digg

Facebook Connect Join Digg About

13 Things Your Waiter Won't Ever Tell You

rd.com — Waiters share insider secrets about restaurants -- from what days to avoid dining out to how much to tip.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 13, 2008

Digg DudeWhat is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Digg surfaces the best stuff as submitted and voted on by the community. Take the Tour to learn more.

1210 Comments

show profanity settings
expand all
  • GREEDOnvrFIRED, on 07/13/2008, -24/+554It takes a real ass to say "Treat others as you want to be treated." AND "It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time." in the same list.
  • nochilinopity, on 07/13/2008, -11/+444Are these really insider secrets? Sounds more like common sense.
  • samanathon, on 07/13/2008, -26/+375Hey, they're people too AND they're serving you. That's why you should treat them with respect!
  • ligyron, on 07/13/2008, -10/+328I worked at McDonald's once. A guy put a fly in someone's hamburger. I threw it in the garbage and made a new one. I beat the guy up later during our shift when I got him to come outside and we both got fired.
  • BigE89, on 07/13/2008, -13/+284Never ***** with the people serving you food

    I can honestly say that this list is very honest, having been involved in a couple of incidents listed
  • Hoogs, on 07/13/2008, -1/+253Dude, you are one hardcore nice guy.
  • spookyttws, on 07/13/2008, -14/+217And as a cook may I offer a few myself:
    1. Order Fish on Tuesday through Thursday (avoiding restaurants on the weekends.) Sunday and Mondays fish has been in the walkin since Friday, or even Thursday depending on the place.
    2. The bread on your table will likely be recycled from some one's leftovers. Deal with it, it's bread.
    3. Avoid Mussel's, hollandaise ( Bacteria love hollandaise.) and any fish that would be better served lightly grilled, but instead is being dressed up with a vinaigrette.
    4. Brunch is the meal cooks loath.
    5. Well done steaks are often the oldest, ugliest piece of meat in the place. Don't blame us if you prefer your steak cooked so far that you can't tell its *****. It also may or may not been tossed in the deep fryer.
    6. Chef's LOATH vegetarians, that said 16 bucks for some grilled eggplant and zucchini helps the food cost percent, so we'll feed you anyway.
  • imashmuck, on 07/13/2008, -9/+210I think the worst is when people come in 15 minutes before closing time. Seriously, nobody wants you there, go find a Wendy's that's open real late or a 24/7 place.
  • NewsFeed, on 07/13/2008, -8/+190I am always careful how i ask for things or talk to waiters... never want to worry about the spit in my food.. Hah
  • raskali, on 07/13/2008, -1/+173If a waiter is rude to me I spit on their tip.
  • Gudath, on 07/13/2008, -3/+156"5. Treat others as you want to be treated. (Yes, people need to be reminded of this.)"

    As Dave Barry said, "Someone who treats you nice but is rude to the waiter is not a nice person."
  • chicaneuk, on 07/13/2008, -1/+143"Treat others as you want to be treated."

    I still find it rather sad that people need to be reminded of this, and that people are still that arrogant that they feel that it is acceptable to speak down to people in positions they consider less 'important' than their own. I worked in retail as my Saturday job when I was 15 years old and remember the attitudes off some people, despite the fact they were only coming in to buy some of the cheapest shoes on the market. It was laughable.

    It doesn't even register on my radar to talk DOWN to people in retail / service delivery - I wouldn't talk to ANYONE like that, regardless of how high or low society grades them. Even if i've had terrible service I politely and patiently explain the situation - there is always someone within the company with morals and a sense of doing the right thing that will work hard to get your problem resolved if you treat them like a fellow human being!
  • inactive, on 07/13/2008, -19/+157In Soviet Russia food spits at you.
  • joebus, on 07/13/2008, -8/+145This logic just doesn't fit me. I mean, sure we should treat waiters with respect but not because they are serving us. They are getting paid to serve us because it's their job. You should treat everyone with respect not just because they are bringing your food out to your table.
  • killtrocity, on 07/13/2008, -6/+133Dugg because I work at a place where I wish to God all the customers knew this.
  • AgentMull, on 07/13/2008, -1/+120My mom got scared and said "you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bellaire."
  • ispshadow, on 07/13/2008, -0/+116I worked as a waiter for four years and this happened all the time. I'd have my section cleaned up a few minutes early and customers would come in right before closing. You know what?

    I agree with you. If the store is still open, my shift was still going. Yes, it was a little frustrating but it was my job and I appreciated having one.

    There is something SERIOUSLY ***** WRONG with this country. Sometimes I actually wish that we would have a catastrophic event that would force these lazy, materialistic, whiny ***** to fend for themselves in a real way. It may not be easy, but some of us will make it. I lived in the country and worked the land for most of the food I ate as a kid. We worked the land for most of our stuff. I can handle almost all of it without going to Walmart.

    BTW, I'm one of those waiters that believes we shouldn't be tipping. Go to another country and you'll notice something. They don't tip. At least all the countries I've been to and I've traveled quite a bit didn't do that.

