Monday, July 6, 2009

The Truth Behind Stereotypes

They exist for a reason. Unfortunately, because I look like I just stepped out of a Hitler youth club meeting, I am forced to grin and bear all that is thrown upon me or be met with threatening glares as my guest digs into their wallet searching for their minority/obese/single parent card to flash at me so I may be labeled a slanderous bigot.

I know the poor, inexperienced hostesses are unaware of the headache they cause as I helplessly watch them fling a group into my section that the entire restaurant staff will instantly stereotype despite years of being trained not to "judge a book by its cover."
"Daaamn that sucks," a busboy will sympathize.
"Not a much as our tip-share will," bemoans the rest of the staff.
"Does this look real?" I'll ask the nearest waitress, trying my best to replicate a smile, which is unfortunately, "the most important part of the uniform."
"Almost." They'll reply.

3 comments:

G.H. said...

You guys tip pool at Hooters. Sucks man, I've worked at a few places that did that. I never understood how bad it blew until my first restaurant without tip share. I was making twice as much.

GH

http://confessions-of-a-waitress.blogspot.com/

purplegirl said...

Restaurant and retail will make you a lifelong profiler. Nobody likes to admit it, but it's a simple truth that after years of working with the public, you learn how to read them and they'll rarely surprise you. It's not even so much about race, gender, etc.; it's that combined with how they act.

brit said...

The waitresses take home their own tips, but we have a percent taken out depending on our sales that is divided up between the hosts, bartenders, kitchen, and breakers. We also tip the bus boys out of our pocket. So how much they make really depends on how well we do. It really creates a huge bond between us all.