Like I've said in the past, I work in a restaurant, and I'm a server! So this blog hits close to home. It makes me so mad when people say serving is mindless, or not a difficult job. I would love to see those people try to serve seven tables at once and not get overwhelmed! I can understand if someone was given "bad service" and they're upset, but they need to remember we're all human and we all make mistakes! They're also not the only customer in the whole restaurant...
I think there is a stigma attached to servers because they usually do not have college degrees, and there is little to no training needed to become one. At my job, most of us are serving through college, or even just working on the weekend, while they have a 9-5 week day job. But, we also have servers that this is their career, and they will be servers for the rest of their lives. Another thing to point out is that at my restaurant (which I'm sure happens at a lot of others) you start out serving before they move you to a manager's position (which is a salary position with benefits, and my GM has a degree in hospitality).
I think another reason why it is easy to "look down" on a server is because we are serving you food, and we do what you ask, but we are not your servant or slave. Yesterday, one of my co-workers said he read an article that said being a server is more stressful than a nuero-surgeon, which at first I was like no way, but then he argued his position and I could see why. He pointed out that surgeons are automatically treated with respect, and servers are treated as we are less of a person than the customer. This is one thing I see a lot when serving older customers, time has changed and serving is actually a pretty good long term career.
The claims that Mirabelli points out in his article "Learn to Serve" are logical and I understand where he is coming from, but once you are a server, you have an entire different perspective of a restaurant. I constantly have so much information running through my head, I just turned 21 and barely drink wine, and I am expected to know exactly what my customer is asking for when they want an "oaky" chardonnay. I have served people that ask me questions just to see if I know what they are talking about, but in my head all I'm thinking about is if my food is ready for my 3 other tables, if table 104 is ready to order, my drinks for 114 are ready to be ran, and look i just got sat another table, as well as answering the questions for the table I'm currently at.
Being a server has really challenged my memorization and multitasking skills, and its definitely not a job for everyone. Yet, the argument does still come up whether or not if serving is a "mindless" job. At times, it is easy and stress-free, and sometimes rarely, something I enjoy doing. But most of the time, I would not say serving is a mindless job, especially when its happy hour, 6 pm dinner rush, having eight tables, and attempting to give excellent service to everyone.
I don't get why people think serving is so easy because it honestly seems so difficult! Like you said you constantly have to be multitasking, memorizing and physically moving all over the restaurant. PLUS, you have to do all this with a good attitude, even when you really don't want to, so the customers don't feel uncomfortable. That's a good point that a servers job can be more challenging that a surgeons because surgeons do automatically get respect from anyone who knows their occupation, like if they're some sort of god. But when people learn you're server, they can just be like "oh.. cool" in addition to the attitudes you might get from the people you're serving to. Everyone is quick to thank their doctor, but not always quick to thank their server. NOT COOL. I always make sure to say thank you to waiters. Sometimes I say it too much hahaha.
ReplyDelete--Victoria