Wednesday, February 27, 2013

No Money, Mo' Problems


Just another day in paradise. Slow day at work...

Gretchen* called off sick today...again. She's got this mysterious morning sickness line of bullshit that she feeds all of us. Every morning she wakes up feeling queasy, and ralphs. No specialist knows what's wrong with her... I'd say piss on a stick and get it over with, because it's turning into "the boy who cried wolf"- no one believes the tall tale anymore. And perhaps the twenty cigarettes a day aren't helping her any...

Hamlet* and I held down the fort, although with the way lunches have been going lately, we didn't really need a third server to begin with.


Here's today's issue--


 
Harleen*, behind the bar, racked up sales of over $400 before the morning rush hit on carry-outs alone, but only made $2 from tips.



Do you typically tip on carry-out? What's the going rate?

As a customer, be aware that even though the server did not wait on you as a table, they did:

-Take the time to ring in your order correctly
This can range from, "I want a chicken shwarma pita wrap. No garlic sauce. Sub Tahini, extra on the side. No onions. Extra pickles. Toasted extra well." Really? All for a sandwich.
...To the very confusing orders, "Hi...I'm not sure what chicken dishes you have." Um, sir, we have eight. " Well, I just want a chicken dish. Not too garlic-y. And some kind of soup."
Yes. I will put up with your indecisiveness, can you please hold?
-Take time away from other tables to package everything up.
It can be in the middle of a rush, and your server will have to step away from what they are doing to take the time to package everything correctly. We need to make sure you get all of the proper sides, sauces, and extras. If you order soup, or a dish with a sauce, we'll take an extra minute to saran wrap these containers to prevent any spills or leaks on your travel back.
Working at a Lebanese restaurant, we also serve raw juices and fruit smoothies--
for every drink made, five minutes that need to be spent on the dining floor are being displaced.

-Go through your order and double check
We've all been there. You run to Taco Bell, late night partly because nothing else was open and partly on bad judgement. You order a crunchwrap or whatever Dorito special they have going on and some cheesy fiesta potatoes. You get home, and not only did they forget all of your sauce, but you have someone else's order. There is NOTHING worse than that when you're starving, and now you're just pissed off, plain and simple.

We know how much of a hassle it can be for a customer to discover their order was not assembled properly. I do not want to be the one who screwed up your order. In order to assure that you leave happy, and do NOT return agitated, it is our job to ensure everything is correct.

I can understand most people's perspectives (yeah, I'll throw them a buck or two), but here's the kicker: There is no such thing as a carry-out fairy that tossed all the shit you wanted into a bag, and like magic, had it ready for you on time to pick up.

We servers only wish it was that easy.
A carry-out order can take more energy to put together than it does to wait on an entire table.
Your server is still exuding effort to guarantee your meal is enjoyable.
Just because you didn't physically see it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Unlike a food joint that specializes in food to-go, servers do not make a minimum wage for salary. So on top of their $2.65/hr wage, tip. What's the issue?

But really. At the end of the day, a $2 tip on a carry-out order for an office that totaled several hundred dollars is just tacky. And if you were that bastard, you should be ashamed.
I'd be tempted to pull out a line from the old movie, Angels with Dirty Faces:



-LM

Photo Credit:http://shamefultypos.com
Keep the change, you filthy animal: John Gushuehttp://johngushue.typepad.com


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