r/TalesFromYourServer

I’ve started working at a new restaurant I used to work at a really amazing little Italian place which was managed amazing and well staffed, this new place is more of a chain and joined because I left the old one because of exams

I just finished a shift here, they only book me for front of house and a manager who also works on tables so it’s just two of us for: Cocktails, normal drinks, Running food, taking orders, cleaning and re making tables, and introducing customers, yes we have to do all of that just by myself. This shift we got about 10/15 tables and including a table of 9 who all walked in, I was expected to handle this by myself with no structure or sections. Then get shouted at by the chef for ‘not running’ and apparently missing a payment from a table i didn’t take payment from.

What would you guys do if you were in this situation as it’s normally always understaffed so have to deal with alot of tables by myself?

I’m new to serving, less than 2 weeks. I got my training and passed my tests. I work at a popular restaurant known for burgers and a bird mascot. Tonight was the 4th of July and the day was honestly a mess. Storms, waits because our kitchen was to busy etc. I haven’t made much desserts due to my trainers not being the best when I was learning. I had to step away to make 3 different desserts for 2 tables. During that time I was sat at a table in my section. I had checked and nobody was there so I worked on my desserts. Just as I’m finishing up making them, someone tells me that two people walked out. The table that was sat when I was away. It was no more than a few minutes as some other servers were helping me figure out how to do the desserts because I didn’t wanna mess them up. I do enjoy my job and the people I work with, but am I gonna get fired? Should I be worried? My manager never said anything to me about it. I work tomorrow and I’m so stressed about it that I feel sick.

Ive worked as a waiter at a restaurant for 2-3 years now, and have always clashed with one chef. hes not head chef or anything, and the actual head chef is really kind and never has any issue with my capabilities at work, and neither do any of my FOH managers.

There was a large disagreement when i was told service, to take out a dish, with the ticket down and then was scrutinised for not spotting the missing garnish, and i then had two chefs shouting at me and insulting me. my manager reprimanded them both and this chef stopped talking to me completely. however, in recent months he has been creeping back into his old ways...

Today we were severely understaffed and i was doing 2-3 peoples jobs at once, so naturally service was slow. however this chef decided to spend the day nitpicking how i stamped my tickets, once again not spotting a tiny mistake of his (which i admit, i should have spotted) and constantly telling me to hurry up when i literally could not move any faster. the list goes on but i dont want to drag the post out. it got to the point where the expo/team leader, who is also his wife, had to defend me saying that we could not move any faster.

I feel almost defeated. im polite, i never protest what he says, and hes never like this with any other current staff and multiple people who used to work here a while ago complained but nothing ever happens.

Hi this is my first time posting this but I have job at a restaurant, I've been there for about a week, and so far its been a mess.

So I messed up bad today, i accidentally took someone else's food instead of mine twice because I was rushing and not looking at my POS hand held im a mess and should get fired because I wasted food and a women lost a huge tip. I have been beating myself up over this and over all, I dont know if I should continue to do this.

There were tons of people everywhere and I feel like I should've done better.

So I had a three top and a little baby. So the grandma I guess fell outside (tripped) and hurt herself. She seemed okay and then she started crying that she was in alotnof pain. (Soon after my manager walked by the check on all the tables.) My manager said he was paying for the whole check. So they started ordering full on dinner meals when it was lunch. The lady ordered dessert and said she was going to eat it there but ended up having me box it. She they ordered 2 big meals to go (steak Alfredo and chicken and broccoli Alfredo) she wanted it for her husband. They also ordered boats of Alfredo. Extra. Extra everything. I do feel bad for the lady and hope she is well. But i believe she took advantage of managers kindness. Their billl was about 130-140 dollars for a lunch for three adults. I just think that's crazy. Lol

Like some tables I have the women in the couple always stares me down like they wanna fight me.

No matter how nicely I approach like it makes me feel violated and gross.

And if the woman is acting fine then the guy is overcompensating by asking me to do a lot to make sure she’s happy

I constantly see this dynamic at least twice a night.

Most couples are fine but why do I get at least 2 couples a night like this? Can anyone relate?

