management can not take your tips

Those of you who are servers or tipped employees have no doubt been in a situation where a table walked out on all or a portion of their tab.  Some places are really cool about this and life goes on, but others will try to hold the server responsible and demand restitution of the lost money.  Is this legal?  Find out here.

Tipping a la Oatmeal

Well, as usual, the Oatmeal has it right again

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tipping_tooting

Happy reading!

Support The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013!

Normally, I'm not one to weigh in on these things, but for all you hospitality and tipped employees out there, this is a must!  Call your congresspeople and tell them you support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 and that they should too.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, introduced yesterday by Senators Tom Harkin (Iowa) and George Miller (California), would not only increase the national minimum wage level to $10.10/hour by 2015, it would tie the rate to inflation starting in 2016. It would also increase the minimum wage for tipped workers from $2.13/hour to 70% of the minimum wage.

From:
http://consumerist.com/2013/03/06/costco-ceo-comes-out-in-support-of-minimum-wage-increase/

Server Survey

Help Cornell university learn more about servers and our antics.  Fill out this brief survey to be included.
https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9HOGoyhRKSmtvEN

Raise the Minimum Wage

In last night’s State of the Union speech, President Obama called for the federal minimum wage to be raised to $9 per hour.  This is great for the average minimum wage worker, but not so great for servers and other tipped employees.  Read more of Raise the Minimum Wage at DietrichDuke.com

The truth comes out...

Just wanted to point everyone in the direction of a blog post I found about the pastor who stiffed her server at Applebees.  Read more about it here.

How To Tip Graphic

From my friends at StuckServing.com

How To Tip Graphic:
I’m part of the design team at Hospitality Management Schools, and
in light of national waiter & waitresses day that was on May 21st, we
created an interactive graphic that illustrates how we should tip when
responding to hospitality and service. I came across the site and
wanted to pass it along in case you had any interest. If so, you can
take a look here:
Title: Tipping: Responding to Hospitality and Service
Graphic: http://www.hospitalitymanagementschools.org/tipping/- NicholeThanks so much for sharing, great graphic!
- Blair @ StuckServing.com

So there you have it. No excuses.

Eating out really does help you lose weight!

For those of you in the industry, you know you always have that person come in and say "i'm not eating, im on a diet". Well, according to a recent study, you can actually lose weight by eating in a restaurant....check it out!


From Consumers Reports:

An article published today in the January Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior has given me a glimmer of hope. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin looked at 35 women aged 40 to 59 years old who reported eating out an average of 5.6 times a week. Participants were screened for eating disorders or health problems that could influence the study.

 So, there you have it.   Thanks Consumerist for the heads up!

Dining out on Thanksgiving?

While reading my daily blogroll, I stumbled across an article in the Consumerist about people eating out on Thanksgiving.  In my server days, I can recall a few Thanksgivings (not all) where I was stuck working and really felt like punching the idiots who came in to eat that day.  Money be damned.  

I'm still alive

For those lucky few who still have this site tucked away in a bookmark or rss reader somewhere, I am still alive and kicking.  As you may or may not know (I can't find a post where I told you, so probably not) I left the service industry in December of 2010 to focus on my career.

As I do not really want to do away with this blog, I think this will turn into a restaurant rant and review site.  I do still actively support the service industry in my home town, and have not forgotten the bullshit we you guys go through.  As part of this, imprinting, I still feel the need to educate people on how to behave and treat their server.  You guys go through hell and back to make sure our every need is met.  The least we can do is compensate accordingly.  I have said time and time again I will not tip below 20% unless the service just sucked...and that's after I have taken into account the level of volume the restaurant is coping with.

In any event, I have not left this blog, nor will I in the foreseeable future.  I invite you to read some of the stories your brethren share on their blogs during my absence.  The stories are real, and I'm sure every one of you who read this blog can relate to them as well.

And in the event I ever end up back in the service industry, even for a random gig here and there, rest assured there will probably be a story here...obviously more if I return full time.

Merry Christmas Everyone

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday this weekend. 

