What is the deal with people and the selfishness when it comes to being a customer?

Question

I currently work as a waiter here in the United States, I have lived in Australia for 4 years of my short life as well. The tip system here is quite nice because it rewards those of us that are good at what we do. I worked as a waiter in Australia as well, and it was a fun job. Upon arriving back in the US and working, I have noticed some crazy things. First off, NOT ALL, but there are sure a lot of just rude people here. So Many people that are spoiled because of the corporate setting here.. and that the customer is always right, the lot of them act like nothing less than spoiled brats. Not to mention, some people do not tip well AT ALL regardless of the service, and makes me really not want to provide good service at all in fear that it goes un-appreciated. I am a good waiter, I know this because I am told. I am just really looking for some insight to this problem here. I like people, and I like what i do, but why do I have to feel like a begger to some rude brats?
Pay me a wage...

First off, dining out is extremely cheap in the US, that is because the establishments pay their employees 2 dollars per hour. It just seems that people don't realise this and pass the buck on more freely when it is earned. Everyone wants something for nothing, and not leaving a tip or a poor tip is how many people try to get something for nothing.
I cannot wait for the day, when the wages get changed around and me and my co-workers do not need your handouts, we get paid fairly, and then your plate of seafood and steak costs you 70-100 dollars, rather than 9.99.. jerks!

perhaps I should find a new profession here in the US. it seems there is a lack of respect from employers as well as the customers you are trying to serve.. puts you between a rock and a hard place.. America really has a lot of opportunity, but the people have lost sight of respect... respect seems to be given to whoever will make u rich or line your pockets (ie customers)

to whoever says the customer is always right... you are wrong my friend, overseas if you dine and act as people do here, they would ask you to leave AND tell your friends to not come.. because anyone who is friends with u probably won't be a good customer either...

I happen to be an excellent server, and what the last lady says about her service is fair, but don't assume that I would treat u that way.. you don't understand because you do not do it day in and day out.. just as how many others don't understand your job.. but.. so you can better understand.. every customer at your office job that you talk to.. is responsible for leaving what they feel you are worth or what they want to give u.. and thats your pay
the problem is american attitudes and systems... not the girl who spilled your diet soda with lime on your flower dress... but thanks for your imput... 2 dollars from two people .. you are exaclty the problem.. and i'm sure you are remembered wherever you go, and that is why you are served putrid food..
lol

Answer 1

I have worked in the fast food industry and as a waitress, and never plan on doing so again. It was just not for me.
But there were a couple of things I took away with me.

1.Never be rude to the person who is bringing you your food.
2.Always tip. If you can't afford to tip, then you need to find a cheaper restaurant.
3.Remember that the waiters are human too, and they can have bad days.
4.If you have already found fault with the waiter before the drinks are brought out, then you need to leave because it will all be downhill from there. And why waste their time or yours.

Anyway, don't let the bad customers outshine the good ones. Most likely they are on a lunch break from the rude customers they have to deal with.

Answer 2

You are absolutely right. The "corporate class" has been spoiled by the airlines and the like, and some of these low-lifes really think they are SOMEBODY SPECIAL. Use your people skills, learn from the best and ignore the rest. If you haven't learned already, you can "read" your people first and decide what level of service you should be providing. There is nothing lower than someone who treats a waiter rudely in a vain, shallow attempt to impress their fellow diners.

Canadians who dine in the U.S. are used to rude or non-existent service at home. A whole table of eight will complain, send food back, and if you're lucky, you might get a tip of five dollars for the whole table. We used to HATE doing the Canadian tables for this reason.

Good service is an art we appreciate in the U.S., but it is lost on many others. I guess you do get what you pay for, and again, there are too many out there who haven't figured this out yet.

Answer 3

In any kind of service industry you will find customers who use you to boost their egos by treating you as though you are less a person than they are. Unfortunately, in a waiter position, you will see brats as you mentioned. It is their lack of character, not yours at all.
Tips do supplement an income, however, unless that percentage is added on to the billing by the establishment you work for, don't expect tips. Some people just don't tip. And don't consider tips a true reflection of appreciation for your expertise. Some have lots of money to tip with and some don't.
You are not a beggar, and you do not have to feel like that either. Don't let what some customers lack in their personalities bring you down. You know what's out there...maybe in the future waiting on customer's will not be something you enjoy doing. I know I couldn't go back to it...I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut if someone were to pull the brat thing on me.
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

