[greenbean]

Oh boy, tyger, good luck!
All I can say is that if you make a mistake (and you will!) just apologize and make it up to your patron. People really get pissed if something goes wrong and they feel like you dont care. Also, always check on each table even if they look like everything is fine. When I started serving I felt like if my patrons looked content, I didnt want to bother them,...but I was wrong because I would get complaints that once I brought the order I never checked back to make sure they were satisified. I assumed they would just wave to me if they needed something but for the most part, people dont want to have to do that.
People will be jerks to you but you just have to grin and bear it, and save your anger for ranting on this board!

Speaking of rants....! Do you ever get those snobby patrons that like to test you? Last night a patron asked me what "maduros" meant, as he pointed to "platanos maduros" on the menu. I said it meant "sweet", and he said, "no it means ripe, but that was close!" !!! Can you believe that jerk! He was friggin testing me! grrrr.

[tyger]

someone snapped their fingers at me the other day. on what planet is finger-snapping the thing to do, huh? to make it worse, he was snapping for me to come take his credit card, when it's really clear you pay at the cash register at the front of the restaurant. wtf?

in other news, i discovered i do actually make the real minimum wage, not the 6$ starting wage crap my province has. it's 8$/hour plus tips for me, which means i've gone back to barely caring about what i make in tips.

i wish tipping didn't exist. i don't get why i should pay someone to do a job they're being paid to do (or, in my case, why people think they should leave some change on the table because i refill their drinks and clear their plates). i've always tipped, but now i have this urge to tip extremely well when i go out to eat, even though i still think it's a stupid custom. of course, nothing beats the time i was at the detroit airport and my dad tipped the guy who checked our luggage in for us, which struck me as the epitome of ridiculous tipping
i realize tipping is a part of our society and it won't go away with the snap of the fingers, but why not increase the price of food at restaurants be 15-20%, and waiters get better wages? or get paid a 'bonus' based on how the restaurant does each week (as tips are dependant on the bills for the most part, anyways). i guess i just feel kind of disgusted with myself when i feel so happy looking at my cup full of change every night that it makes me wish tipping didn't exist even more