The Bitter Bistro

I have worked at many restaurants throughout my career in the service industry.  I've noticed that they are like being in a relationship; some are like one night stands where I've left the next shift without saying good-bye or signing my W-2, and others I've made good money and have become quite serious about for years, saying, "I could work at this restaurant for the rest of my life.  This restaurant makes me so happy!" Then I notice that my sections get smaller, the restaurant gets less busy, and I find myself starting to make excuses about not wanting to be there.  "It's not you, it's me."  I start cheating on that place by filling out an application at another more popular, better looking, younger restaurant.  At this point, my relationship has just become a formality of clocking in and clocking out.  No matter how many times they change the menu, or flatware, the food all looks the same to me.  It just tastes like chicken. My "re...

This past week, the Internet has been buzzing about a woman, Pastor Alois Bell of the Word Deliverance Ministries, who decided to leave a smart-ass comment instead of a tip at an Applebee's in St. Louis, Missouri.  The server who got stiffed on the large party gratuity showed the receipt to her co-worker, Chelsea Welch, who then took a picture of the receipt and posted it on Reddit.com . Pastor Bell has been hit hard by Internet junkies who have been emailing and calling her to call her out for her "Godly" mistake.  What does a good Christian woman do?  She calls Applebee's and has Chelsea Welch fired.  Pastor Bell said, "I didn't want it to get so much attention."  Well, you got the attention when you wrote the comment.  In short, you started it. Many, if not all, restaurants have a policy that states if you have a party of 6, 8 or more, than a large party gratuity of 18-20 percent will be added to the subtotal of the bill.  Large t...

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," is a horrible saying that always seems to be true.  That is especially true for customers at restaurants.  The ones who complain the most, seem to get what they want, and they also get it for free. The same goes for customers who look over the entire menu, and then complain that we don't have anything that they want, and then decide that they are going to be the only person in their party who isn't going to eat.  Who the hell goes out to eat, and then doesn't eat? Recently I had a customer sitting in my section with her husband, looking confused and pouty.  Yes, pouty.  I was working in an Italian restaurant, and I made the mistake of assuming that the customers understand that the cuisine on the menu IS Italian food. "Do you have fruit salad?" she asked. She actually caught me off guard.  I quickly glanced at her husband who was busy on his Blackberry, (yes, Blackberry,) but didn't get any help from hi...