So I’ve been working as a waitress at an Indian restaurant for the past 4 months. The place has a good reputation and pretty amazing food but mostly being heavy carbs and lots of salt. I’ve fit right in with the rest of the floor staff and a few of the management are nice and patient enough. I’ve been doing really well there up until lately when my head manager pulled me aside to say he’s received feedback that I’ve ’not totally been present’ at work. At first I thought he meant I literally wasn’t showing up or something, but then realised he meant I’m not there at work mentally. I naturally got a little defensive and uncomfortable, arguing that I’ve been trying really hard to do the best I can and that I do genuinely care about the restaurant. He went on to say it wasn’t just me, but the rest of the floor staff are lacking enthusiasm and urgency. I thought this was a little unfair as it was January and the restaurant isn’t as busy so naturally, we may not seem as urgent and manically running around as we were over the Christmas rush.

Anyway, Since this conversation I’ve noticed I’ve become incredibly anxious in the hours leading up to my shifts, I’m constantly thinking about how the managers may be judging me as I work during my shifts, and then bringing the work home by offloading to my family. It’s also been affecting my sleep and I keep finding myself staying awake at night worrying about how well I performed. I’m finding it hard to move past the criticism I received, especially as I thought I was doing well (great feedback from customers, great relationships with my coworkers, and gratefulness from other managers/supervisors) This restaurant is really demanding, and if you work in hospitality you’ll know exactly how it is trying to keep your head and sharpness, while trying to please hundreds of customers into the late night. I’m beginning to feel this job is seeping into other aspects of my life and affecting my social life, drinking habits and hobbies. I’m also kind of obsessed with it, and LOVE to complain about it way too much with friends.

Important to add I got this job to save up for funding an internship abroad later this year. The money is really good but I’m beginning to question the impact it’s having on me, and if it’s worth sticking with until I have the funds I need to do something I really want to do.

Should I leave to find something else? Should I talk to my managers about how I’ve been feeling? Should I stick it out and possibly sacrifice my mental wellbeing and health? I need all your wisdom! P.s this is my first time posting on Reddit so hello! 💕

my company is moving to putting all cc tips on a paycheck. we keep our (if any) cash tips every night. we claim 100% of our cc tips. they want us to tip out bar, busser and host. it won’t come out of the pay check. so, if you have no cash at the end of the night, how would you tip out? and if you have no cash and have to claim 100% of your credit card tips, you are claiming more than you’re walking with. so your total tips are all in credit cards and say it’s $400. so you claim $400. but walk with $300 after tip out. this is legal?

So last night i server asked me could i work for her(this morning) and I told her if she worked for me last night I would. She was scheduled 10-7 anyway so she would only have to work a couple hourd extra snd she said no she did not want to be a double. AmnI the asshole? I have personal stuff going on and didnt feel up to it.

I met the minimum qualifications for a pretty busy longhorn near Disney at Orlando. I applied for a host position. They made me go through 3 separate interviews over the course of 2 weeks which each one saying they will have me speak to the restaurant manager, didn’t ever get to speak with the restaurant manager till the last interview, and that interview went actually very smooth in my opinion, in fact it went so smooth I thought I had the job right then and there. Unfortunately I didn’t haha, but seriously is it normal for 3 god damn interviews just for a host position? It was my first ever job interview as well 😅 I really want to get into the serving industry but if this is what it’s like to apply for a HOST position I can’t imagine what it will be like for a server/bartender position….I really can’t.

Tonight, this group of four people comes in 30 minutes before close (because of course they did) and insisted on sitting at the single dirty table in the entire restaurant. There were at least 5 other tables that had just been cleaned and were ready to go! They even had to walk passed the clean ones to get to the dirty one! But of course they still picked the dirty one.

And I just wanna know why. Why do people do this all the freaking time? Why would anyone look at a dirty table and think "that's the one for me!" I just don't get it!