I work as a waitress at a 5\* hotel in the summer at a touristy island. I've been working at this hotel for 5 years.

A bunch of my coworkers get mentioned by name in the reviews people leave.

I try my best to smile and chat up the guests. I try to read them first and see if they'd like to have a conversation cause some don't really want much interaction.

I'm not saying I'm jealous of my coworkers. Instead, if they do a great job and guests are happy, they deserve to be mentioned by name for their excellent service and professionalism.

It's just, I also try my best. I'm an introvert and I try to be as sociable as possible, as much as I can cause there's also lots of pressure and running around (we have 1000 guests and we are 6 servers).

I smile, I'm polite, I anticipate needs and take care of it before they ask. I don't know what they're doing different.

I really wanted to get this off my chest for a while now. If you read it all, thank you so much for your time! Take care ❤️

A lady came in with her son. Older lady. When she was being seated she told the hostess (who is same ethnicity as the server) I don’t want that (proceeds to call her a racial slur) waiting on me.” Then also says, “I only want a (certain color) person to wait on me.” I ended up with this lady. But didn’t know all this was said until after I got her order. I refused to wait on her after that. So the store manager finished the table for me and told me to go above and beyond if she needs something. I told him I would NOT be waiting on her at all. I also told him how disappointing it was he allowed her to stay after finding out what she said about his staff. She also complained about the food had it sent back multiple times. Complained about the quantity of ice in her drink. Want special treatment. He gave it to her. Am I wrong for refusing to server her? Would you have asked her to leave if you were the manager?

buckle in, this one is a doozie.
so for once, i get off early( i work at my local applebees)
i decide to hang out and have some drinks and food.
my coworker had gotten a party of 17, and i was sitting right next to where they were gonna be sat.
The party of 17 gets sat, and suddenly, everyone in the restaurant hears this “yelping” sound, like a dog barking. The entire restaurant is looking over at the large party expecting to see a dog, i’m sitting right there also looking for a dog, when i tell you this “yelp” was occurring constantly every 2 seconds for 2 hours, i’m not joking.
Poor Linda, goes to greet the table, i hear her say “where’s the dog?”
The sound, the entire time, was coming from a deaf and autistic child. She was devastated

Today I was serving a couple celebrating an anniversary. They were super sweet, and ordered a Turkey dinner and a 16oz Ribeye. When their food came out they even asked me to take a picture (adorable)

When I checked on them the first time, the guy was cutting into his Ribeye and eating it. He complained that he ordered it Medium and it was Well.
I apologized, about to offer a fix. He said it was “Still delicious” and continued to eat. I said I could give another dessert on the house (they were already getting one for their anniversary) since it wasn’t cooked to his liking. He asked for a Chocolate Milkshake to go since “hypothetically the kids are in the car” with a chuckle.

I brushed this off, thinking it was a joke or a way to “slyly” get a milkshake and pie and/or insinuate it wasn’t for them (but it was)

When I checked on them again, He had eaten all of his meal, minus some of the veggies. I was taking plates out of the way and he said “free dessert is great, but I don’t want to pay for a $40 steak that was well when I asked for Medium” I looked down at his empty plate, and looked back at him. I apologized and asked what pie they wanted.

I brought them Pie, Milkshakes, and the check with a 10% discount because I didn’t want to fight with my last table of the night. They proceeded to pay with a gift card. When they walked out of the restaurant, a coworker came up to me and said a kid jumped out of their minivan.

Thank GOD it was an overcast day.

Tl;dr: This couple had an anniversary dinner, complained even though they ate it all, got free dessert x2, received a 10% discount all while their children stayed in the car

I work at a steak house. It’s not fancy- but it’s not cheap. I had a table today of 3 Gentlemen, each ordering a different rendition of our 16oz Ribeye, cooked to order ranging from Rare, Medium Rare and Medium.

Medium and Rare were enjoying their meal. the second time I checked on the table, Medium Rare explained to me that his cut was too fatty, too tough and he was not happy because Medium and Rare’s steaks were melting in their mouths. “it’s pissing me off” he said. I apologized, grabbed another plate and asked that he put the steak on said plate so I can show the cooks and get him another one.

