Restaurant life would be a whole lot easier if patrons would mind the Golden Rule -- do unto others (servers) as you would have them do to you. Though this isn't the movie "Waiting," and we don't do gross things to nasty people's food (at least not at the Sharp Edge), lack of prospective punishment doesn't mean you should treat your server with no respect.
For starters, just because I am waiting on you and you are paying for my services does not mean that it is okay to bark orders at me, snap your fingers to get my attention, or treat me as if I am lower on society's totem pole than you are. I am college-educated, as is mostly everyone that I work with, but we choose this profession because it best fits our lifestyles.
"Please" and "Thank you" are welcome phrases in my line of work. If I make a mistake (we all do), do your best to be understanding and patient. You wouldn't believe how much the attitude, whether positive or negative, of one customer can color a server's entire day. Above all else, the next time you go out to eat, do your best to put yourself in your server's shoes...and be nice!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Anatomy of a Restaurant Patron, Part One
I have worked as a server in a restaurant for almost a year now. I honestly didn't think I would be working there this long, but I have to say, it's been quite a learning experience. I'd venture to say that everyone tends to think they could be a waiter or waitress because they've eaten out and seen SOME of the ins and outs of it, however, I don't think you can ever fully understand the job until you've done it yourself. Though it can sometimes be a fast way to make good money, more often than not, it's aggravating, frustrating, and a lot of hard work.
So, I've decided to post some diatribes on the things that bother me the most about restaurant customers. This first post will be dedicated to the Holy Grail of restaurant life -- the gratuity. Servers in Pennsylvania have a minimum required wage, paid by their employer, of $2.83 an hour. That's almost $5 an hour less than the standard minimum wage. Therefore, tips make up the vast majority of a server's income.
If you are pleased with your restaurant experience, especially the service by your waitress, you should always tip at least 18 to 20% of your check. I repeat -- 18 to 20%. Not 10, not 15. If you can't afford to add that customary gratuity onto your total, you really shouldn't go out to eat. You have to understand that you are the one paying the server's salary. When you give a server who has done a perfectly good job a tip of less than average, it basically amounts to a lot of hard work on their part for nothing. And trust me, we remember customers who don't tip well.
On the other hand, we also remember the people that seem to understand our plight and give a little extra. A good tip can go a long way in the restaurant world.
So, please -- I know the economy is in a slump, but if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to give a decent tip.
So, I've decided to post some diatribes on the things that bother me the most about restaurant customers. This first post will be dedicated to the Holy Grail of restaurant life -- the gratuity. Servers in Pennsylvania have a minimum required wage, paid by their employer, of $2.83 an hour. That's almost $5 an hour less than the standard minimum wage. Therefore, tips make up the vast majority of a server's income.
If you are pleased with your restaurant experience, especially the service by your waitress, you should always tip at least 18 to 20% of your check. I repeat -- 18 to 20%. Not 10, not 15. If you can't afford to add that customary gratuity onto your total, you really shouldn't go out to eat. You have to understand that you are the one paying the server's salary. When you give a server who has done a perfectly good job a tip of less than average, it basically amounts to a lot of hard work on their part for nothing. And trust me, we remember customers who don't tip well.
On the other hand, we also remember the people that seem to understand our plight and give a little extra. A good tip can go a long way in the restaurant world.
So, please -- I know the economy is in a slump, but if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to give a decent tip.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Recurring Dream
Guy sent me this comic this morning, and I'm amazed at how accurate it is! I have this dream ALL the time. My high-school dreams also usually involve forgetting my locker combination, but other than that, it's just like xkcd says!
Check it out.
Check it out.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Birthday Critique
Last night, I went out with a small group of friends to celebrate my 26th birthday. For dinner, we went to Hibachi Japan at Donaldson's Crossroads. It was the second time I'd gone there, but everyone else was a first-time guest. I really enjoyed the food, and I think the prices are reasonable for that kind of meal. My only critique of the dinner was the taste of the shrimp dipping sauce. I think I like Benihana's better. But overall, I thought it was nice, and I hope everyone had a good time.
