I worked at a 24 hour diner on the graveyard shift, and things tended to wind down after the initial bar rush at 2am. I had one table, a guy who had a bit too much to drink and was ordering some late night breakfast. Another server had a five top and asked me to cover them while she took her dinner break.

The table had already eaten so I of course obliged. They were a group of regulars who were always rude and we were just accustomed to it at this point. They were being a little bit nasty to me as usual when my drunk guy decided to step in and play hero.

As the five guys, who incidentally were Russian, were leaving, he started calling them Nazis (I guess he thought they were German?) and faggot and other unpleasant slurs. I sheepishly stepped between them on my way to the kitchen and said there was no need to fight but they didn’t listen I guess because when I came out of the kitchen the five had kicked the guy to the floor and proceeded to kick him in the ribs until he was spitting blood.

Most terrifying night of all my time serving.

And after the police and ambulance came and everyone was arrested, the one drunk guy didn’t pay for his meal so after all that – no tip.

Submitted by: Monika

I worked as a waiter in a T.G.I.Friday’s for a short time. The clientele was far from my particular cultural comfort zone, so I already felt out of place and awkward most nights. One night I was walking to one of my tables and I saw a young man about to walk into the ladies’ room. Being the kind person that I was, I stopped him.

“Sir, that’s the women’s restroom. The men’s is right around the corner there.” Then my heart sunk.

The man suddenly became a woman and stared at me as if I were trash and walked into the ladies’ room. There was no recovering. I just went back to the kitchen and prayed I wouldn’t have to see her again. Then I was told that I had a new table. I walked out to it, and there she was ready to give me one more hard stare.

I managed to get them food and out the door, but it wasn’t easy. I suppose if I had been a little older and wiser I might have had a friend take the table.

As I was dropping of a check to table that gave me no problems up to that point, the lady proceeds to officially lose her mind because she sees lipstick on the glass she was drinking out of. I sincerely apologized, even though I think it was her lipstick, but she would not have any of it.

She insisted that I bring out the dishwasher so she could show him the lipstick, and basically belittle him in front of the entire restaurant. I saw this as a crazy request, so I got my manager and she continued to argue saying that she wanted to see the dishwasher.

Eventually we coaxed her out with a couple free appetizer coupons, but as she was leaving she kept screaming that she worked for some “government institution”.  Needless to say, tip was awful.

BRIGHT SIDE: As another woman was leaving, she came up and gave me $10 and said, here you deserve this for how she treated you. Score!

Submitted by: Samantha from PA

I’m a bartender in a quiet hotel lounge.  Most of our customers are businesspeople in for nightcaps or groups from one of our banquet facilities.  There’s this one customer though who comes in about 3 or 4 times a month, always at really slow times.  He proceeds to sit at the bar and drink and chat with me.

Since it’s impossible not to talk to someone at the bar without being extremely rude I make the best of it, but after a few drinks he invariably asks me “Would you like a kiss?”.  No, no I would not.  Not ever.

The first couple of months that he came in I kind of deflected the question by either pretending not to hear it or walking away.  Finally he caught me when there was no one else in the lounge and I absolutely had to have heard the question.  I was kind of fed up so I just look at him and say “No.” I don’t explain it to him and I just look at him steadily until he looks away.

What I really feel like saying is “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?  Hitting on a bartender 20 years younger than yourself you drunken fool?”, but I didn’t.  He still comes in but that’s the last time he’s asked me if I “want a kiss.”

Submitted by: Samantha

I was waiting on a table of two that was sandwiched in between two other two-top tables, both of which were seated as well.  The table in the center ordered their meals, and opted to have salads instead of pasta or soup, so I put the order in.  Minutes later, I bring their salads out.  A few minutes into eating them, I inform the cook to begin preparing their meal as the timing seemed perfect.

I’ve been timing food perfectly for the three months I’ve worked at this restaurant and never had an issue.  The food comes out about 10 minutes later, and as I’m setting up a tray stand, I see both the man and woman still have about 1/4 of their salads left.  Oh well, slow eaters right?  Dinner rush, busy kitchen, etc.

I inform the customers their meal has arrived, and the woman slams her fork down, practically throws her salad plate off to the side of the table, and just gives me a look.  While placing the plates in front of each customer, I apologize for the timing being a little off.  The woman snubs me and makes snide remarks.

My others tables are now staring, and I felt the need to defend myself.  In a calm, polite way, I responded “madam, again, i am very sorry for the off timing on your entree.  I unfortunately have no control over how fast the food is cooked, but only when it begins preparation and how fast it gets to you”

She then snaps her head in my direction, and practically screams “EXCUSE ME?  DON’T TELL ME WHAT YOUR JOB IS, I KNOW WHAT IT IS.  YOUR JOB AS A WAITER IS TO MAKE SURE MY FOOD COMES OUT ON TIME, AND YOU HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER HOW FAST ALL THAT HAPPENS, ITS YOUR JOB.  SO DON’T TRY TO TELL ME”

Now standing there dumbfounded like a jackass, i realized my surrounding tables are all staring at me like I suck.  I didn’t say anything else, and walked away.  Needless to say, I received some poor tips shortly thereafter from her table, as well as the adjacent ones who I believe were acquaintances that happened to be seated nearby.