    The restaurant should be paying their employees a proper wage. Try working most of a Tuesday (11-7) and coming home with $14-16. Not because I gave crappy service but because I had three tables. I don't think the argument of "this keeps the server from doing a crappy job. They have to do well to make money" is valid. That's the job of the employer to hire and keep good servers. They should be paying them well too.
  • Hetman, on 07/13/2008, -27/+143"10. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant. Servers could be giving 20 to 40 percent to the busboys, bartenders, maître d', or hostess.

    11. Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are unaware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters "facilitate" this error. It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time. "

    Hypocrites. If you cannot afford to be honest I cannot afford to tip you.
  • crazzy88ss, on 07/13/2008, -6/+118My colon does.
  • kevin044, on 07/13/2008, -0/+111after 13 years as a chef, i'll tell you one thing: IF I EVER FOUND A SERVER WHO SPIT INTO MY FOOD, AND THEY WERE GIVING IT TO A CUSTOMER, THEY'D BE FIRED SO FAST THEIR HEAD WOULD SPIN, AND I'D BE CALLING A LOT OF OTHER CHEFS TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THAT SERVER.

    i have fired servers and done some of that blacklisting before. never, EVER tamper with food at a restaurant. chef's have knives, and we'll use them... even on a server.
  • scubajim, on 07/13/2008, -1/+110Say please and thank you to the waiter. May I please have some more water. Thanks. I taught my children this and have gotten some very positive but surprised reactions from wait staff. I don't see any reason to treat them other than in a pleasant manner. Yeah, they are paid to serve me, but that doesn't give me the right not to be polite and cordial.
  • Narrwald, on 07/13/2008, -11/+118On a slightly related note, don't ever eat off the salad bar at Big Boy. They bleach the lettuce that's left every 5 days to keep it looking fresh.

    And I would trust me if I were you.
  • gotyourqueen, on 07/13/2008, -30/+131i'm a waiter..you know what's just as gay as making your own lemonade? bringing in your own crystal light packet and adding it to your water. either drink water or order juice you cheap bastards
  • inactive, on 07/13/2008, -2/+101Many people cheap out not because they can't afford it, it's because they don't like getting ass raped. 2.50 for a soda that never gets refilled or 4.00 for a bud light. No wonder people order water and squeeze a lemon in it. Half the times I goto a restaurant I'm sucking on ice cubes because the waiter never comes buy to refill my glass. People complain about split meals and doggie bags. If a good chunk of your customers are leaving with doggie bags and splitting meals, your dishes are too large. Thats why most of them do that, they can't eat it all so naturally they split the ***** or take it home. Restaurants loose an amazing amount of money and stress out the servers because they don't look at the numbers or analyze their operation. Most customers aren't as cheap as you think they are, most of the time the "cheap" behavior is a direct result of natural human behavior coupled with a business model that isn't streamlined for profitability.
  • jayhawk88, on 07/13/2008, -3/+96The head cheerleader asked to go to the prom with him, and he went out and bought this bitchin' Mustang, and everyone said how cool he was and how much they wanted to be his friend.
  • woofers07, on 07/13/2008, -1/+81As someone who waited tables for about 5 years, I completely agree with this list. Except for #3, I've never spit in anyone's food, I've wanted to really bad but never have, it's really really bad karma. Although no one has ever personally attacked me, so I probably would be inclined to do so then.
  • irgeorge, on 07/13/2008, -10/+88I agree with you. The world doesn't need another article telling you to tip the poor down trodden waiters, it needs more articles advocating good levels of pay as standard. Seriously, ***** the culture of guilt-tips and start paying these people proper wages. Tips should really be for exceptional service, a rarity not the rule.
  • shakin, on 07/13/2008, -6/+83My wife is diabetic so at a restaurant her choices are limited. While she was pregnant she couldn't drink caffeine either, so she had water because restaurants rarely serve drinks that are sugar-free and caffeine free (basically only diet Sprite and Fresca). She has never brought her own crystal light, but if she did I wouldn't blame her. Even while not pregnant she gets pretty sick of drinking diet Coke all the time.

    If restaurants don't want people bringing in Crystal Light maybe they ought to stock a better selection of drinks, the cheap bastards.
  • galeninjapan, on 07/13/2008, -4/+79I worked as a waiter for 4 years and never spit or pissed or did anything nasty to anyones food.

  • lucy22, on 07/13/2008, -40/+113Very useful to read before eating out. Funny at the same time.
    "we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen"- LOL
  • drethedog, on 07/13/2008, -3/+74Server can I please have water, lemons, lots of lemos, sweet-n-low, bread and butter.... and a house salad for my main course.... thanks...
  • inactive, on 07/13/2008, -18/+88Don't have this problem at the good old McDonald's.
  • bleutuna, on 07/13/2008, -27/+96Here's a tip: DON'T BE A WAITER IF YOU'RE THIS THIN SKINNED.