Every time I go to get change, my manager or to go person working the register asks if I need coins and half the time they’re annoyed because I don’t bring my own coins. My manager tells me to bring my own coins in my “bank”. The issue is, idk how to keep track of what’s mine and what’s not mine. Idk how to not get my change confused with guest change and unintentionally reporting my cash incorrectly at the end of my shift. Not only this but, if I give people my coins, wouldn’t I be losing my own money?

My dad tried explaining it to me but only made me more confused: he said I start with 2 dollars and I put all the cash I get in my bank, and at the end of my shift I take what I have in my bank and subtract 2 dollars. This sounds simple until I actually use my change to cash people out. Let’s say they give me 80 dollars on a check worth $76.38… and I use my own coins to pay the difference (along with getting some dollar bills). Would I not be losing my own coins and therefore losing my own money doing this?

Or let’s say at the end of the night I owe the restaurant a certain dollar amount, plus one cent. If I give them my own penny wouldn’t I be losing my own money?

I know I sound really dumb right now, I just really want to understand this concept 🙏

I keep trying to type this out with a whole report on my workplace but I’ll keep it simple:

Has anyone ever worked at an establishment that divides tips between lunch and dinner shifts? I can see and appreciate the logic as long as everyone carries their weight. What really confuses me is the way they break down the hours; they say it’s an hourly based on the hours worked that day divided by number of individuals that worked those hours. Then, they distribute the hourly mean to the number of hours worked per person. Does this make sense? Has anyone experienced this?

I have been a service assistant (busser) at this job for about 9 months now. I actually have about 3 total years of serving experience, but agreed to take on this position at this restaurant because I really needed a job. (It’s been hard to get a serving job elsewhere)…

Here, I’ve been told that hands-on performance is the key factor in consideration to move candidiates up, rather than ACTUAL serving experience… which is why several bussers with no experience have already been promoted before me.

The duties for my role are bussing/resetting tables, running waters, running food , washing bar glasses, prebussing, etc. Due to feedback from managers in the past several months, I haven’t been the most reliable compared to others with these duties, which is why others have been promoted before me… which I can understand a little, but I don’t think that my speediness in getting busser duties done should be a reflection of my ability to serve, ya know?

I’ve been working hard to improve my standing. I’ve been picking up a lot of extra shifts (even dishwashing), working faster and increasing my overall reliability as a team member.

I’m 26 years old with 3 years of serving experience, and I feel embarassed knowing that the others are in their younger 20’s making better money than me right now with no serving experience…

Maybe I’ve been selling myself short, and not been vocal enough about how I can be a great server. but besides me saying something like “I like to anticipate guest needs and personalize ways to upsell”, I need some insight on persuasive points I should present to my manager, pretty pls 🤞

Hi r/talkesfromyourserver.

Got laid off from my office job and have to support my dad due to upcoming surgery. Came across breakfast serving as the best job that could permit me to care for him with arrangements with other family. But I have no serving experience?

What restaurants would you look for that are looking for breakfast servers and they are open to no serving exp in SoCal?

Anyone here worked at restaurants in airports? If so how was it? I’d assume it’s busy year round/slow season proof. I saw someone say the money serving at airports is pretty damn good due to high volume. Can anyone confirm? I’m looking at MCO and airports in Tampa in the future when I build enough experience haha

First time posting.

You know this is gonna be a fun story when this involves customers and closing. This happened a while ago, so I don't entirely remember all the details, but I remember all of the important details.

So, to start us off, understand that the pizza place I work at (which will go unnamed, but some people may be able to guess) is usually open from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, but is open until 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

I can't remember exactly which day it was, but it was either Friday or Saturday, since we were still accepting customers even past 10. I'm in the back, cleaning dishes. I've actually had a fairly good day this day, and most of the dishes are taken care of. Around 10:15 or so, someone opens the front door and asks if we're open (dumbest question in the world - it's written on the door itself). Of course, we have to say that yes, we are, and we say that we close at 11.

The moment we respond in the affirmative, this guy, and like three or four generations of his family come strolling in. A young-ish couple, an older couple, and a really old lady in a wheelchair. I think there were more people in their group, but I can't remember. The really old lady and the young couple, specifically the guy who came in and asked, are the ones to keep in mind, though.