I go to the cooks, and as they grumbled because it’s a 35+ dollar steak, they still made another 16oz MR steak for the gentleman, and we threw the original away. During this time, Medium Rare eats his veggies and Baked potato.

When it comes out, I take it to the table and Medium Rare pokes it with a toothpick and says it “looks better already”. I walked away to help another table, and when I came back to ask if it was better. Medium laughed and said “He’s not happy”. Medium Rare asked for a box, while Rare took a bite of the new steak and shrugged, saying it tasted fine. Medium Rare said it “didn’t even taste like Ribeye”

I explained that if they took it home I couldn’t do anything like a discount, but would love to offer pie or a cinnamon roll to compensate if they did take the steak. Medium said to leave the steak “Since Im paying”. I went to a manager and had them remove the steak completely. Since Medium Rare ate all of his potato we charged $4.99. When I first dropped the check, they asked if we did military discounts which effectively dropped their bill from over $100 (without the third steak) to about $94.

They flagged me down and said there’s been a mistake, they didn’t have a side of mashed potatoes. I explained that since the Baker and some veggies were eaten, my manager made the decision to charge for at least the potato. I had just accidentally put Mashed instead of baker.

I appreciate any and all tips. I don’t mind percentage wise, because it adds up and I’m grateful regardless. Medium paid the tab, and left $5. Normally, I wouldn’t have even blinked. What caught my attention, sprawled on the check was “that potato charge hurt your tip”

I was baffled

Tl;Dr : table got $35 dollar meal comped after making restaurant throw away 2 16oz steaks, got a 10% discount and then was upset they got charged for a $5 potato that they ate.

Last Saturday I had a four-top during the dinner rush. One guy ordered our 16 oz ribeye medium rare, which is one of the most expensive things on the menu at $68. I checked on the table a couple minutes after the food came out and asked him specifically how the steak was cooked. He cut into the middle, looked at it, took a bite and said, “Perfect.” I checked again when he was about halfway through and he gave me a thumbs up because his mouth was full. No complaints, no requests, nothing. He also ate nearly all the fries and asked me for an extra side of our steak sauce.

When I came back to clear the plates, there was maybe two bites of steak left, just a strip of fat and part of the bone. That’s when he suddenly told me the steak had been “completely inedible” because it was tough and overcooked. I reminded him that I had checked twice and that he told me it was perfect. He said he was “trying to be polite” but couldnt finish it. I looked at the almost empty plate, then looked back at him, and I guess my face answered before I did. He asked for the steak to be removed from the bill and said any decent restaurant would do it without arguing.

I got my manager, who offered him a dessert or a small discount but refused to comp the full steak since he had eaten basically all of it. The guy became furious and said we were accusing him of lying. His wife quietly said, “You literally said it was great,” which did not help his mood. He paid, left me $0 on a $214 bill, and wrote “learn customer service” across the receipt. The wildest part is that he took the last two bites home in a box after calling it inedible. I know guests complain after eating most of a dish all the time, but has anyone ever found a polite response that shuts this down without sounding sarcastic?

I work for my dad at a restaurant the last 3 days the bar area and part of the customer area has been flooding with raw sewage.

I voiced my concerns but was screamed at for having a bad attitude, I don’t want to call health and safety as it’s my family and I can’t lose my job right now or have the place shut down, I’m really stuck and don’t know what to do.

I’ve been walking in it for three days to the point that I can still smell it when I’m home and I’m worried about getting ill.

At my restaurant today we had a party of 55 show up, without calling or a reservation, and was fuming that we wouldn’t seat them. Management explained why and they refused to accept it. They crowded around our lobby for about 30 minutes before leaving and it was so satisfying to see tbh.

What’s the most ridiculous thing to happen at your restaurant on this holiday weekend?

Okay, so where I work, customers or either old people in their 60s+ or young children. No in between lol.

And I want to say about 99.99% of the time, the children are WAY nicer and more understanding than adults.

