Why Waiters Make Waiters Look Bad
I just got off of work. I am sitting shirtless in my living room enjoying alcohol and tobacco while watching TV. This is a servers’ life. However, I am a tame goodie-two-shoes compared to most people in the industry.
After watching the movie “Waiting” on Show Time for the first time the other week, I noticed the writers of the movie got a lot right and a lot more wrong.
Throughout the movie, the servers are drunk, the bussboys are stoned and everyone is having sex with everyone else. This, in many ways, is true.
Restaurant employees, especially servers and bartenders, have an exceptionally high rate of over drinking. I can think of many servers I know who use more cocaine than Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel, more who drink more than…well…Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel. A small handfull of sex addicts, burn outs and stoners.
For many, working in a restaurant, at least a big casual chain, is a similar to senior year of high school - you’re out late, you’re drunk and your superior treats you like a child - All while you think about who you will sleep with next.
Heavy drug use, irresponsibility and a big mouth for gossip (which is my downfall) characterize many restaurants. Although he movie gets a lot wrong (for example, everyone speaks English), many of the traits and habits are toned down for the silver screen.
November 15, 2007 at 7:38 am
I also thought “the game” in Waiting was weird…am I the only one?
November 15, 2007 at 8:31 am
no, it is weird. I have worked at places with games before, but they were always G-rated - usually something like guess the 80s song, or who played who in which movie and the loser had to bus an extra table.
November 15, 2007 at 6:16 pm
This post is right on. Restaurant employees — specifically servers & bartenders — are an interesting breed…basically a subculture all our own. When I published DTTW, the biggest trick was getting non-restaurant advertisers to see our industry as a lucrative, virtually untapped market, and understand that the content of my publication may seem irreverent to the uninitiated, but the readers are not easily offended, have thick skin, and possess an off-beat sense of humor.
The bars and restaurants “got it.” They knew we were going out to drink after work somewhere. They knew the saying in the industry is: It’s not how much you make, it’s what you wake up with that really matters. They knew their staff would love us…we eat and drink a lot, have incredible patience, and tip through the roof.
Again, great post & site. I’ll be back. (BTW…I’m planning a post titled “Funniest Things Overheard In A Restaurant,” and I would welcome any submissions you might come up with.)
Peace,
- Dennis
http://www.donttipthewaiter.blogspot.com
November 21, 2007 at 10:00 am
The writer got it especially right in a chain setting. Not sure about fine dining, but chain restaurants he hit head on.
November 21, 2007 at 10:10 am
Ribeye’s comment is a reply to my comment on his wonderful blog (I read it daily)
My comment responds to his post that quality of service has gone down in restaurants. I write:
RIBEYE!!! I work in FINE dining and I can attest to this. The lazy ones (and I have had the displeasure of working with a few) are fired quickly. People who abuse substances are gone very quickly as well. Fired. You have to be hard-working and bend over backward with extreme hospitality and a wide smile on your face.
When I hire new servers/bartender assistants (we have a “bar tender” and the other person(s) at the bar assist, they get a cut of the tips, but their sole job is to mix drinks, open beers and pour wine and shots), I do not look for people who worked in casual chains and here’s why:
1. They tend to be used to the “system.” They don’t understand you work for the owners, not the GM who in turn works for regional who in turn reports to corporate.
2. They tend to be lazy. Period.
3. They tend to be drunks and in fine dining, there is no time/tolerance for drinking.
4. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF HIGH END GUESTS. They average Chili’s guest drives an Accord, has a 9 and 13 year old with them and works 9-5. My average guest works when he feels like showing up, because he is the boss, drives an Audi on Thursdays, a Porche on Saturdays and has the nanny watching the little ones. Costumer one goes to the bathroom to wipe the todler’s ass. My costumers want/need me to wipe their ass. … Chains don’t teach CONVERSATION, HOSPITALITY or how to deal with people with bank accounts so large they could order China as a take-out. (as opposed to Chinese, if anyone didn’t get the joke!)
5. Chain-servers tend to not always show up for their shift; we don’t have 39 other people to cover for you.
6. You have to know a lot about food and wine. Chains don’t do this
7. You have work 7, 12 or 16 hour shifts, depending on the day - and most chain servers are not able/willing to do this, mostly because they are in school or they need a drink by hour 3.
So what do I look for???
1. Of course, people who worked in other fine dinning establishments, however turn-over is lower in FD, so there isn’t a glut of people applying for the job
2. People who worked in costumer-service oriented, fast paced jobs: i.e. casinos (me!), lower-management high end retail, ubber-high end supermarkets (food + costumer service), hotels, wine bars, country clubs, and places like yours Ribeye…
3. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, people who have NEVER WORKED IN RESTAURANTS, but have the intellect, work-ethic and food/wine knowledge already built-in.
That’s not to say if you do work in a chain I will not call you back, however, you need more than a list of chains on your resume and cover letter.
You can see Ribeye’s website at: http://www.ragingserver.com/
January 7, 2008 at 12:42 am
What about for your dishroom? From the sound of it, I could make a LOT more in fine dining than I can in my current ‘old country cooking’-type chain store. And, I speak english, a little spanish (I can say ‘water hot’). Generally pleasant to get along with, quick working, good worker, intelligent enough to know he couldn’t be a server. Oh, and won’t tolerate bullshit from morons. From intelligent folks, yes, morons, no.