To NYC Waiters: "You're a servant. So serve."

I read this yesterday and had the same general reaction as everyone else: the guy is a completely entitled asshole and a piss-poor writer.

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What an entitled Asshole. At least now we know Suestorm's daddy writes for the Post.

I think the Kennedy response is going a little Rorschach on the alleged homophobia in the original article. Plus, the response lost me at "Katie Holmes."

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"That's actually funny Jordan! Actually my dad came to this country piss poor and would never treat or talk to anyone like that writer did. He deserves to get spit or worse in his food."

So then where did you learn that behavior from, you nasty troll?

I do agree that the whole "Applebees, crouch down next to you or (even worse) sit in your booth and take your order" approach is completely annoying. But if you choose to go to those types of restaurants you choose to have that kind of service. And like the response said, it's not the servers decision to act like that. It's what they do in order to pay the bills. If you want a "higher class" of service, go to a higher class of restaurant. It's kind of like going to McDonalds and complaining that the cashier was rude to you.

a lot of what the original writer is complaining about when it comes to service about is probably mandated by the bosses are good ones.

Ohhhhh, totally. We have a local mini-chain restaurant near us that we like except it seems as if the manager has a multi-person tag-team designed to interrupt your mastication and conversation mid-chew or thought, with a parade of staff members asking, "How is everything?" Including at least one appearance by the manager him/herself per course. It's insane. We've tried "Just as good as it was three minutes ago," and "Getting colder every time we're interrupted" which usually gets a "nice" or a "no problem" that indicates they're not listening anyway so please leave us in peace.

I mean, the original article was in the Post, so douchiness is the coin of the realm. (Really, Kyle Smith, "waitron" is *your* term?) And I recognize the terrible set up that end stage capitalism puts below minimum wage workers in this country, but I am *not* swayed by Kennedy's point that unless he gets 18-20% of the check in gratuity he is being robbed of his time and money. I think that's the snag. I don't know any consumer who has not received the message loudly and clearly that the person who is supposed to be supplying a service has presumed that said consumer was not worth the time.

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Updated On: 3/5/13 at 06:18 PM

I love how, when I reply, all of the comments are italicized. It's fancy like. That's probably just me, though.

Anyway, American restaurants have been this way for the last 50 or so years and there's no sign of it changing. Knowing what you're going to deal with at any restaurant (tipping, checking up, etc) is part of eating out. If you don't want to deal with waiters, if you don't want to tip at all, then go to the grocery store and cook your own damn food.

This writer, and everyone else who complains about the restaurant industry, need to realize that this is how it is. A few pissy blogs, and nasty notes, is only going to make us, in the waitstaff world, laugh.

Now, I've been a server on and off for the last few years. Some have been at corporate restaurants and others have been for mom and pop places.

At the corporate places, I had to introduce myself. I had to come back within one minute to see about drinks and possible food. Even if I knew the table hated me, if the managers saw that I wasn't doing my job, I'd get yelled at.

At the mom and pop places, I could be more flexible, especially after their third or fourth mimosa. Those customers would get friendly and come back, and I still keep in contact with some of them.

It all depends on the restaurant, the customer, and the liquor served.

"Yep, we're great. I'll scream out your name at the top of my lungs if we need anything"

That's hilarious! And even better if it works.

I worked for a number of years as a bellman in a hotel, so I know all about tips and am a subsequent over-tipper. I am also terrified of pissing off anybody who has anything to do with any food that I plan to ingest.

Having said *that*, if the Kennedy waiter is at a crouch down place and is forced to be besties with customers and disappears once the order is in and a team of even lesser-paid people takes over for the rest of the experience until he comes back to annoyingly ask "Do you need change?" (my BIGGEST restaurant pet peeve), perhaps maybe just maybe he ought not to be sternly accusing someone who doesn't pay him the 18-20% he demands for his time that maybe they shouldn't go out to eat in the first place because they "can't afford it," well, I think I am philosophically at an impasse.

And Phyliis, I wouldn't be picking on his response if you actually knew the guy!

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Updated On: 3/5/13 at 06:34 PM

It actually does works very well. And I'm thinking that unless you actually hear how I say it, it might come off as rude. But I'm one of those people who actually would never be rude to a waiter because I know so many of them and I know that yes, they will shlt in your salad if you they don't like you. But rarely there's that waiter who just refuses to leave you alone. I don't mind the bus boys filling the water every 30 seconds but a constant "How's everything here?????" is something totally different.

And Phyliis, I wouldn't be picking on his response if you actually knew the guy!

Heh, pick on him all you want.

Sometimes when things get really bad, I think, "Well, I could just go back to waiting tables," but it's pieces like Kyle's that remind me of the kind of people I'd have to look forward to if I did.

God knows this ****will never have good service in NYC ever again.

His pro-France stance is completely invalid since their restaurant industry is nothing like ours.

Sure, they have food and menu and servers, but their servers are paid well and don't expect tips.

(Or do they? I've never been. Just going off what I've heard from my friends.)