Going back home for winter break meant returning to a lot of activities I had done when I was in high school in my small town. Sitting in parking lots, hanging out in basements, spending excessive amounts of money on going out to eat constantly and most unfortunately of all, returning to my old first job to make said spending money.
As my first job, I spent three years as a cashier at a Mexican take-out restaurant. Granted, it was a decent first job. I worked alone at the counter one night a week, taking orders in the store and over the phone, with two chefs in the back who made the orders. Being the face of the restaurant for five hours at a time forced me to better my phone and people skills, and it was definitely nice to make money while not working an insane amount of hours a week. However, three years in food service resulted in a lot of personal backlash from impatient, grumpy customers who acted more like bratty children than adults.
In retrospect, a lot of my restaurant horror stories are kind of funny. I had some seriously strange encounters as a cashier, such as when a very pregnant woman tried to return her half eaten burrito because, to quote her directly, it “tasted like there was a stick in it.” I’ll definitely never forget having someone demanding a refund for food that was still hot, screaming at me that it was cold because they had ordered the wrong thing and were too embarrassed to admit they had made a mistake. However, at the time, it’s really not funny to be yelled at over something that is not your fault. There have been a few times where customers yelling at me over things as silly as salsa and napkins brought me to tears. These were grown adults yelling at a teenager over food, and I’ve seen it happen to workers in food service all over.
People can be really mean to food service workers, fast food workers especially. It’s as if they walk into a restaurant and forget that the people who are serving them are humans with feelings that can be hurt. It seems that people look down on those who work in food service because to them, it’s seen as not as “important” of a job in the grand scheme of employment. This view of workers is degrading and uncalled for. Especially in a world with an unsteady economy and employment rate, many will work anywhere they can get hired, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
Many food service workers work long hours, especially if it is their full-time job, and it’s hard to get through a lengthy shift when customers are difficult and even sometimes cruel. A lot of people work two jobs, both of them possibly in food service, just to make ends meet. Food service is popular for college kids who are trying to pay their way through school or save up to pay off loans. Imagine coming straight to work from class just to have a customer in a bad mood take out their misplaced anger on you. I was lucky enough to be able to escape the food service world for most of the week. However, for many, this is their daily life.
The negative treatment hits a whole new level when people refuse to tip. Many people who work as servers in the food industry are being paid minimum wage, and tips are a big part of their salary. You, as a customer, are in control of how much you tip, and if you purposely tip less or don’t tip at all, it can be a heavy blow to how much they make that day.
If it seems your server isn’t trying to get your food out the best they can, whether it be the speed at which the food is delivered or the quality of the food itself, then people will get understandably impatient and upset. What many seem to disregard is that there are rational ways to ask to get your order or service fixed. If you ask nicely, or calmly explain why you are dissatisfied with your service, it will likely be fixed quickly and without issue. Many customers just seem to jump to misplaced anger and screaming, which is horrible for all involved. Most servers are trying their best, many waiting on or taking care of many orders at once. It involves stressful and overwhelming multitasking, especially if it’s a busy night.
Next time you’re ordering a meal at a restaurant, whether it’s a sit down meal or take out, remember to be kind to and patient with your server. The phrase “treat others like you’d want to be treated” really comes into play here. Think about how you’d want customers to treat you if you were the one taking their orders. Being respectful and understanding really does make a world of difference to them.