They order their food and sit down at a table. Great. They wanna eat in. That's gonna keep us here longer than we would've otherwise. They get their food. After... about 15-ish minutes, they've more-or-less finished eating. Rather than leave, though, they choose to sit around the table and continue whatever conversation they've been having, leaving their giant piles of trash and plates on the table without us being able to do anything about it.

I'm still in the back this entire time, by the way, taking out trash and cleaning the floor. Around this time, though, my shift manager (who I will henceforth refer to as just "manager") comes in the back and complains to me about this group, and how they're basically just sitting on a mess and won't let us clean it. Irritating, but not a whole lot we can do about it. "The customer is always right" and all that BS that we're told.

Cut forward to about 10:55 PM. Think they've moved? Ha, nope. They're still there, still yammering away, and there's still a giant mess on the tables. I'm more or less done with the back at this point, and the manager comes to the back and asks me to tell them that we're about to close and that they need to get ready to leave. She would, but she's been told by higher-ups that managers shouldn't be doing that sort of thing (for some reason). I agree, since, you know, I'm about done anyways. So I go out there.

"Excuse me, but we're about to close."

One of them shoots me a dirty look and says, "Yeah, I know."

"Alright. Take care."

I don't think much of this exchange, but as they're all finally putting their shit away, the young guy approaches me. He looks at the manager and says, "You? You're okay."

And to me?

"Hey, man. My grandma's in a wheelchair, she eat slow! You don't have to be a dick about it!"

And then he storms off before I, or my manager, can get a word in.

Uh, what?

They came in less than an hour before closing, with a wheelchair-bound elderly lady, and continued to hang around talking even after they were finished eating, all the way to us locking the door, and they have the gall to get mad at me for telling them we were about to close!? What!?

Kind of petty, I know, but the sheer audacity of these people just baffles me. Anyone else have to deal with assholes like this?

I work at a steakhouse which is open for lunch and dinner. My schedule is always the same. Mon, Tues, Sat, and Sun nights, and then either a Wed, Thurs, or Fri night.

That being said, no one likes working the weekday lunches so staffing those can be tough.

Since I’m never there in the morning and I need extra money I wanted to get a breakfast job but my manager said that he can’t guarantee he won’t need me on a weekday lunch sometime but that I can have Friday morning off.

So, do breakfast restaurants hire with that kind of availability? Preferably a serving job, but I’d also do hosting or bussing if it was the only possibility available.

I feel so stupid posting this. I'd like feedback from folks who have worked in food service longer than me.

Last year, I saw one German Cockroach (specific, yes, because I like bugs usually) crawl on the counter of the diner where I work. I freaked out about it at the time, but didn't know how to bring it up, so I forgot about it until today.

Another cockroach appeared in the same area today. I want to bring it up with my boss but if a bug or two is expected I don't want to look like an OCD clean freak idiot.

Update: thanks for your replies, I told my boss and his response was that they already sprayed for roaches every week which... isn't comforting? But there's not much more I can do now I guess :(

They are hitting our industry hard luckily at my restaurant everyone is good but there have been multiple places in my city where ICE has raided. I saw a video my friend sent me it was kind of crazy pretty like guns out pretty bad ass tbh but definitely disruptive for business. It seems there are a lot of undocumented servers and cooks on this side of town where the apartments are within walking distance to the dining.

I’ve been in a new state a couple weeks now! I didn’t realize all the changes I would have to make. I’m worried about my Medicaid because I’ve been seeing the same doctor for 8 years. He helped get me clean from heroin. I’m a little over 7 years clean with the help of Suboxone. It saved my life and it’s exponentially better because of it. I’ve weened down to a very small dose and have no intention of getting off of it. It’s working for me so why would I mess with a good thing.

I know it’s controversial so I’m not looking for a debate about Suboxone. I’m just worried about losing my Medicaid in my state and then applying for Medicaid in this state. And also finding a doctor. A doctor than can prescribe Suboxone. Even tho it’s easier than it was a decade ago it’s still not that easy. So I put off the job hunt until I talked with my doctor. There no way he can see me with a different states Medicaid. My Suboxone is a very important medication. And I’m so worried.