After dinner, Jerod and Laura went to check on Sallace, Jules & Taylor had to go home, and Guy, Emily, and I browsed TJMaxx until movie time. We were going to see a 7:00 showing of Coraline in 3-D at the theater by the mall. Emily bought a giant Rice Krispie for $2 to bring into the movie, Guy got a new pair of jeans, and I stocked up on prizes for Sarah's bridal shower in five months (yeah, I'm overly prepared).
After our brief shopping outing, we met back up with Jerod and Laura at the theater. Tickets were an extra $2.50 because the show was in 3-D, which I think kind of sucks, but oh well. The theater we were in was one of the smaller rooms, and only a handful of people were in it. I was sad to see that a lot of the seats were damaged, and the theater in general was not in good shape. It was like a $12 trip to the maxi-saver. Carmike, where did you go wrong?
Anyway, after 20 minutes of commercials and previews, and a brief glitch where we could only hear previews but not see them, the movie began.
I have not seen any other Tim Burton movies, but I know what they typically look like, and "Coraline" was no exception in the realm of excellent animation. The entire film was a pleasure to the eye -- yes, even the part where she squashed thousand-leggers with her bare hands. Who does that, by the way?
Though "Coraline" was visually pleasing, I felt that the story was a bit lacking in excitement and depth. The movie is based on a novel, so I'd be interested to see what details were left out. The story moved slowly and allowed a number of wordless scenes accompanied by a haunting soundtrack to provide exposition. My mind wandered a lot during these scenes, and though I appreciated the artsiness of the movie's style, I found it a bit boring at times. Then, as the movie progressed towards its ending, I felt like things were wrapping up too quickly, without enough explanation. If you haven't seen it, Coraline ends up finding the souls of other children who her "Other Mother" has tricked into staying in her world. The children tell them she needs to save them by finding their eyes. They call the Other Mother the beldam. There's no explanation as to why they call her this or why their "eyes" end up being bouncy balls and handles on exotic lawn equipment. I'm sure there are more things I can think of where I would have appreciated more information, like why a triangular-shaped rock with a hole in the center allows Coraline to find the ghosts' eyes, but the film relied on its looks more than its substance to impress viewers from the start, so it was no surprised that it followed through with this trend to the finish.
Even though the movie was a bit different than I expected, I did have a grand old time on my birthday eve, and I'm glad my friends were able to join me for it.
And one last side note on "Coraline" -- Why, oh, why, did they have to give almost every woman EXTREMELY large breasts? And what on earth possessed the animators to do the scene with the large-breasted old woman dresssed in only sparkly pasties and a thong? I thought I couldn't see anything more disgusting than Coraline smashing bugs with her bare hands. I thought wrong.
After dinner, Jerod and Laura went to check on Sallace, Jules & Taylor had to go home, and Guy, Emily, and I browsed TJMaxx until movie time. We were going to see a 7:00 showing of Coraline in 3-D at the theater by the mall. Emily bought a giant Rice Krispie for $2 to bring into the movie, Guy got a new pair of jeans, and I stocked up on prizes for Sarah's bridal shower in five months (yeah, I'm overly prepared).
After our brief shopping outing, we met back up with Jerod and Laura at the theater. Tickets were an extra $2.50 because the show was in 3-D, which I think kind of sucks, but oh well. The theater we were in was one of the smaller rooms, and only a handful of people were in it. I was sad to see that a lot of the seats were damaged, and the theater in general was not in good shape. It was like a $12 trip to the maxi-saver. Carmike, where did you go wrong?
Anyway, after 20 minutes of commercials and previews, and a brief glitch where we could only hear previews but not see them, the movie began.
I have not seen any other Tim Burton movies, but I know what they typically look like, and "Coraline" was no exception in the realm of excellent animation. The entire film was a pleasure to the eye -- yes, even the part where she squashed thousand-leggers with her bare hands. Who does that, by the way?
