It’s very interesting what you encounter as a part-time waiter. What’s even more fascinating is what you seldom experience.
I’m referring to the awkward moments in the dish return area when you grace the wrong body part of the opposite sex walking by.
I mean the torturous task of slowly delivering a plate that had been under a heating lamp for ten minutes without warning.
The seventh time you refill a drink for someone while neglecting the fact that they’ve already consumed a hazardous amount of sweetened tea. Even uncontrollably saying “sir” to a woman should bring nostalgia to anyone spacing plates on trays or quickly rolling silverware to end their shift.
Frustration rises early and often some days without warning or logic. Cleaning floors that will surely soon be littered with crayons, crackers and crab legs is humbling. The indecisive girlfriend who shreds the last amount of time you have to personally deliver food because she can’t decide what she wants to eat, but insists she’s ready to place an order is textbook irony.
There is currently no defense against the portion hecklers who run rampant where you have no control over the size of food they desire.
Sometimes the best option is to duck and hide. This would also not be legitimate without mentioning the no-tip.
I have to work today so I will refrain from using details to avoid additional stress.
Be kind and appreciative to those with notepads and a smile. Behind the politeness is often a person who just wants a day to pass without trivial complications and a hole in their wallet. Will you help them achieve this or complain that your catfish tastes extra fishy today?
– Sean is a senior psychology major