But I can’t be unemployed forever. I’m just gonna have to bit the bullet an figure it out. I have a couple interviews at dennys and Cracker Barrel, not really my thing but I need a job and days are more conducive to my recovery. I’m gonna hit some other spots too.

The worst thing about this is my bf just got his PhD in nuclear physics(that’s not the bad part, I’m getting there). He’s older and spent his whole life in and out of prison. He too was a heroin addict. Finally, during his last stint he started studying and got his undergraduate, masters, and now PhD. So he’s in the process of looking for work and we can end up literally anywhere in the next 2 months. I didn’t even unpack much because it seemed futile.

Still we are both in limbo and broke right now and I need a job. So if I have to work at Dennys, as long as it’s days, I will. It’s most likely going to be very temporary.

So by the time I apply for Medicaid here and find a doctor and get accepted, we will literally be headed to another state. Somewhat in jest I told him he may have to marry me. All joking aside it may come to this. I love him and will marry him in a heartbeat but wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.

Please don’t take offense if you work at one of these places. They are legimate jobs. I just prefer mom and pop places but no one seems to be hiring.

So here goes nothing today!! Wish me luck. Cuz I certainly fucking need it.

This is a story from 2021/2022 and I'm only posting now because the restaurant just closed down. For exactly one year between 2021/2022 I worked as a server at a niche bar/grill place. They were a mom and pop restaurant where the owner owned another restaurant directly across the street and a dive bar next to that.

Just after new years 2022 they changed up how we did our taxes. At the end of every shift we had a little piece of paper where we wrote our name, amount of credit card tips we got that night and whatever 10% of that was and we left the 10% of that in cash stapled to the paper. I immediately thought it was wrote because the other restaurant I worked at doesn't do that with the servers (I was only a hostess there). Alarm bells went off in my head but I thought it was ok because the little paper had the logos of their other businesses on it so I figured it was ok because they were doing at the other restaurant to and they've been in the industry longer than me.

I ended up quitting because I wasn't making money. I only worked there two nights a week and most nights I was lucky to go home with $20 and was only getting one or two tables a night.

I'd been at the other restaurant, my main job, for 5 years at this point, and in my head I couldn't figure out how the bar/grill place was even still open. The numbers weren't adding up.

Fast forward to tax time. I get my W2 in the mail and they have in it that i never paid taxes at all. Literally $0. I immediately messaged the payroll lady who I had on Facebook and asked her about it. She told me they'd send me a new correct one in the mail. I never got it so I messaged again. She said that her records indicate my W2 was correct even when I mentioned the cash taxes we were all leaving every night. She said that she could make me a new W2 but only after I told her the correct amount I made working there (cash & card tips) not just the credit card tips. I said there was no way I could remember that and she said essentially I'm SOL. I left it there and took it as a lesson learned.

Months later some of my old co workers from there came into the pother restaurant I worked at for breakfast and I asked them about it. All three of them said that's the reason they quit. They all lost out on hundreds of dollars in tax returns because of it. I don't think anyone ever went to a lawyer over it which sucks becauseI'm pretty sure it was tax fraud.

Long story short a few months after I left they ended opening up an expansion of the restaurant across town at the end of 2022. Right about the same time their other restaurant across the street closed down because literally no one ever went there and they couldn't keep staff. The expansion restaurant closed down this year right after new years and the bar/grill Iworked at closed down last week. They've literally run three businesses into the ground in three years. When I saw they closed I messaged all my old co workers and they all said the same thing, "karma".

A customer and her family came in. She proceeded to tell me that she has celiac disease and I told her we would take good care of her.

She asks for gluten free bread and I told her I would put it right in. I bring out a pretzel bread, and set it far away from her and told her and her group that gluten free bread will be right out. I come back with gluten free bread 5 mins later and the bread is in front of her being consumed by her! I told her no ma’am that is the regular bread and here is your gluten free bread. She freaks out and said you should have told me (I did they weren’t listening to me)

Also when I brought their cake out she couldn’t eat it of course. She asked me if we had a gluten free cake of some kind. I said yes we have a flourless chocolate torte, it’s really good would you like me to put that in? She said yes. I bring it out to her minutes later.

