cheek to complain it was bad. Well, if you finished it, it can’t have been that bad, can it?
“If you work on a bar, you will know the pains of when you are pouring a beer on the bar and the froth gets a little out of hand.”
There is also nothing more embarrassing than when you drop something at work and then all the customers clap and shout ‘wheyy’ as if you weren’t humiliated enough. Cheers, thanks for that. Just going to go and hide now.
If you work on a bar, you will know the pains of when you are pouring a beer on the bar and the froth gets a little out of hand. This is called the head of the beer, for any readers who didn’t know. Anything referring to the head on the beer instantly becomes annoyingly sexual. You can’t help but apologise for the ‘bad head’ and then you realise what you said much to your disgust and to the creepy man at the bar now smirking at you. Not ideal.
This one is my favourite tick, for those who work weddings doing the catering, something that happened a lot at my restaurants. It’s when you’re walking around with wine to pour, and someone asks you the question; ‘Can you just mix red and white wine to make rosé?’. Now, I’m no scientist, but I know it doesn’t quite work like that.
“You can’t help but eavesdrop though, it’s better than being bored.”
Possibly one of the infuriating things, however, is when everybody else has left the restaurant, but you are stood there waiting on one table to leave. It always happens and it is as though these people live in a bubble because they never notice that they’ve overstayed their welcome. This table is usually headed by the dreaded woman who’s been gossiping for the last few hours. All you want to do is get out of there, but you have to stand around for another hour just waiting and hearing about how who’s slept with who at the office whilst they finish their glass of wine. You can’t help but eavesdrop though, it’s better than being bored.
Finally, people treat you like you’re stupid. This is probably the one that gets to me the most. So many people treat servers like they’re the most stupid people in the world, raising their voice and speaking slowly as though to make a fool of you to everyone else around you. Working in a restaurant will really change your table manners next time you are eating out.
Miriam Thompson
Featured image courtesy of Georgie Pauwels on Flickr. Image license here.
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