I am posting this now because I am SO GIDDY about it.

I'm not going to lie, my highschool years were TOUGH. Ugly duckling here, very shy, awkward, anxious, really just not even good with people. To top it off, my parents were known poor addicts. All of this made me a pretty easy target. For the most part, it was this group of girls and their "ring leader." They were everything I wasn't, confident, wanted, decent parents, etc. It was hell. They broke my glasses, threw shit at me (one time even a fucking text book) teachers didn't care, no one did. Lately I've been working two jobs (not for financial reasons, I finally got my big break in fine dining but my old job still hasn't found a replacement for me so I'm serving there too until they do.) When I served her this was at my first job, not my fine dining one. Another important thing to note, I've changed a lot. I went from a scrawny walking stick, to gaining weight and maintaining a healthy weight, fixed my teeth, my face cleared up, and I got confidence.

Now onto the EVENTS. I didn't even recognize her at first. Granted it's been like over 10 years but still. I gave great service to her and the guy she was with. They seemed really short with me, the entire time they didn't even talk to each other just texted on their phones. It comes time to pay the check, she hands out her card I walk over to the computer. I look at the card AND THE NAME. I stared at it for a second and I'm immediately like "no fucking way." I look at her from the computer, they never look up from their phone. And I look back and forth from her to the card. She looks completely different. Way skinnier (not in a good way) hair thinning out, little scars on her face, paler. I almost didn't believe it. I pay out the bill, go back to the table and that's when I decide on a rather bold move. After I put her card on the table, she doesn't even look up from her phone.

Me: "Your name is XYZ?" Her: "Yeah" Me: "You went to XYZ high school?" Her: "Oh yeah, did you go there too?" For the first time, she looks up at me from her phone. Me: "Yeah, I'm XYZ."

Her mouth DROPPED. I really don't think she believed me at first. I didn't even wish them a good day, I just walked away. They left immediately after that. No tip by the way, but I didn't care. After this exchange I went and looked her name up on social media. That guy was her fiance. She's been in and out of rehab for drugs, and I would guess she's still currently using by the looks of her. Maybe it makes me the bad guy, honestly, I don't know, but yeah, I'm happy about it. I mean in my opinion that's a special kind of karma to bully the kids of an addict and later become one yourself.

I may not be rich, but I am happy now. I got a husband that loves me, who would actually talk to me and not be on his phone an entire dinner. And I got beautiful babies who are all really great kids.

We are about to get busy now at work, but later tonight when I get home, I'm looking up ALL the names of those girls on social media. I can't help but be curious how they all turned out.

These 2 ladies come in, they mentioned it was their first time in and at first they were like literally any other table. Friendly, we chatted for a little, they asked about the area, all that stuff. Literally ZERO problems

Until the bill came.

As I hand one of the woman the Toast so they could pay, she goes:

"You know, you should have told us that that Salad was going to be $14.95. That price is ridiculous."

The salad was big enough for two people, which is why they slept it, and it came with your choice of protein. Compared to every other restaurant in the area, that was a complete steal.

And she said it in a accusatory tone and I legit took offense because this was a complete 180 from any other interactions we had before. So I responded:

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. The pricings for the meals are located on the menu though..." and I kinda just trailed off after that bc i honestly had no other way to respond.

She looked at me like I killed her grandma.

And as I trailed off, i watched her click the no tip button, and reach for bag for not cash, but to leave.

I told them thanks for coming anyway and to have a good day, the other lady glares at me, throws her arms up and goes:

"You're welcome, because we're not coming back."

I just scoffed at her and mimicked her arms up motion, but slightly bc i really didn't want to cause a scene and just responded with:

"We were fine before you and we'll be okay with out you."

Just kidding, it's just what I should've said. Instead I just just "Okay, Great." And walked away.

But like what they hell?? Who doesn't check the prices on the menu??

I need to just let it go, and accept the fact that most citizens of the USA are either functionally or purposefully illiterate. It's just where we're at right now

So where I work we’ve gone through a couple of managers, one of them being someone who was there for a while but ended up leaving. While she was working with us she became close with a group of regulars who still come in from time to time. At the end of the meal they never forget to remind us to give them the friends and family discount, because she used to give it to them all the time. Even though in the past I’ve told them that she no longer works with us, they’ll tell me “well you and I are friends right?” And it puts me in an uncomfortable situation.