Submitted by: Jesse

So today I was working my second shift ever in the dining room, and I was doing my best work. My manager quickly comes up to me and whispers “You think you can handle the rush alone?” and with a cool “of course.” I get to work.

It is 1 hour into my 6 hour shift and I am keeping track of 8 tables, offering them refills, giving them mints, and cleaning up their sloppy messes. Suddenly an attractive family of 4 walks in, with 2 adults, a son in his early twenties (Older than I am) and a little girl.

They order their food and make their way to one of the nicest tables (freshly cleaned of course). They dig into they food, and suddenly I get called over by the father who nicely says “What is the situation with refills here?’ and hands me his cup, I take it out of his hand with a smile and reply “I am on it.”

After refilling his drink and giving the family their fair share of mints, I ask mid-meal “Is everything alright with your meal? Any problems?” and they ALL reply no, even the eldest son, it ahs been all smiles, and they seem to be very impressed with my service.

As I am helping another table, the father pulls me over again and asks for a pen, and he even remembered my name. I am screaming with excitement inside, the ONLY reason you would need a pen is to write on one of the little suggestion cards on the table. I hand him the pen and he then gives it to his son, who starts scribbling away on one the little cards. I am so excited, they pack up and leave, leaving a significant mess, but whatever… before they are out the door he calls over one of the managers an hands her the card, once again, I was excited.

The next 4 hours I was thinking about what could be on the card, customers almost never write on them, so this is a big deal because the managers always put them on the corkboard for everyone to see, so it there is a big “Clayton was Amazing…” it would be amazing, I am proud to say that dining room was spotless the entire night.

My shift is finally over, and I am checking my hours when I spot the card sitting on her desk, we are NOT supposed to go in there, so I press my face against the window to read…

“I was not very happy with the temperature of the food, it was cold and soggy and I was disappointed that no one was available to assist me…”

Now she is re-thinking me being ready for the dining room, back to garbage runs and restocking bathrooms for me…

Yesterday I waited on a table of teenagers, two guys and one girl. For the most part the meal went well, they only ordered two appetizers. When it came time for the bill, there wasn’t a tip left for me, but there was a phone number.

You would think that if a customer was going to leave me his number he would at least have the courtesy leave a tip.

Submitted by: Sam

I’ve only been serving tables for about a month now, but I went into work today feeling that I really had the hang of it.

I had a table of three come in, I payed close attention to them, always making sure their drinks were full (of course without ever hanging over the table,) made friendly conversation when they addressed me, and sold two of our most fancy desserts. Everything went smoothly. I was quite pleased with myself.

But at the end of $75 bill, no tip. I kept playing it over in my mind to see if I went wrong somewhere, but that was the most efficient table I had ever served. I understand this kind of thing happens sometimes, but it can be disheartening. The rest of my shift was pretty lousy after that.

Submitted by: Michelle

I waited tables for over 10 years, and it seems everyone I’ve ever worked with has a slightly different variation of the Server Nightmare.

It’s been five years since I’ve worked in a restaurant, but to this day, when I’m stressed, I will dream about waiting tables. My usual nightmare is that I have a million tables to put orders in for, but I can’t figure out how to work the computer. It’s like all the buttons are in the wrong place and the menu items are in Greek!Then I go back out to my station, and I’ve been seated six or seven brand new tables while I’ve been held up at the computer.

One server I worked with dreamt that his station was at the bottom of a steep hill, but the kitchen was at the top. So every time a customer wanted a side of ranch or a drink refill or whatever, he had to walk up the giant hill to get it! Now I work in corporate finance, but when I get stressed out, it’s not numbers that haunt me, it’s that damn Greek Aloha system!!

Submitted by: Akers

The article below is a definite must read for anyone who works, or has worked in the restaurant industry. Without giving too much away, it is based on the interviews of a dozen or so servers from the Long Island region of New York. It summarizes all of the people in their “server nightmares” into categories such as the “Serial Drinkers” and “Whine Whiners”.

Here is short selection from the article:

There’s another point of view. Just as inexperienced or arrogant waiters mar a few meals on the Island, so too are waiters’ nights occasionally ruined by customers who are unfamiliar with the conventions of dining out, or who have somehow gotten it into their heads that the money they’re spending on a good meal entitles them to misbehave. These are their stories… Read the rest here.

Original article source: http://www.nytimes.com/