The worst thing about waiting tables...

[Shi Huangdi]

"Also people who don't speak English piss me off "

At least you didn't work for those people.

When I worked at a fast-food place last summer, my managers were both foreigners. They had thick accents and talked very fast, so when they gave you a command it was often hard to understand what it was or it would be easy to confuse one word for another and get the command, and then they would get mad at you for not understanding what they were saying in their accent. At least the owner of the place spoke English so their was some relief in that regard when she was there. I hope my next supervisors speak English well......

[monolith94]

I flirted with a couple of customers when I worked at a bookstore. She was probably 29 (I'm 18) but she was still good looking and seemed like a nice person…
She was some editor lady from NYC visiting relatives.
Apparently she came back to that store… alas I happened to be not-working that day. Mike Schneider knows way too many secrets about me from working in that store .
Those were good days.

[axi]

Also people who don't speak English piss me off - even more so when they expect us to speak Spanish. Get a ****ing clue, this is America.

If you ever visit Greece, I expect your accent while ordering in Greek to be fluent.

20-something males -- any color or flavor. Complainers, drinkers, check-arguers, and just generally speaking wastes of life. Would that all males passed directly from 16 to 31.

Hmmm, let's see... Supposing you are a female (cuz if you arent you will be or have been in their shoes sometime, which means knowing that this is the best period in a man's life), it looks like you're not so interested in romantic relationships. You're into getting yourself married right away, aren't you, girl? Pehaps you'll revise that opinion after a couple of years of married life.

[Bosh]

I think my favorite was a pack of japanese tourists who came into our retaurant, asked if our sushi chef was japanese and left when they were told he wasn't. Their loss, we definately had the best sushi in northern Maine

[Rogan Josh]

I never know what to tip in Switzerland. I would normally leave about 15% if the service was OK, but is Switzerland they already add the tip (fixed %) to the bill before bringing you it. So I kind of object to putting a tip on top (although I usually still do).

I think tips become really pointless if you are forced to give them.

[Lincoln]

This reminds me of my brother who worked at a fancy facility in Hollywood where he parked cars. He got very nice tips but his employer forced him to give them to the company. If I was a customer there I would give him two tips. 25 cents for the employer and quite a bit more for the kid who actually was supposed to get the tip.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by devilmunchkin
i don't do it. ick.
and we have one customer..this 10 year old cowboy in black who comes in all the time...everynight...we call him the Pervert..cause he sits there and very blantantly looks the waitresses up and down for HOURS.
give me a break!!!

He's only 10!

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Lincoln
This reminds me of my brother who worked at a fancy facility in Hollywood where he parked cars. He got very nice tips but his employer forced him to give them to the company. If I was a customer there I would give him two tips. 25 cents for the employer and quite a bit more for the kid who actually was supposed to get the tip.

This is illegal. A recent lawsuit in NYC brought by waiters at a restauran in Chinatown dealt with this. The court ruled that tips are for the waiters and busboys and they could not be compelled to give them to the managers.

Kaak--sounds to me like you're projecting a bit of unintentional racism, even using the standard "some of my best friends are black!" line. Perhaps your nervousness about being extra-specially good for black customers says something. I am willing to bet you get plenty of customers from all races and backgrounds who are rotten.

My roommate worked as a waiter here in NYC for 4 years, and by far the worst customers were wealthy UWS types. Bad tippers, rude, arrogant and thought they were royalty. And their kids would be allowed to run wild. My roommate would, behind the parent's backs, make menacing faces and the old finger-cross-the-throat gesture to scare the kids into behaving (he's 6'3 and built like a tank, so they would fall in line).

[MikeH]

European tipping culture is totally different to the one in the US. No point comparing the two.

[David Floyd]

Yeah, I remember tipping the bartender once and getting a funny look.

[Provost Harrison]

Tipping is a bizarre idea in my opinion. Whatever happened to a decent wage rather than relying on the whim (and the guilt) of the customer to sort out the problem?

[chequita guevara]

Kaak isn't projecting, Black people, on average, are horrible tippers. This is pretty much a given among wait staff in the Chicago area. Having been a waiter myself back in the day, I asked my Black friends about it.

One, unless someone teaches you how to tip and that waiters and waitresses depend on tips for their living you don't know. And so tipping not only seems unimportant, but stupid. This is the major reason. I understand in NYC there is a Black radio host trying to get Black people to learn how to tip.

Two, some Black people tend to think that waitstaff get paid a fair wage, and that it's the resteraunt owners' responsiblity to pay waiters, not the customer (which would just raise the price of meals 18%).

Three, some Black people don't feel they should have to give extra money to people just for doing their job.

Four, some Black people don't feel like giving money to white people. Waiters tend to be white.

[Timexwatch]

I don't know about Black people, but the elderly tip really poorly. So do people with small childern unless you manage to charm the kids...

[Kaak]

che, i completely agree

[MosesPresley]

When I was waiting tables, I never had much problem with tips from my black customers. Sometimes they would compliment me afterwards for my service. They were often demanding and sometimes would take offense where none was intended, but they aren't alone in that.

The most demanding customers for me were, NYC visitors (good tippers, but they run your tail off), the elderly ("I don't like this iced tea."), students ("You should get a different job, so I don't have to tip.") and then blacks. Students always were lousy tippers, if they tipped at all.

My best customers were always other restaurant employees.