Just yesterday, there was a little kid with (I'm guessing was) her grandad. And when i went to put her milkshake down, a bit of it dropped/spilled down the sides. It didn't go everywhere, just a few drops on the table. I apologised a bunch, and went go go get napkins, because I've been yelled at for stuff like that before lol (at work, and when i was younger). And the old guy was like "it's okay love, just clean it up. It didn't make a huge mess". When i came back and wiped it up, I apologised again, and the little kid looks at me and goes "there's no need to say sorry, people make mistakes, it's okay. You didn't do it on purpose. Thank you." (I had to try not to cry at the start of my 9am shift lol.) I thanked her, and said how sweet that was. And I told her grandad that she had better manners and was kinder than 90% of the adults that i serve, and he seemed kind of shocked.

Like how on earth can an fricken 8 year old, be more understanding, and have better emotional regulation skills than a fully grown adult?!?!?! Like, how?!?!?!!

And it's happend before where, kids will say "may I please have" or "thank you". And adults won't even look up from their phones, and just say random drinks and food at me. Like!??!?!!

And, sometimes kids can be bit crappy (I had a bunch of 12 year old boys call me bitch for not giving them free food lol) but like, percentage wise, the adults are WAY worse. Yelling at you in the middle of a rush, complaining about the stupidest things humanly possible, not even acknowledging you.

Idk if anyone else has noticed/experienced this, but I've been picking up on it for a while, and it's just SO confusing and shocking to me!!!

I feel like almost every place I've worked for is run by TERRIBLE people. My current bosses are some of the WORST. They've completely gutted the best part about being a server: actually having tables and taking care of guests. Our tables have QR codes so guests order and pay from them. There's very little interaction with guests unless you make a consistent, great effort. We run with a skeleton crew. The owners are too cheap to hire enough staff, and then complain when we get bad reviews. Yesterday one of the owners sent us a semi-scathing email that we were the lowest rated location in our company. All of the other locations were at a 4.5. What were we? An ABYSMAL 4.4. Yeah you heard that right. missing .1 points to be considered adequate.

We're also a pool house. I am constantly busting my ass, picking up extra shifts, running tray after tray of drinks, while some of my co workers barely lift a finger. The owners want good reviews? I will literally hand out yelp cards with my name on them and get STELLAR reviews. Not a peep from ownership. When we get a bad review that is mostly about another co-worker but I got roped into it because I was standing there? I get written up. Only because I'm "so good at what I do so we're writing you up to remind you to be an example for others." Meanwhile everyone gets away with everything all the time.

Ummm yes? Lol

Yes those are tenders mam.

Was a new one I got today, almost chuckled and had to fight myself from doing so 😭

Almost as bad as “what’s the differences betweeed a baked potato and the mashed potato”

I just started working at a brand new restaurant. It’s a new concept, with only one other location in another state. We started training about 3 weeks before opening, but it was really a waste of time. I only showed up to show my commitment. A week after opening, a corporate manager pretty much told us that we’re all horrible servers (despite having no service training) and the owner wants to close and scrap the staff and start over. I think most of the rant was dramatic, but something that actually resulted from that was a server from the main location relocating to south Florida to transfer to our location permanently. Our tips are pooled and we have support staff so everyone has points (servers: 10, bussers: 5, runners: 2.5, etc). However, servers that consistently carry the weight of the pool will get more points. This new server transferred with 12 points. He’s also now apparently our “lead server”, even though we were there from the beginning. Since he’s been here, he has the largest sections, his section gets sat proportionately more than everyone else’s, and he’s scheduled way more shifts than the rest of us. My gm and agm love me. They know my personal situation, and they value what I bring to the team. But I feel like the powers that be are trying to phase us out. That along with a kitchen that doesn’t run efficiently to ensure smooth service, I’m wondering if this is the job for me. I understand that opening a new restaurant is chaotic and I expected there to be humps, but things are going in a direction that’s not sitting right with me. What are your thoughts? Has anyone worked for a brand new restaurant or been in a similar situation? Should I try to stick it out or look for something else? The job market is brutal. I was unemployed for 3 months before getting this job