20 Secrets Your Waiter/Waitress Won't Tell You

[rhpools]

When I worked for a restaurant, the worst thing the waiters did was eat the leftover food from customers plates. The wasn't gross for the customer, but really gross for the waiters. They were college students and were broke!!!

 

[N.Bailey]

I bring hand sanitizer with me. After handling the utensils at a buffet, I use it. I got sick one time after eating at a buffet and I am much more careful now. I don't know if the hand sanitizer helps, but it makes me feel better.

I get my salad and head to the bathroom to wash my hands before eating (woman's trashcan was FULL every night btw).

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I've worked for 5 different restaurants and a catering company and the worst thing I have ever seen someone giving a customer a paper cup that just fell on the floor... and this was when the customer REALLY insisted that he didn't care.

All of my restaurant friends would back me up when saying, a lot of those stories are either completely BS or over exaggerated.

I have worked fast food as well as waitressed and I can certainly tell you from my experience there were a whole heck of alot worse things than unwashed lemons and dropped cups. I've seen food hit the floor numerous times and still end up on plates or on the buffet. I've seen lots of things not washed. And say a person asked for fish no tartar. If its returned a new bun is used, the old fish goes in the fryer for a few seconds to get the tartar off then back on the plate. Never seen the credit card, or tea thing.

So not BS or exaggerated on this end. It still doesn't keep me from eating out 1-2 times a week though.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I have worked fast food as well as waitressed and I can certainly tell you from my experience there were a whole heck of alot worse things than unwashed lemons and dropped cups.

So not BS or exaggerated on this end. It still doesn't keep me from eating out 1-2 times a week though.

Many years ago (20+ years) I worked at a fast food establishment for a brief time. I still get grossed out when I recall watching a prep person make the cole slaw.

The prep person took a large plastic garbage can (one that was never used for garbage, obviously, but I still thought that was strange) and placed it under the cabbage & carrot shredder to catch the produce as the machine shredded it. Then she opened several bags of slaw dressing and dumped them into the garbage can. OK, this is where it got gross - - - she bent over and started mixing the slaw with her bare hands and the slaw mix went up past her elbows. When she was done mixing the slaw she stood up and scrapped the slaw off her arms and just flicked it into the mix.

I don't like cole slaw; but if I did I wouldn't order it when eating out after seeing that.

 

[happygirl]

LOL I must be the only server that hates getting hot tea.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Maybe the acidity neutralizes the germs. I've been doing the same as you. I don't get sick very often either.

Lemon Juice is a great natural non-heat cooking agent because it does cook/kill germs/bacteria. When we make a beef carpaccio dish at home we sometimes use lemon to "cook" the meat.

 

[N.Bailey]

I dunno?!

I had heard about lemons being a problem before this.

I get Iced Tea with lemon at almost every meal out - and sometimes leon for my water. I am almost never sick. You would think people would be sick more often if it is that much of a problem.

ETA: I'm not buying the hot tea thing either.

After Mickey Dees lost the suit with the coffee (and it wasn't a frivolous suit, there was medical damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), every restaurant in this nation probably went out of their way to check coffee temps. I doubt there are many restaurants that allow boiling water (which is why I would never order it out because until it's boiled, it's not good).

 

[happygirl]

After Mickey Dees lost the suit with the coffee (and it wasn't a frivolous suit, there was medical damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), every restaurant in this nation probably went out of their way to check coffee temps. I doubt there are many restaurants that allow boiling water (which is why I would never order it out because until it's boiled, it's not good).

I dunno when I had to make hot tea. I would get water out of the coffee pot. I can assure it was hot enough to boil. I spilt it on my self enough to know LOL

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

LOL I must be the only server that hates getting hot tea.

really? Even if the customers are polite and nice - and you are quite sure they will tip you well? My DH gets hot tea quite a bit and we never considered we were putting the waitress out?!

I would assume bringing nice customers a pot of tea would be nothing compared to dealing with difficult customers. If I were waiting - I would be happy to do just about anything for nice and low hassle customers, having dealt with my share of trouble makers and customers with attitude!!!! (family members have been wait staff, so I have heard the stories!)

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

After Mickey Dees lost the suit with the coffee (and it wasn't a frivolous suit, there was medical damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), every restaurant in this nation probably went out of their way to check coffee temps. I doubt there are many restaurants that allow boiling water (which is why I would never order it out because until it's boiled, it's not good).

that is something to consider, for sure! I just meant I didn't buy that most waiters found it such a big hassle to bring tea to a customer.

 

[happygirl]

really? Even if the customers are polite and nice - and you are quite sure they will tip you well? My DH gets hot tea quite a bit and we never considered we were putting the waitress out?!

