"Most celebrities are great to wait on. They're nice, and they tip well. I think most actors were waiters at one time or another. The only person I had that was bad was Martha Stewart.

But I think everyone already know that she's a bitch, don't they??

--Waitress at Angus McIndoe

..........

Probably the worst thing a waiter has to deal with is that random, rude customer. Usually, you can spot them. Usually...Sometimes they come out of the blue, some small fleck of humanity, demanding attention with all the grace of a three year-old sitting in wet diaper.

I just couldn't handle it sometimes and I actually yelled at customers. But I think the people who have done it long enough, get used to rude behavior and learn to tolerate it even. Here's the first of two parts, where Mark talks about dealing with rude customers. He works at an Italian restaurant south of NYU.

*******

If you have everything going, like having your checks ready to go. I'm anal about this. When I take an order, I go into the kitchen, I give the runner the dupe, and I'm writing in the prices on the ticket as I'm walking out the door of the kitchen. By the time I get to the front I've got all the prices down. I've got to do it.

If I put in a dessert order, I write that down because then I've got it out of the way. I don't have to do it. So that saves me time. God forbid, I had four checks that didn't have prices and didn't have the desserts on them when the people wanted them. That's really bad. That would screw me up and I couldn't do my job that way. So that's how you have to be, I think.

I could be like this other waiter who is always freaking out. But he gets the most praise because he likes to talk to people. He's an actress. The owner likes it, but he spends too much time at the table. If he gets too many tables, she can't cover the tables. You have to use your time economically.

If you can do it with a little style, it's nice. A little style and grace. You go in, you get out.

Rude customers don't bother me because I don't care. You get to a level where it's not personal anymore. Because, you know, it's a strange thing because you realize you're a waiter. You're not a person then. If you just accept the fact that you're a waiter, you don't personalize it. It's nothing. It's the business. It's just like any difficult thing in any business. You don't take it to heart.

8:44:35 AM     comment []