When the bill comes around she sees the chocolate cake on there and proceeds to scold me saying that she thought the cake was complimentary and how I need to explain things better. Ugh. Cannot win. Idk what was up with this woman. Of course she tipped me nothing.

is this legal?

My restaurant has recently severely cut server hours to the point where a few of us are applying for unemployment. Management just recently sent out this message on HotSchedules and it just doesn’t seem legal. They give us our schedules a day or 2 in advance and often text us hours before our shifts to give us a different in time or to call us off entirely. How are we supposed to live like this?

An additional new parameter for being a top performer is getting 5 star Yelp reviews. We are offering an in restaurant promo for “15% off a current check for a 5 star review mentioning your server’s name”. This seems not only crazy but illegal? Not sure. Any and all insight is helpful, thank you.

HotSchedules message:

“ Hello Team,

Upper management recently reduced our daily labor budget from 30% to 26%.

So there is no surprises, I wanted to inform you all.We are now solely basing schedules on performance, so let’s stay proactive, efficient, and guest-focused. This team has the skills and determination to succeed, and I’m excited about what we’ll achieve together.

I want to kick things off by recognizing the importance of Top Performers and the benefits of being one! Starting now, we’re introducing some exciting perks for those who go above and beyond:

Top Performer Perks

* Priority Shifts: You’ll get the best shifts—those busy lunch and dinner times with higher tip potential.
* First Dibs on Holiday Time Off
* Weekly Free Meal: Once a week, our top performer will get a meal on us! 
* Extra Support: During busy shifts, management will prioritize helping you promptly greet tables and ensure drinks and food are delivered quickly.

What Makes a Top Performer? Want to join the top-performer list? Here’s what it takes:

*  High Review Counts (Very Important): Earning strong positive feedback from guests every week!!!
* Team Support: Promptly welcoming guests at the door and helping teammates when needed. 
* Pre-Bussing & Table Resets: Cleaning and resetting tables as you go—don’t wait until the table has left. 
* Proactive Mindset: Asking for management help before feeling overwhelmed to ensure every guest has an excellent experience.
* Punctuality & Professionalism: Arriving on time, looking sharp, and maintaining a “How can I help?” attitude.
* Sales Focus: Boosting add-on sales, such as drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
* Efficiency & Hustle: Working with urgency, maintaining a steady pace, and staying productive during all shifts. 
* Adaptability & Awareness: Reading the room, anticipating guests' needs, and making sure every table gets the best possible service. 
* Opening/Closing Efficiency: Openers and closers keep a steady pace and complete side work throughout their shift. Anything remaining must be finished before clocking out. 
* Faced Out = Action: When faced out, staying productive by assisting teammates or completing side work.
* Clocking Out Promptly: If asked to clock out, doing so immediately, as lingering affects our ability to stay on budget.

Striving to be a Top Performer not only benefits the team and our guests but also creates more opportunities and higher earning potential for you! Thank you for all your hard work—it’s noticed and appreciated And that is why we are taking this new approach”

Anyone know how those guys/girls like in night clubs manage to hold a super heavy tray above their and others peoples heads?Like that seems so insane to do I can somewhat carry a heavy tray like yk near my shoulder level but seeing it how people in the night clubs do it while strictly holding a heavy tray above their heads and people seems interesting and I really wanna know how to do it?Like I literally can't hold a tray solely on my fingers at near shoulder level much less a somewhat heavier tray above my head like the pros do

Hello! I'm going to be having an interview tomorrow as a server at a retirement living facility (?) And I never really had a job before and I am also autistic so I have a hard time reading social cues and interviews im general make me really nervous. I guess I would just like some advice about what to wear, what questions to ask (I noticed that the reason I probably failed my other interviews was because I don't have questions) and I guess just what answers I should give. I'm not very good at bullshitting or faking things. But yeah! Tldr anything would be helpful!

We’ve all had to provide our own supplies for different restaurants. Pens, server book, order pads, aprons, clothes, shoes, and now your own check presenters.

