Are you a server or know a server?

Question

What are your biggest pet peeves and why isn't anyone educated on how to tip?

Answer 1

pet peeves- when a table goes on & on about how everything was so excellent & thank you for the wonderful service..... and then you come to find out they left you 11%

when people use a gift cert. & tip you on the remaining balance AFTER the cert. ( bill:$140, gift cert $100, remainder $40, tip:$6-$8)

when we close at 10pm & a group of 4 walks in at 9:56. & says,"what time do you close?" & we say"10pm" and they say "oh, good, we made it in time"

f****** clueless... i tell you more when I think of it

oh, more- about that arrogant type of ****** know-it-all-about-wine-wont -drink -merlot-cause -he-watched-the -movie-"sideways"-idiot. who sniffs, & swirls, & gurgles & almost snorts his wine 'cause he's trying to impress the people he's w/ & im standing there thinking, "get over yourself, its white zinfandel for Christ's sake"

when I'm at a table & another table calls over to me

and last, but not least (drumroll please.....)
SEPERATE CHECKS

Answer 2

WAS a server and know numerous servers....

My pet peeve as a customer is an establishment adding a tip on to the bill when clearly a tip is VOLUNTARY! We and many I know will no longer do business with establishments like that!

My pet peeve as a server was men who would come in with their wife / girlfriend and hit on me / other servers and you could clearly see it made her feel like crap! How rude... If I were her I would of told him to take a flying leap !!! IF my husband would try that crap, he'd have a fricken red mark on his forehead from my mood ring!!

This happened all the time whether food serving or bartending. Glad to be out of that environment !!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah life is good ! : )

Answer 3

My biggest pet peeve were crabby customers that treat you like you must be stupid to be working as a waiter.
We might be a struggling single mother or we might be a person working their way through college.
I have worked with some people who had degrees in various things but found they made more money and had more fun being a waiter.
Don't judge our intelligence level by what we do for work.
Besides if it wasn't for the person working there who would bring you your food if you wanted to go out to dinner.
Lighten up.

Answer 4

When I was a teenage server, I had a drunken cook threaten me with a French carving knife that he would cut my pig tails off if I didn't put my hair in a French knot the next time I worked.

In my twenties, I worked at a Pizza Hut part time to supplement my teaching salary. I had a patron grab my arm and ask me why I didn't put lotion on it. LOL but the guy did leave me a $20 tip on a $14 pizza.

I hated the tables that wanted me to rewrite the bill as separate checks when they couldn't decide how to pay for the meal.

Answer 5

-verbal tips (tell you that you were the best server that they ever had then tip 10%)
-talk to you for 45 minutes as if you were actually interested or have nothing better to do (but of couse SOME socializing with your table is expected)
-when someone asks you for something (ex: a drink) and then someone else starts talking to you about something (as stated above) and then the person who asked you for the drink says "um...where's my drink?" because they were too self-involved to realize that you haven't even actually left the table yet
-people who completely ignore you and act like your not even there. like when you ask if they need anything or even say "hi"
-people who go out to eat and aren't having a good time...like couples who go out to eat when they're in the middle of a fight and make you feel awkward too
-people who sit at the table FOREVER after they're done and don't tip on the time that they took up. (like if they just got up and sat at the bar you could have taken like 4 more tables or whatever)
-people who don't tip on the bar bill cause they don't think they should tip on alcohol...not understanding that WE have to tip the bartenders on THEIR alcohol
-when you ask someone if they need a drink refill (cause you have time now), they say no and then ask for one 5 minutes later when you have a million things to do
-when people treat you like a slave
-when only 1 person wants water and they say "can you bring a round of waters"
-when you box up the food and they don't even take it
-when people have kids and they leave a huge mess and can't even give a couple of extra bucks for the 10 minutes it's going to take you to clean it up...and also, now you're behind on the rest of the crap that you have to get to
-people that think you're a mind reader
-HOSTS.
-TEENAGERS.
-when parents bring their 20 kids into a restaurant and don't watch them and let them run around...as if people aren't walking around with heavy trays and hot plates that are burning your fingerprints off
-when you tell your table that the plate is hot and they still touch it just to make sure you're telling the truth...that's not really a pet peeve. it's actually funny to see stupid people get burned.
-people that come to a nicer restaurant wearing either cut-off shirts or mesh tank tops. Actually I guess this is just starting to get personal and I'm getting worked up so I should go. I hope this was helpful

Answer 6

People who camp out at tables... do they not realize we would like to seat a new party to make $$?? Um yeah... certain races like to run waitresses around and tip 5%- nothing... servers know what i'm saying!

Or when you've been triple seated and you go to take an order and they just can't decide... so you tell the table you'll give them a few minutes, then they assure you they're ready... and they aren't.

or the needy tables who always think of things they need after you've just brought them something?? my best tips come from mid-20s couples. groups of large women are bitchy because they all order salads to "out do" eachother but are really all starving because of it, so they take it out on their server...

Answer 7

wow,, makes me rethink about eating out.... we used to eat out alot and we don't tip on a regular basis, because the service stinks, alot... hubby is a diabetic,and most of the smarter servers, will bring two glasses of soda to my one, because he has to have his drinks. Most servers bring one,and he will drink it,right in front of them,and they will not refill it, even though it is free refills. We ask that they bring the pitcher,and most won't do it, so we don't tip at all. If the service was good,( drinks brought when we ask,and we always ask at the same time to save the waitress time and effort) and plates brought when we ask,and glasses/plates removed,when we ask,) then we will tip. Usuall two dollars, but we have been known to tip 5 or more. We eat out only at the buffets, because everyone gets what they want,how much they want and I dont have to hear when I get home : " momma,I'm hungry!!" so,there is your answer. My pet peeves about servers, is that some of them stand around and gossip about who is married/gay/cute, who -is- doing -whom,ect, or worse, who did what to whom on "As The World Turns." then they wonder why ppl don't tip. I have seen on the other side of the coin, ppl who run these poor servers ragged,just to be cruel....Makes me so mad!

Answer 8

i've had friends that were servers and their biggest pet peeves were people who odered only water (i'm guilty of this, but not out of cheapness, just like water:) and people who are rude.

some customers, apparently, want everything done like it would be in their own kitchen and that's just not reality!

Answer 9

I'm a server, but I think cupidgirl had a very good clue-in on that! I could add, but it would take too long!!! LMAO!
OMG-- I'm still laughing at the separate check thing!
P.s. - Party of 25 - after all said & done, guy says to me, "Uh, can we have separate checks?" (yea, that didn't happen)
Oh ya ! Forgot to add (stupid me) that we have to run up & down 15 stairs at a time for a large party. 20+ up^ Drinks for all!!!
That was sooo funny! (do you work with me?!?)

Answer 10

almost everything has been covered. To the dining public, we are not slaves, we are not servents, we are fellow citizens. I will treat you with enormous respect, but I would like to also be treated with respect.

To most people out there: Thank you for the amazing tips you give me, and for the smiles and politeness and respect. If all my guests were like the rude trash I have to put up with sometimes, I wouldn't do this job.