boy do I know!!!!! I am a server also (I hate the term waiter). I feel that we are server, not servants.
Last night we had a group of females come in to eat and proclaimed everything was gross and wrong. They were trying to get their whole meal for free. After creating a scene, my manager had no choice but to comp everything off their foods, but they are not allowed back in the restaurant as they threatened a few employees, including their server and the manager.
About the tip issue.. my manager brought up a good issue.. a lot of people don't know how to tip. Alot of people dont know also that these tips we recieve are how we make a living. I have a 7 month old daughter, and most of the people at my job have families who they support off the money they make there.
People think serving is like a hobby or just a side job, not even considered a real job.
I myself have been told that I am a good server.. but there are times when you do get 2 dollar tips or 1 dollar, or I have even recieved 50 cents and sometimes you get those who don't tip at all even though the service was perfect.
But then there are times when you get those people who do know how to tip.
People don't understand that most restaurants, servers have to tip out to the hostesses, food runners, bartenders, and busboys... and this is automatic, no matter how much we make. Where I work at, Tony Roma's, our tipout is 3% of our total sales. My tipouts are usually between 15-22 dollars as we are not a cheap restaurant.
I know an employee who had 1 table that day and they didnt tip her anything, and she in fact owed the resaurant money! (tipout).
I wish people would understand how to tip, it's supposed to be between 10-20 percent of the total bill, but there's really nothing you can do.
You can't tell your guests that, as they will get offended. I had friends come in one time, ate and didn't tip because they felt that since they were my friends, they didnt have to tip.
I have a child to raise. This is not what I plan on doing for the rest of my life, but this is my stepping stool into going to a career that is stable and will support me and my daughter.
It's hard when you can go to work and make 100 dollars one night, and the next make 20...
I like what i do also, but you have to make the best of what your job is, and appreciate those who do tip well.. I do this sometimes by explaining to these tables who tip how much I appreciate that they understand that this in my JOB. We only make 3.13 an hour here (our tips are what makes the most of our money).


To the person counting the money a server made in an hour, not every restaurant is like that..you must have came in on a good day. I dont make 100+ a night.. I think it depends on where you work at. I make 40 on a weekday and maybe more on some good days when we do have people who know how to tip.
I Don't believe that the customer is always right. I had a guest come in one week, ate almost 3/4's of their steak and then said that they didnt like it. My manger had to take it off because she made such a fuss about it and refused to pay for her food. Some restaurants dont want to lose the business so they make the guests as happy as they can be.

Also, I respect my guests. I have never argued with a guest, but got them everything they needed and wanted. Arguing with a guest, you are losing out on tips, not only from them, but your other tables around them, who disapprove of your attitude towards your guests. I am a quiet person. I have had people curse at me, loudly in front of everyone, over things I couldnt help.. and I all I could do was appologize and get the manager.

Answer 5

What you're encountering is the same thing I saw when I worked in fast food for nearly three years. The customer was ALWAYS right, even when they were clearly wrong.

People are simply rude, especially to restaurant and fast food employees. They think that because you're serving them, you are a servant, and don't deserve any amount of respect. They often forget to say "please" and "thank you," and if ANYTHING goes wrong, you're automatically to blame, even if it wasn't your fault.

And the corporation doesn't help any, with the whole, "the customer is always right" crap. The customer IS NOT always right!

What I'm saying is, I TOTALLY sympathize.

The only advice I can give you is to keep being a great restaurant employee, and focus on the good customers you have. If you're nice to someone, and they only want to be rude to you, at least you know one thing: YOU are better than them! Especially if you can be nice even when your feet are hurting, you're hungry, you're tired, and you need a break.

But there are LOTS of good customers. Focus on them.

Answer 6

Thank you so much, I hope you are never my server. I agree, servers should be treated better by the government, but don't take it out on the customer! We are not all rude brats! Some of us appreciate what you do.
But remember, it goes both ways. I have been treated poorly, ignored, had bad food, spoiled food[as in putrid] had things spilled on me, with less than a apology from a server. It seems the common belief held by servers is I didn't cook it, I just brought it to the table. It is that attitude that loses you tips. I smelled the bad food as she sat it in front of me, and I smoke! How could she miss it coming clear from the kitchen, how could the cook miss it?
And I get tired of the haughty attitude from servers, This is Red Lobster, not a 5-star Michelin recommended Restaurant. If I want to get sneered at, I will go to the 5-star.
I'm sorry you feel like a beggar. You shouldn't, and you should not have to bow and scrape. If something is not right, apologize, promise to make it right, and do so pleasantly. I always appreciate efficiency, if you linger at the table to bow and scrape, you aren't. Try this: I'm sorry Ma'am, you did order the Fillet Mignon, not the prime rib, I will exchange it for you right now." And on your return, "this is what you ordered, sorry for the error." And drop it. If your manager wants you to offer compensation for the wait, or the error, do so.
I have been out with cheap friends, one ordered about $16 of food, and left a dollar for a tip. I saw it, and left an extra buck, to help make it up to the server.
I have a friend who chooses to be a server, not the professional she went to school to be. Why? She makes better money as a server. Same for another friend, except she bartends. They both say if they don't get over a couple hundred a night in tips, it's rare. I am a professional, and I don't make much more than that.
I recently went to a restaurant known for it's inexpensive food, with 4 friends. I was in a chair that I could see everything, and I was counting the tips the server got. No one except us stayed for more than an hour, she cleared nearly $30 bucks off the tables in that hour. That's more than I make in an hour!Granted, business fell off after the lunch rush, so her average wasn't near that.

Answer 7

But you have to also remember the customer is always right even when they're wrong. One disgruntled customer will tell a lot of people of their service, while one very happy customer will usually tell only a few people. So the customer is always right even when they're wrong. Just the way it is.