Has anyone else had to provide their own check presenters?

I understand keeping operating costs low but come on!! This is ridiculous.

Recently I've noticed more young people picking up takeout orders while on FaceTime with their boyfriend. Without fail, they put their phone down face up and I get an eyeful of a half-naked man.

Because of how our setup is, the customer stands directly beside me at the register, so when I look over at them, I can still see their phone in their periphery.

Maybe I'm out of touch, but this just seems like odd behavior. These people come in alone, so I assume they drove to us. Were they FaceTiming while driving? Why not put the phone face down, or hang up while in the shop?

It's not as crazy as some of the other stuff on here, but it baffles me.

Edit for spelling

So for context, in college I worked two jobs; a Pizza restaurant and a grocery store. This story is from the former. I worked for more than one location of this same chain of Pizza restaurants (there are about 8 total, it's a local chain), but the particular location I worked at at the time this story took place tended to have a lot of "Sport" groups come in from time to time, usually from the local high schools that were nearby or local parks. However, more importantly, we were right down the street from a major Golf Course, where the PGA tours would come through at least once a year. My manager had wanted to try to get some of the golf crowd, but hadn't been successful in previous years. He therefore got the owner's permission to run a 10% discount on the entire ticket for anyone wearing a golf course pass lanyard (so all the fans, pretty much) and 15% if you were caddie/crew/groundskeeper with ID.

So remember I mentioned we had lots of "sport groups" come through? Usually these were ill-behaved, demanding, unpleasant people. The kids or teens would be messy/rowdy and the adults entitled and bratty. Also, it wasn't uncommon they'd come in groups of like 20-30 with no reservations and then complain when they had to wait a long time for seating, and deliberately leave as big a mess as possible for us when they left with little tip, out of spite. When I heard about the discount, which was being heavily advertised locally, I and the other employees were preparing for the worst.

Fast forward to the first day of the tournament. It suddenly pours rain in one of those classic Southeastern US pop-up cloudbursts, and the tournament is suspended for a few hours while they wait for the grass to dry afterwards. When the rain starts, I hear, "Here they come" and sure enough, soaking wet people in DROVES are coming right towards us from the golf course, waving their course passes. My manager breaks out every wet-floor sign and towel that we have, and in minutes our restauraunt is slam-packed with soaking-wet golf people leaving little puddles everywhere. We had wondered why people had walked in the complete torrent of rain but the general consensus was they'd been caught unawares and figured they couldn't get any wetter than they already were. However, instead of being cranky or grumpy, they were all extremely nice and apologetic about being wet (some even went to the bathroom and tried to dry off with paper towels, and tried to use napkins to dry their seats and the floor. Some of the guys took off their shirts and wrung them out under the awning before coming in) , and left good tips despite getting the discount. They also ate quickly because they wanted to get back to the course, so we got through them pretty quickly and no one had to wait too long despite the fact we were overwhelmed with people. So we all thought, "That wasn't as bad as it might have been". Dinner that night was about the same, though drier and with less people since most had already eaten.

Fast forward again to the last day of the tournament. (I didn't work the two days in the middle.) I come in during the "Dead time" between 2PM and 430 PM and notice two things - the floor of the bar area is GREEN (little grass clippings from the lunch crowd's shoes), and the restaurant is very, very hot. We had large pizza ovens that get to 700 degrees or more, but we had, up until that point, an excellent HVAC system, but it had died. I find my manager frantically trying to get hold of an HVAC person, while the assistant manager has every ceiling fan we own running at full blast and has run to the hardware store to buy floor fans for the kitchen staff so they don't overheat. We learn that the landlord only allows one HVAC company to touch his stuff, and that they don't have anyone free to come until the wee hours of the next day.