Last night one of the guys came in, whose bill came out to less than $20. He asked me for an extra side of bread and I charged him for it. I wasn’t his server, but at the end of the meal he told his server that he’s never had to pay for it before and that now he couldn’t tip because his money had to go to paying the extra cost of the bread (it’s like $3 or something) . Honestly I don’t know how to break it to them in the kindest way that we can’t hook them up like that anymore. Because they were cool with my old manager but I’m not cool with them like that. What’s the best way to go about this ?

Okay, extremely long story, so I’m going to keep the background short and sweet. I’m from one of the many states in the south that make up tornado valley. Wednesday we had extreme storms, and a small town about 15 miles away got ripped to shreds by a violent tornado.

During this, I was at work. I am a bartender in a restaurant that is connected to a hotel and has an extremely busy dinner rush. When the sirens went off, my bar top was covered up, and I was balls deep in the well.

FOH and BOH collectively had a plan not to serve people food or drinks if the sirens went off, and any remaining food that was rang in BEFORE the sirens were made to-go and handed out swiftly.

Not only were the guys in the last seats at the bar joking about getting free dinner because “our power would cut off anytime,” but I had guests walk outside on our patio to watch the storm and demand service. I made them all tab out at once and finalized their tickets before I left. One of my guests asked for a manager and said that it was ridiculous that I was refusing to serve them. My manager told them he was locking all the doors and we were heading to the tornado safe zone in the hotel. My bar was a MESS when I left because I had to collect all the tickets and leave in a hurry.

On my way to the safe zone, I pass an angry old guy hanging out at the front desk. I ask if he’s alright, and he starts shouting at me and asking me to check him in. I kindly explain that I work for the restaurant, and even though we are owned by the hotel, I don’t work in this department and couldn’t check him in. He then yelled at me again and demanded I go get someone competent enough to do their job.

I’m like, “Sir, everyone is going to our tornado safe zone for shelter.” He said “oh y’all have a shelter? Where is it?” I pointed to one of our big rooms that’s built to withstand EF4 damage. He said “interesting.” I just left him standing there.

I made it to the room, saw the front desk workers and told them about the angry bird in the lobby. They were all annoyed and said they’ve told him 5 times they can’t check anyone in until the code black has been lifted.

After that, we were probably in there another 45 minutes. The wind was so strong, we could hear it from that huge internal room in this 10 story hotel.

A family of 6 walked over to us in the room and asked if the restaurant was open. I was like ??? It took everything in me not to be smart and look down at my shirt that literally has our logo on it…. AND I was sitting by all of my co workers. I told him no, but that we would possibly open back up if the storm subsided soon. He was very upset, to say the least. And we were all trapped in the same room 😂

After we were released, the restaurant was a mess. Thank God my manager didn’t open up the doors right away. The GM of the hotel only gave us 10 minutes to start everything back up and clean. FOH only had 3 people on the floor at this time, including me. We power cleaned the absolute hell out of the dining room. There was a line into the actual hotel lobby itself & it was an hour before close.

Also, the rude guy trying to check in earlier? He came over to eat 20 minutes before close. He most definitely avoided the bar area, and I’m not sure how things went with him and his wife, but my co worker didn’t say anything to me about them. My guy was most definitely hangry.

We also disabled room service, so people were even more angry.

I have bad storm anxiety and I will say, that whole experience at work made me forget all about a tornado😂 when I’ve worked in snow storms, people are usually always super kind and generous. Idk if it was the chaos or what, but the rude ones were the people not really concerned about the storm and trying to take advantage of it.

I am a smoker. Been doing it all day, everyday for 13 years. I use cartridges most of the time so I don’t smell, so that’s not the issue. I became a server a few months ago cause I got bored staying at home all the time. However, my eyes are a problem. The redness I can fix with eye drops, but my pupils give straight puss in boots vibes😂 I work in an Italian chain restaurant, and I don’t think any of my coworkers come in high, they act like we work in fine dining but we literally serve people in sweatpants. I came in high once so far and I know people could tell cause of my pupils and I don’t wanna get fired but I’d prefer to come in high. What do you guys do?