    Seriously - if i wanna come in 15 minutes before you close, I will. Screw you. You're open 'till 10:00 so that means I can come in...until 10:00. Got that?

    If you don't serve me well, I'm going to dock your tip. If you're going to be a dick to me or give me *ANY* kind of lip at all, I'm docking your tip.

    I walk into a restaurant with a certain level of service being expected - namely, that I am the freakin' customer and it's YOUR job to make sure I'm happy. I'm paying you, I'm paying the kitchen, I deserve what i want, when I want it? Do you understand that? Not a hard concept to follow.

    So if you bring me my iced tea, and I sit there for 10 minutes before you take my order, watching you walk around, talking to other people, and clearly *not* waiting on tables...oops, the tip-ticker just started deducting. And once it's started, you better do a damn good job to get it to stop. Because from that point on, everything you do that's not impeccable will result in me removing money from your tip.

    If you see there are mutliple people in a party, be smart - realize that 95% of the time, there's not one fat cat who's paying for everything. Ask right way - "Is this check going to be split?" and if so, get ready for it at the end of the night.

    Don't give me some crap that you can't split the check. Aren't allowed to split the check. And please, no matter what happens, do not come over and ask me how much to put on one card. I'll tell you which orders I'm paying for, and it's definitely your job to figure out tax and the rest. Not mine.

    I can't slack off in my day job. I can't mess up someone's movie because they weren't nice to me. I can't screw-up someone's website because they asked for something 'close to quitting time.'

    Why the F*** should I cow-tow to waiters and waitresses. It's your job to serve me. Damn well better do it right.

    Oh, and I will NOT tip you more because I'm not in the mood to 'eat quickly and run' so you can get another table in there. To even suggest such a thing is hubris on a global scale. It's indicative of why service sucks so bad in restaurants - because you have some misguided sense of entitlement. Guess what buddy? I'm paying, *I* am the only one allowed a sense of entitlement.
  • zephyr42, on 07/13/2008, -5/+73haha... true.

    At least when you go to McDonald's you *know* before hand the food and the service will suck.
  • Mononuclear, on 07/13/2008, -1/+67they had makeup sex
  • Divals, on 07/13/2008, -3/+67I make my own lemonade sometimes, usually when I'm too poor to buy a drink AND tip the waiters. I don't like to screw the waiters over when they're paid so little, and if you order water they usually give you lemons too... and there's usually sugar packets at the table. How is this a bad thing?
  • slickhare, on 07/13/2008, -3/+67This is why I hate going to restaurants with finicky people who complain about the smallest imperfection in whatever they're served. I'm sure you'd rather have lukewarm soup than a warm bowl with a dash of bodily fluids.
  • mrhedges, on 07/13/2008, -2/+63I was curious why my steak tasted like Lysol.
  • BlitzInferno, on 07/13/2008, -0/+60some people are lacking in the area of common sense. I have served a lot of people that need their common sense served to them.
  • xtinamo, on 07/13/2008, -2/+62If they tip accordingly, I don't have a problem. But it's always the cheap ass who then sits for an hour chatting it up after finishing their food. Some people's level of self-awareness amazes me.
  • rstarr, on 07/13/2008, -3/+62Another secret: Any and every restaurant on a ground floor in a big city has rats just like every other building in the city. I use to have to clean rat droppings off tables when I came in for work most days when I worked in the North End of Boston.

    But HUGE fan of his #12. You'd be surprised at how many people will sit for 4 or 5 hours and tip just the standard 18%.
  • popstation, on 07/13/2008, -4/+62Don't ever tell anyone you are a cop when eating at a restaurant? Farva
  • jggube, on 07/13/2008, -1/+59Good to know I'm not the only one, I thought I was just being too paranoid - I've had roommates who've worked in the service industry, they always verify my feeling - always be nice to people who handle your food.
  • curseoflou, on 07/13/2008, -5/+62standard 18%? i thought it was 15%.
  • kenplaysviola, on 07/13/2008, -0/+53And then it got weird because it turns out they're roommates.
  • greeniemeani, on 07/13/2008, -28/+80Remember, waiters only make a wage of 2-3 dollars an hour, so tip them well.
  • TheMightyDane, on 07/13/2008, -14/+64America is such a weird place.. Everybody expects to be tipped.. I worked as a waiter for a short period of time - I didn't get tipped. - Not even by american tourists.
    - I didn't spit in any food..


    But nice tip about Saturdays and holidays .. I kind of knew..
  • Memnochxx, on 07/13/2008, -0/+50What kind of person wouldn't finish their bread? :o
  • rstarr, on 07/13/2008, -2/+504 years in the biz, 4 restaurants and 2 states and I've never once worked with anyone who has ever done it. Sure, I've seen a very things dropped by accident and picked back up, but body fluids will get you fired no matter the establishment asap.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 100 of 1233 discussions

  • Add a Comment

    Login or register to comment!
    Or, sign-in super fast with your Facebook account ...


© Digg Inc. 2009 — Content created and posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain | Terms of Use Updated | Privacy Policy
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.