How not to act at an upscale restraunt....

First off, I apologize for the long delay in posts, it has been an extremely long last few weeks culminating in me getting a job outside of the industry...you know, what every server really wants -- a day job.  In any event, as my server hours have been severely reduced, my opportunities for new content have also declined.  However, tonight, I decided to take the little lady out for a nice dinner at one of our upscale steak houses here in town.  This is not a fine dining establishment, but it is definitely upscale, with entrees averaging about $30 a head.  Granted, it wasn't fancy, but I surely wasn't ready for what was in store for me. 

63% Of Restaurant Workers Admit To Serving While Sick

Well, I know I have been at work many times too sick to be there, but was forced to due to some corporate policy or asshole manager. Anyway, according to the consumerist, "63% Of Restaurant Workers Admit To Serving While Sick".

Waiter! There's a phlegm in my soup! And it's yours! 63% of restaurant workers in a new survey said they had cooked and served food while sick, putting consumers at risk, and also being just gross. 90% of them also said they don't get insurance through their employers, and 87% said they didn't get paid sick days.

The report, ommissioned by Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a labor coalition for restaurant workers, contains stories like this one:

I could not call in sick because no work meant no money and I couldn't afford it at that time. My kids were very young... Halfway through the day, the sneezing, coughing and runny nose got worse. I asked the manager, 'I am really sick and need to go because I could make others sick...' She laughed and told me, 'Try not to cough, then.'

Yeeks.

Serving While Sick: Report Reveals Need for Paid Sick Days & Health Insurance in the Restaurant Industry [Restaurant Opportunities Centers United]

Download the full report (PDF)

So now you know why so many of us are miserable, or otherwise not our normal chipper selves. It also explains the strange illness you might get after dining out :)

Dead end jobs.....

I've heard lots of people who claim that being a server is a dead end job...and many of us who think that way ourselves. However, I tend to disagree. Allow me to explain my logic...

First and foremost, waiting tables teaches important people skills...something that many people nowadays sorely lack. With these skills, one can go anywhere in business. How many bank tellers or call center idiots have you talked to who had 0 people skills? Exactly.

Secondly, it teaches you important sales tactics...you know, suggestive sell, give the silent nod as you rattle off the spcials, or even the simple upsell. These skills will, at the very least, allow you to find a career in sales.

Thirdly, restaraunt work teaches you to work well under pressure. 20 hungry customers demanding their orders then and there, management barking down your neck for something...it all boils down to stress management...and this job forces it on you.

Finally, businesses like restaurant folk. I have been on numerous interviews in the "real world" and have been told that the restaurant gigs are a real bonus to my resume -- due to the reasons above, and more -- and that they, like me, wished more people tried their luck in the industry.

So next time you question why you are putting up with all the crap at work, remember the skills you are learning and hopefully retaining and maybe one day soon finding a "real job" will be a little bit easier.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Frakking hostesses.....

Ok, I know the hostesses job isn't as easy as some may think.  In fact, it can be quite stressful at times -- imagine standing on a small island with man-eating sharks surrounding you and you get the idea of what its like at times at the hostess stand.  But I digress.  This isn't an "in defense of" story.

Oh, FFS!

First of all, sorry for the delay in my posting, I have been very busy lately with some real life projects and as such, have neglected several of my side projects, including this one.  This post is about 3 stories summarized and posted in one long post so I can make room in my head for more stories.

As you all know, I hate corporate restaurants like one hates syphilis, and now I have even more disdain for them.  Last week, in addition to having 0 weekend shifts scheduled, 3/5 shifts were closing shifts and 1 opening shift.  While most people would welcome the opportunity of an extra hour of tables without having to share with the rest of the staff, closing where I work is a right pain in the arse.  Basically, we close the entire restaurant, from the dining room, to half the kitchen -- all for $2.63/hr.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not that lazy, but still.  I resent having to clean up after 15 other servers, and then the kitchen as well.  They get paid more than we do, so let them do the physical work.  It's bad enough they are all treaded like gods anyway.  Which reminds me...how did we get to that system in our industry?  The SERVERS make the restaurant money, so why are we always the ones shafted?  Opening is just the exact reverse....we have to do more than any other restaurant I've ever worked at to open and close...all so management and the kitchen can be lazy.  God, I need out of this business fast!