Though "Coraline" was visually pleasing, I felt that the story was a bit lacking in excitement and depth. The movie is based on a novel, so I'd be interested to see what details were left out. The story moved slowly and allowed a number of wordless scenes accompanied by a haunting soundtrack to provide exposition. My mind wandered a lot during these scenes, and though I appreciated the artsiness of the movie's style, I found it a bit boring at times. Then, as the movie progressed towards its ending, I felt like things were wrapping up too quickly, without enough explanation. If you haven't seen it, Coraline ends up finding the souls of other children who her "Other Mother" has tricked into staying in her world. The children tell them she needs to save them by finding their eyes. They call the Other Mother the beldam. There's no explanation as to why they call her this or why their "eyes" end up being bouncy balls and handles on exotic lawn equipment. I'm sure there are more things I can think of where I would have appreciated more information, like why a triangular-shaped rock with a hole in the center allows Coraline to find the ghosts' eyes, but the film relied on its looks more than its substance to impress viewers from the start, so it was no surprised that it followed through with this trend to the finish.
Even though the movie was a bit different than I expected, I did have a grand old time on my birthday eve, and I'm glad my friends were able to join me for it.
And one last side note on "Coraline" -- Why, oh, why, did they have to give almost every woman EXTREMELY large breasts? And what on earth possessed the animators to do the scene with the large-breasted old woman dresssed in only sparkly pasties and a thong? I thought I couldn't see anything more disgusting than Coraline smashing bugs with her bare hands. I thought wrong.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
My Literary Friends
One of my favorite quotes about reading is, " You know you've read a good book when you get to the end and feel like you've lost a good friend."
I totally feel that way every time I finish a book that I've really enjoyed. You've gotten to know the characters so well, and there's a sad sort of feeling that you don't have any time left with them. I've never been a big reader, but I do enjoy a great book every once in a while. Here is a list of some of my "friends" from my favorite books. See if you can guess what books they are from.
-Henry and Clare
-Edward and Bella
-John and Owen
-Amir and Hassan
-Sayuri
-Harry, Ron, and Hermione (easy one)
-Lena, Tibby, Carmen, and Bridget
-Rebecca Bloomwood
I totally feel that way every time I finish a book that I've really enjoyed. You've gotten to know the characters so well, and there's a sad sort of feeling that you don't have any time left with them. I've never been a big reader, but I do enjoy a great book every once in a while. Here is a list of some of my "friends" from my favorite books. See if you can guess what books they are from.
-Henry and Clare
-Edward and Bella
-John and Owen
-Amir and Hassan
-Sayuri
-Harry, Ron, and Hermione (easy one)
-Lena, Tibby, Carmen, and Bridget
-Rebecca Bloomwood
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tell Me About Your Gym
It's that time of year again when the weather starts to warm up a bit and I feel depressed that I do not want to go anywhere near a bathing suit. So, as the never-ending cycle goes, I'm trying to figure out ways to get in shape. I would like to join a gym, but money might prevent me from doing so. I also can't decide what gym to join. I was a member of Just Ladies in BP a few years ago, but I felt like it was kind of far, and the drive there always annoyed me. So I'm trying to think of somewhere that might be closer/faster. I also can't decide if it's better to pick a gym that's closer to work or closer to home. There are quite a few that are close to work, so that may be easier, but the on the days I'm not working, I may not want to go, and on the days I do work, I may be too tired.
Does anyone out there belong to a gym that's affordable that you also enjoy? Let me know any insider info that you may have. Also, if anyone is interested in joining somewhere with me, I'd be much more likely to actually exercise if I had someone to go with.
Does anyone out there belong to a gym that's affordable that you also enjoy? Let me know any insider info that you may have. Also, if anyone is interested in joining somewhere with me, I'd be much more likely to actually exercise if I had someone to go with.
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