By this point some of our regulars have come in and done an immediate about-turn when they realize it's as hot if not hotter inside than out, saying they'll come back another time. Fearing the loss of the golf crowd, my manager does something ludicrously desperate, saying "They'll never go for it but I'm trying anyway". We had a very large patio out back which had ceiling fans of its own but was lower-ceilinged and had much better air circulation. My manager had us push all the patio tables together into one long cafeteria-like row, and move every table we could spare outside to make a few more rows until we were at the maxiumum the fire marshall would allow for the patio. Then the mass of golf people arrive as the tournament has ended, hungry and ready for a pizza discount. My manager greets them at the door and makes a grand announcement, expecting most of them to turn away, but immediately people swarm our patio and sit down in rows like a bunch of kids at school lunchtime, saying "we don't care, this works fine!" Complete strangers sitting in rows.More regulars came and refused to join the throng, but the golf people loved it/treated it like it was an adventure. It was very tricky serving food that day because of all the tables being in the "wrong" places, but we did manage. One group even made a point of summoning the manager and telling them it was the best pizza they'd ever had in their life. So I reiterate my title point - other sport groups can be jerks, but in my experience Golf people are awesome.

This month I went to my favorite restaurant twice (I've been dieting so it was a reward for that)...

It was only me, I had water each time and a simple order.

I tipped $5 for the first tab and tipped $7 the next. I noticed the server for the second trip was extra appreciative of the seven dollar tip.

Which got me thinking...are current times that terrible that those are exceptional tips? January is a slow month for most businesses, and of course people are anxious about the economy right now.

(BTW I didn't serve for long but I am always nice to servers as I've been there, lol.)

Just wondering what people are thinking. I'm too old to return to serving, but I always have good hopes for the people working the industry right now.

(Doesn’t have to specifically be Tampa but just reasonable driving distance near it, Sarasota, st Pete.)

Hey everyone had a few questions regarding the business/people/pay and overall server life in both of these cities. I live about 14 minutes away from Orlando and roughly 1 hour and 20 from Tampa. I'm graduating HS this year and I know that I want to get into hospitality. My hospitality teacher at my school told me that Orlando is by far one of the most dominant service industry cities in the US and it will only get bigger. I don't plan on going to college, don't really have a reason to (at least for now). I have my 3rd and final interview for a host position at a longhorn that's 5 mins away from Walt Disney resort and Disney springs so I would assume it gets busy. My goal for right now is to get a feel for the industry and upgrade to server in that place when I reach the qualified age (I'm 17). My goal in the long run is to get into upscale/fine dining if I decide to pursue this career, I'm talking Ruth Chris, Eddie Vs, and just about any upscale restaurant or steakhouse you could name. The reason being isn't JUST for the beautiful money but also because I believe starting at a turn and burn place like longhorn would be a perfect transition to fine dining as it is more slow paced and calmer in a sense if you know what I mean, and I don't think for the sake of my body and mental health that I want to be in a fast paced environment for a long time lol. The smart thing for me to do would be once I get more senior I would go be a server at Disney but if I'm being honest it's not really my style, those jobs tend to be hard to break into as servers wouldn't ever think to quit/leave...and I don't plan on being in Orlando for more than 5-6 years. However I was in Tampa the other day and thought to myself this would be a very more relaxed work/life balance for serving lol idk why but I just thought it would be perfect for more senior/fine dining. Although I'm pretty sure Orlando is a better place for this type of work due to tourism but I think the difference is negligible for upscale/fine dining compared to casual since the upscale money is good anywhere, just a matter of preferred lifestyle/ location. And I would love to be near the beach haha that's definitely another reason, also Orlando is getting REALLY expensive. I just figured to share my thoughts and plans and wanted to know what you experienced folks out there thought about it. This even to me comes off very optimistic as I'm not listing any cons or drawbacks but I'm sure this was is someone's life so it's definitely not impossible. Also what do y'all think about the possibility of tips not being taxed in the near future?

I live in Las Vegas and I’ve been wanting to become a parting cocktail waitress or hooters waitress. However, I’ve only worked at a warehouse and a family business therefore I’m not able to “exaggerate my resume”. No restaurant or service jobs in my experience. So how would I start right now?

Officially had one of the wildest experiences in my 4 years of serving last night. Got sat with a two and a half top. A husband, wife, and their new baby in a stroller. When the hostess came to let me know I got sat, she informed me that the wife at the table called ahead of time to let us know that her husband was going to be very picky and difficult.