To those of you who think Mexican food is the crap you get at an "authentic" mexican restaurant....

I promise to post a story soon, just been really busy with real life projects. In the mean time, here is an article about real mexican cooking. Enjoy! http://goo.gl/iiwJ

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Amateur Night

For those of you in the biz, you know that Friday and Saturday, while usually busy, are basically amateur nights at any restaurant -- at least as far as customers are concerned.  These are the days when first dates, family outings, etc usually take place, and they are also the days that people who have absolutely no business eating in a nice restaurant attempt to do so.

So it was no surprise that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY TABLES last night was shitty.  I don't know if the Hostesses are out to get me, or the quality of the people was just crap last night, but I ran around like a redheaded step child for pennies last night -- something I detest doing.  Look, I get it.  The economy is bad.  You are trying to impress your girlfriend by taking her somewhere nice.  You just got paid and you want to show off to some friends.  Personally, I wouldn't dream about going out to eat unless I had enough money to pay for my bill, at LEAST 20% for the tip, and am in the mood to be friendly to a complete stranger.

But these assholes?  No.  Every table I had felt ENTITLED to something free.  Every table I had felt that they had to have some assbackwards modification to their orders -- something that is a right pain in the ass on our computers.  No table, except my first one, left over 15%.  At first, I thought it was something I was doing...perhaps missing a step in the corporate brouhaha that is our job.  But after each table gave me their verbal tip (you know, 'service was great, keep it up, you did well', etc) I knew that wasn't the problem.  People were just cheap last night.

I would love to find out where these people work.  Perhaps take a few of my friends over to their place of employment, ask them for every modification possible on an item or service, tease them into thinking you are a good customer, and then say 'oh, i'm sorry, I don't have enough to pay you for your service.  Can I pay you 80% of what I should pay you?'  I bet each and every one of them would look at me like 'WTF!'  Exactly how your server feels after a shitty tip left by you.  Yes, I would rather have 0 tables than have 5 tables tipping me 10%.  Why?  Because I wouldn't have to bust ass for pennies.  I would actually make more by having less in this case.  After tip share (3.5%), taxes (around 9%), I would walk with maybe 1-2% total.   A waste of my time, IMO.

So to the general public who cannot, or does not, know how to tip, stay home and cook for your significant other.  If you really must go out, and you haven't grasped the concept of proper tipping, then go to McDonalds, or Ihop, or Waffle House or some diner somewhere where a $2 tip is acceptable.  If you really must go out to a nicer restaurant and you cannot afford a decent tip, then order a salad and a chicken...or sit at the bar where they are already tipped out by the servers so your tip doesn't mean quite as much (sorry bartenders, but you know its true) and make an hourly wage.  They can afford to absorb your cheapness -- I cannot.

I look forward to comments about all this in the comments section. 

I've had better pasta at the Olive Garden!

Last night was horribly, horribly, and I mean HORRIBLY slow.  I had three tables.  Two 5 tops, and one 2 top.  My first five top was the junior execs from some corporate law or financial firm.  You know, dressed all fancy(ish), spending money on the company card, bragging about the new promotion, spend $300 and tip 15%...just like the blokes in the video here (skip to 13:25)

yuk...

So last night was the first time I've gotten sick at work and it sucks. I had to throw up 9 times before I was allowed to leave. I understand it was a Saturday night and we were surprisingly busy, but still.

The bad thing is, evidently there is a 24h return policy for those that get sick at work...at least thats what the email from hot schedules said. So im off tonight. I need the money, but I suppose a night off is nice.

Speaking of hotschedules...do any of you use it? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

edit: changed the spelling and punctuation.  Mobile platforms, however good, aren't that good for blogging :)  Also, apologies for the length.  I did this from my mobile to test an app.