I always assumed it was an easy job. Just take orders and bring food back to customers. I know that's a very simplistic and ignorant view. Yet, alot of waiters seem to hate their job and they say it's very difficult.
shareYes it is hard, especially in fine dining. You have to know every item on multiple menus and be prepared to make suggestions such as which type of wine will pair best with which starter, entree, or desert, and describe flavours and ingredients of each dish. Gotta know what substitutions are needed, who has allergies, how they want their food cooked, and balance the orders of multiple tables - putting the orders in the computer system on time - whilst making sure the kitchen has the order tickets right, and communicating with the Chefs and line cooks on when the food needs to go out and in what order, and make sure the food runners know where to place what in which seat.
You need to communicate with the server assistants to make sure tables are set in advance for the meals, and that everyone is getting refills on water and drinks. If the S.A. is busy, then you need to do it all yourself before the food arrives. You also have to be sociable and make conversation with your guests. You will often have to carry food and clear tables yourself, which are multiple heavy plates that can easily be dropped. You are always on your feet, and need to remember which tables need the check and process credit card payments, cash, or a gift card, and sort out any problems with pricing. On top of this, shifts often last 8-9 hours for dinner shifts, and 10+ hours for breakfast. With constant non-stop movement, you’re also expected to polish silverware, restock supplies and wine coolers, and sweep and mop. And if anything goes wrong prepare to be stiffed in a tip and lose out on hundreds of dollars in one night, or be torn a new asshole by your restaurant manager or kitchen staff.
The plus side to all this hard work is that servers often only work 30-35 hours a week and can make a lot of money from tips. One server I knew made six-figures working in fine dining. It’s a hard job that requires a ton of practice and knowledge acumen, but can be very profitable in the long run. The downside is there’s no job security during recessions.
A sever who really knows their wines will get better tables (zones) or from the hostess.
shareIt's a job that wouldn't suit a quiet, introvert like myself then. I would rather die. Not to mention, physically demanding being on your feet all day. Not to mention, customers blaming and screaming at the waiter for their food which is beyond the waiter's control. Not to mention, receiving abuse from manager and cooks. The waiter is often the runt of the litter.
I think you did an apt job in explaining how awful waitressing really is. Sometimes, the job is glamorized on television when it's a really shitty job.
My Sister In Law was a waitress for several years
Some costumers are impossible idiots and others are terrible tippers
I'd say it sounds really tough
It’s a very hard job. Tip your servers, you cheap bastards!
shareWe make it a habit to very generously tip, waitstaffs have low wages and good tips are their lifeline
It's also only proper to be quite polite to them, they bust their butts (and I'm also concerned about someone spitting in my food!)
Spitting in the food is very real...and worse. How people could be so comfortable treating a person who is handling their order with disrespect is beyond me. A person has to really be naive or narcissistic to think people won’t tamper with the integrity of their meal if they were made to feel less of a human. And that’s a nice server, a shit server (or disgruntle employee) can just be doing it for shits n giggles. High end restaurants are safer because no sever is trying to lose 1000 dollar weekends.
shareOh' I've heard a few stories about bodily fluids...I'm exceedingly polite, I DO NOT complain and I tip quite well!
shareI think its awful job have to deal with jerks. You have rude people and perverted psycho men to deal with. Men can be terrible. I hate how people don't want to tip.
shareI’m sure it can be absolutely horrible and a job I would never want.
sharei was a waiter in college
money was plenty good enough for my then-expenses
when its busy its very hectic. u have 5 things to do at once...
I had a couple of restaurant jobs when I was younger but never worked as a waiter. From my experiences I can't tell you that any restaurant work is not easy.
The tasks themselves may sound simple, but are made complicated by factors mentioned in many of these posts. Add to this the fact that you are dealing with a hungry public. People tend to be extra nasty when they are hungry.
Is being a GOOD waiter/waitress that difficult is more the question. A lot of these fine folks work long and double shifts. It's an endurance run of dealing with entitled customers who actually strive to be difficult. You gotta run around on your feet all day and multi task a hundred different things in your head at once with a good sense of timing. Sometimes you place your drink order and don't even see your server for 30 minutes. That's probably not hard at all.
share