Before I even got greet them, they asked to switch tables two times for whatever reason. Once they were finally situated, I go to greet them, and the husband let me know immediately that they were ready to order. He proceeds to order around $130 worth of appetizers, entrees, dessert, AND gets three different drinks for himself, all in one go. His wife, quiet as a mouse, just orders a drink. During his order, he was so aggressive making demands and asking in-depth questions about every single food item he was ordering and modifying it in some way. And every few seconds while he was ordering, he’d bark and remind me that he wanted it “I WANT IT HOT. FRESH. DELICOUS.” I filled a notebook page with this guy’s order. He also asked his wife if she wanted a tequila shot, and she shook her head no. He turned to me and said “gotta set the mood right, ya know? we just had a baby” and smirked and chuckled at me which I did not acknowledge in any way.

They got their drinks, and I was told by my coworker that the wife said she didn’t like her drink and wanted to replace it. Their food started coming out while the replacement was being made, and as I was dropping the new drink off, the husband looks at me and says, “yeah, we got a BIG problem. i didn’t like ANY of it.” and i apologized and said i would be right back with my manager. i immediately went to go grab my manager and tell him what happened, and as we are walking back to the table, they are GONE. they LEFT without paying their bill. we had to just comp the whole thing, but it was absolutely bananas. i’ve had tables leave without paying their tab, but it’s never been intentional. absolutely wild man.

Bill from a restaurant with live music. Friend ordered the whiskey on ice. Asked our server why there's a charge for ice (it was one large ice cube). She said because you get a bit of extra pour. We call BS because he had 2 drinks "on ice" and there was clearly a difference in the amount of alcohol. Didn't argue but just so weird.

Having trouble attaching photo of bill, but they added $1 for ice on top of the charge for the Makers Mark. In the U.S.

I work at a restaurant where we tip out a % of sales to the busser and bartender.

I started at 3:30 and left around 10pm. It was super busy I made good money and when I finished my last table I went to cash out with the bartender, she gave me multiple $20s and 1 $5 bill, I had 2 $5s and 1 $20 from a cash tip earlier I count it up. I put a 20 in her cup and tell her I'm going to take 5 back. I now have 4 $5 bills, I go over to my section partner and see our Busser so I hand him $15, now I have 1 $5 bill and multiple $20s left. I talk to that server and then find my manager who had to clock me out for working without a break, then I get my stuff and leave all within 5mins.

As I leave, I'm saying bye to everyone and the busser comes up to me and asks "are you forgetting something" and told him no and he said "aren't you going to tip me out" and I told him I already did before I clocked out. A few people are standing there and I'm feeling sooo embarrassed bc now I look like a cheapskate but I'm also DUMBFOUNDED by this dude. It was less then 5 mins ago how do you not remember this???? We go back and forth and he gives up, I leave and I sit in my car and start thinking maybe I imagined it and maybe I messed up, I grab my billfold and count the money as exactly $30 less than what I had when first cashed out and multiple $20s and $5 bill. So I did tip him out, idk what he was trying to pull tho.

Other servers have told me he steals tips off their tables as well and I have half a mind to think he is greedy and trying to pull a fast one on a tired server.

Preface this by saying I work in a small neighborhood bar. It's only ever one bartender and one cook. This might be one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I'm still cracking up over it.

Tonight, we had a band and a bunch of food orders. At one point, I popped into the kitchen, and my cook asked if I could help with something.

I said sure, what do you need? And she just had this bewildered deer in headlights look. Then she kinda mumbled some unintelligible word vomit while gesturing to a pizza on the counter.

"Whaaaat??" I was terrified and confused, I thought she was having a stroke.

Then she just kept saying "HANDS, HANDS, HANDS!" While gesturing to the pizza.

"Jesus Christ, M, use your words!"

"I am!" While still wildly gesturing to pizza.

I finally figured it out when she started making sawing motions with her hands. She wantede to cut the f-ing pizza....but the only word that would come to her was apparently "HANDS!"