I would assume bringing nice customers a pot of tea would be nothing compared to dealing with difficult customers. If I were waiting - I would be happy to do just about anything for nice and low hassle customers, having dealt with my share of trouble makers and customers with attitude!!!! (family members have been wait staff, so I have heard the stories!)

I have no problem if you order Hot tea I will get and serve you with a smile on my face. It just a hassle for me JMO I'm sure others servers don't feel that way.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

After Mickey Dees lost the suit with the coffee (and it wasn't a frivolous suit, there was medical damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), every restaurant in this nation probably went out of their way to check coffee temps. I doubt there are many restaurants that allow boiling water (which is why I would never order it out because until it's boiled, it's not good).

Not to side track, I agree the coffee was WAY too hot, but at the same time, you shouldn't be sticking a cup of coffee between your legs and trying to drive at the same time either. I think yes, the lawsuit wasn't frivolous, I think the damages awarded were.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I have no problem if you order Hot tea I will get and serve you with a smile on my face. It just a hassle for me JMO I'm sure others servers don't feel that way.

I understand!

 

[Liberty Belle]

Most kids really are too shy to order their own dinner?

 

[happygirl]

Most kids really are too shy to order their own dinner?

Yes, most don't speak loud enough for you to hear.

 

[N.Bailey]

I dunno when I had to make hot tea. I would get water out of the coffee pot. I can assure it was hot enough to boil. I spilt it on my self enough to know LOL

I worked at a restaurant where EVERYTHING in the building was kept at a controlled temperature level (and I'd hope where I work wasn't the only one) and the hot water rest on the coffee machine was not allowed to get that hot.

We also were not allowed to put baby bottles (or the baby's forumula) in the microwave because it would make hot spots in the milk. For this, we had to use the hot water and make the family warm the milk up that way. Some did use the microwave, but it was a severe enough infraction where I worked that it could be means for instant termination.

 

[happygirl]

I worked at a restaurant where EVERYTHING in the building was kept at a controlled temperature level (and I'd hope where I work wasn't the only one) and the hot water rest on the coffee machine was not allowed to get that hot.

We also were not allowed to put baby bottles (or the baby's forumula) in the microwave because it would make hot spots in the milk. For this, we had to use the hot water and make the family warm the milk up that way. Some did use the microwave, but it was a severe enough infraction where I worked that it could be means for instant termination.

I have never worked any where water temp was controlled. That would be nice to have so people don't burn themselves. I don't think I have ever worked any where I haven't used a microwave to warm up a bottle. Once in a while a guest would ask for hot hot water to put the bottle to warm in up.

 

[TheZue]

I guess the tea just didn't bug me because I had to deal with little old ladies at a golf club who would keep thinking of something new every time you went to their table. You'd go drop off their food and they'd ask for tea, then I'd ask if they needed anything with it, and they'd say no...you'd bring the tea then it was "can I get cream" and we'd ask if they needed anything else and they'd say no. Then you'd bring the cream and they'd so "oh I actually wanted milk", so you'd ask if there was anything else and they'd say no. You'd go dump the cream and bring milk and then they'd ask for a glass of water, once again we'd ask if they needed anything else and they'd say no. Then you'd bring the water and they'd ask for something else....you get the idea...this would go on the entire time they were there and you'd get a whopping quarter at the end when there were 8 of them at the table. Ugh....please just know what you want and let us get it all at once lol.

 

[N.Bailey]

that is something to consider, for sure! I just meant I didn't buy that most waiters found it such a big hassle to bring tea to a customer.

Like I said, I certainly never had to go out of my way to boil water, but the most inconvenient thing I ever found from delivering tea is that it takes up more tray room. I'll give up my tray room for a nice customer any day of the week though (well, I would in those days, I am no longer in that business).

Personally though, I have yet to find a good cup of tea in a restaurant and I am a tea drinker (I just do it at home). The only difference is, I do boil my water at home, while that's not the case in any restaurant I'm aware of.

I used to get a kick out of those who didn't realize that lemon would instantly sour the creamer. They'd be saying, your creamer is soured and my tea is ruined. I'd laugh, then I'd explain the process. It led to many nice conversations over the years.

 

[N.Bailey]

I have no problem if you order Hot tea I will get and serve you with a smile on my face. It just a hassle for me JMO I'm sure others servers don't feel that way.

I did feel that way when I took my very first job ever. It wasn't tea though, it was those horrible milkshakes. Boy were they ever a pain! It was a little diner that reminds me a LOT of the Prime Time Cafe at Disney. They do make those milkshakes there too (though I would never order one because I hated them so much). We were so understaffed all the time and it was hard to keep up with anyway, but you could be assured, if someone ordered one of them, you were so far behind you couldn't think straight.