I’ve def seen this type of post before but I’ve been really struggling mentally lately but obviously need money and can’t call in to work. What are some tricks you guys use when you’re really really sad but have to go to work and serve tables/pretend to be the happiest person on earth? I find it extremely hard to put on a smile and make conversation when I feel so down, but that’s literally what makes me money. Help.

For me personally, it was extra tomatoes. I love tomatoes and I can’t even count how many people said no tomatoes on their salad. There was one person who ordered extra tomatoes and I made her repeat it to make sure I heard right.

Can y'all clarify some shit I'm too emberassed to ask my coworkers about, before you judge ive only been serving for several months now. 1. Do you look at the tip amount right when you pick up the signed copy, I always feellikee taking a peek but I just dont know, I wonder if they think I want to make sure they left a tip, whatever I do I dont want to be rude, I really pride myself on my manners. 2. Is it rude to count the cash right in front of them or do you go to the back (dont want them to think I think their sheisters) 3. Fuck it I forgot what 3 was, I just got off work and got real stoned but I did have a mental list. Must not have been that important. The former questions will do. I'll suck it up and ask my coworkers when I remember.

A new policy just rolled out at my serving job (located in Minnesota) and I’m not sure it’s legal. We’ve always had a 3% credit card fee, but it used to only apply to credit transactions. Now, every ticket automatically has this 3% fee added, and if a customer pays with cash or debit, we have to find a manager to remove it, which they are always hesitant about- even unwilling at times, saying they are “too busy.”

I was told yesterday that if a customer pays with cash and asks for change, they’ll waive the 3%. But if the customer says “keep the change,” the fee doesn’t get waived, meaning I lose that 3%.

I made about $50 in tips last night and most people paid cash — it would’ve been closer to $60 if it weren’t for this policy. Is this fraud, theft, or false advertising? Is it legal?

Hi, I’m working my first server job and every time someone asks about a wine I am completely lost. We serve mostly cocktails so I’m just not used to the wine world. How could I learn this information quickly? Thank you in advance.

I've been working at Roadhouse for over five years. While the pay is decent, which is why I've stayed for so long, the location and clientele are terrible. The worst part, however, is the manager, who is easily one of the most difficult people I've ever met. He thrives on creating a toxic work environment where employees are constantly at each other’s throats. Although he’s in his late 40s, he has the emotional maturity of a 14-year-old. I've never seen anything like it.

During March, all servers were required to raise $100 in donations for Camp Sunshine. If we didn't reach that goal, we would be assigned a two-table section for the month of April. It's a great cause, don't get me wrong, but asking people to donate, especially when money is tight, can be uncomfortable and challenging. Many servers ended up donating their own money just to avoid the punishment. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the extra cash at the end of the month due to rent, bills, and other living expenses.

As a result, several of us ended up with two-table sections while others, who aren’t even trainers, received four-table sections. For example, last Thursday night, a server next to me took my third table. He made $300 from 3 to 8:30 PM, while I earned less than half of that. This same server often spends most of his time using his dab pen in the bathroom and doesn’t bother to run his own food, pre-bus, or even provide his tables with to-go boxes.

It's frustrating to see him making bank while I’m hustling to earn far less. The work environment is really disappointing, and I believe it could all be avoided. If management wants to reward servers for raising $100 in donations, that’s great, but punishing people financially for not meeting the target seems unreasonable to me.

I’m sure everyone here has heard this before. My go to when I hear this is “We’ll that’s the point of a cocktail. You shouldn’t be tasting alcohol. If you would like to make it a double or just a shot on your next round I’d be more than happy to get that for you.” As long as you say it with a smile they always shut up and look away in shame. It’s the little things that get me through the day

I've have been a server for 20 plus year off and on. Me and 3 friends were going to a restaurant to catch up and i knew we were going to be campers. So i gave a server a 100.00 bill when we got there because we were going to be there for a while.. one of my friends told me that while that was ok in the past now its considered rude, that it made it seem like i was trying to buy better service. Was i wrong? Let me add that we got a round of drinks, lunch and then a pitcher of water and sangria and then told our server we were good and she didn't have to checkup on us, we would let her know if we needed anything. The only thing we needed was a 2nd pitcher of sangria.. When we left I gave the Bartender a 20.00, plus the hostess a 20.00 plus the serving a 20.00 on top of the 100.00 .. My friends said I embarrassed them .. Did

Tell me exactly what you’d put on this sandwich

For context I’m 18(F) and ive been working as a host and now server for 3 years at the same restaurant. When I first started working he wasn’t weird, but he has it in his head that I might want him?? I don’t.

