[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.

[pepper]

yes, we do have a good health care system here. but the middle class is slowly being eradicated. there are the wealthy, the lower middle class, and the poor. there really isn't a middle class here anymoer so... that arguement is out the window.
now, here in bc servers do get the regular minimum wage, which isn't really all that bad at $8/hr. but that's just one province (like a state). in ontario servers earn $1 less per hour than regular minimum wage and that minimum wage is $6.95/hr so servers make just under $6/hr and most of them work short shifts, 4-5 hours, not a regular 8hr work day. without tips those cats would starve, and they are also expected to claim a certain percentage of wages as tips on their taxes, regardless of what they actually earned. now that works out ok for those who make decent tips, but anyone working a dive knows that it's a long, hot, hard sweaty day of slinging hash to drunkards and the hung over, and a super fast paced high turn over to bump those wages up to around $10/hour. no job security and no benefits so god help you if you get sick from, say, stress or wearing your damn body out. them's the facts about tipping in canada.
seriously, i never made more money than when i served in san fran. 20% was the norm, generally speaking. it was GREAT, way better than business lunch in the financial district in toronto, let me tell you. i made less money offa the suits than i did offa the college students at sneaky dee's (i don't even have to describe that place to you, the name says enough).