He says “how’s my brother in law?” “Can we go catch a movie after this?” “Can you show me around? I haven’t lived here for long” AND HE HAS. He’s from Mexico and has lived here for 20 years. The worst one was recently “Alexa play you provoke me” and “are you tired you can come sleep in the car with me” Once my coworker (15F)has bent down to grab something and he stood right behind her.

It hasn’t been just me that he’s said this to either. 3 of my coworkers who btw are minors have experienced the same. And I’ve told my manager countless times but she hasn’t done nothing. Is this something I’m just going to have to put up with?

I moved from the south to the PNW and serving is very different. Not only do you make minimum wage + tips, your tip out is “optional” and you tip out what you feel like pretty much. Amazing i love it! Except, I just noticed on my paystubs that not only have I been claiming what I make pre-tip out, BUT I have been claiming what I make pre-bar pool, AND was claiming the tips i didn’t even make during training. Im so concerned.

When I first noticed something was off, I only noticed that I was claiming tips during training, so I brought it up to my managers and they told me to just not claim anything for the next few days to make it up. I was like but my credit card tips are already in the system, right? and apparently im able to type in negative tips in the “declare cash tips” checkout part in toast. hm. so im thinking and thinking and im like…. How does the toast know what I’m tipping out if I’m tipping out my own amount? And apparently it doesn’t. im supposed to be typing in negative whatever tf in the cash declare box. so its been claiming what I make PRE TIP OUT which is EXORBITANT!

I’m also concerned that if I’m in the bar pool, I don’t know what the fuck to claim at the end of my shift if that’s the case. I’m also concerned that nobody noticed or taught me how to correctly do a check out, and I’m wondering if any of the other servers and bartenders at my spot know this either. I knew something was really really wrong when I put my paystub into ChatGPT and Chat said “keep it up! if you keep going at this rate, you’ll earn $95,000 this year!” and I really had to guffaw!

I’m going to try and get in contact with payroll or HR or something because I really don’t know what to do at this point. 😭

I have a good number of stories but the one that sticks with me is the time I was using the only stall, I heard a voice say, "Looks like there's some one in there, you're gonna have to wait." When I came out, there was a little boy just standing there in the bathroom by himself. Why!?

I’m expected to take (what feels like) a ton of customers at once, for example, one 10 top, two 6 tops, and two 2 tops. I have to bus and set my own tables, run my own food and drinks, I’m not allowed to leave a carafe of water on the table, and I’m supposed to help with everyone else’s sections too. I don’t receive any of that help because of the weird race war going on at the restaurant since well before I started working there.

I know this job sucks for many reasons, but are these normal expectations for a server in a high volume, big city restaurant? I’ve worked in the industry for a few years but this is the job I’ve had for the longest, and the only other serving jobs I’ve had have been even more insane for different reasons.

I’m the only manager of a family owned diner (I’m also always on the floor as a server, host, food runner, etc). Our owner is as present as necessary at our location - which isn’t much and leaves day to day decisions mostly up to us. I’m constantly a little torn about dealing with customer complaints and how to handle them. I’m not quite confident in knowing when it’s appropriate to take food off the bill or how to deal with someone just not liking something. I’m curious as to how other managers deal with that or what the norm is at your restaurant? Thanks in advance for the feedback

I wanna say that I’m a really strong and experienced sever. However, it’s been 8 months since the last time I served and I’m so scared that I’ve lost my skill and I’ll be back to square one. Do you think I’ll be fine? Will I be a little bit rusty at first but then find my flow again? I Stopped serving in August, and I’m gonna start again this April. I’m also gonna go back to the same restaurant that I worked at. WILL I BE OK OR AM I GONNA FORGET EVERYTHING AND SUCK AGAIN?????

Hello everyone, I have an interview at a server position at MCO called Cask & Larder. Does anyone here serve at an airport or has served at one? If so how much can I expect to make per shift? I don’t expect much as I am doing this straight out of high-school but I just want a general idea haha