(This post is dedicated to all the waiters working their asses off in hospitality)
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Short answer… yes. Long answer… YEEEEEEESSSSS!
But don’t get me wrong, hospitality work is great. It’s generally flexible on hours, good pay, interesting customers, every night is different and you become really close with your work mates.
People treat you like sh*t – As soon as you step behind the counter and put on your uniform, it apparently gives people the right to treat you horribly. It constantly surprises me how some customers won’t hesitate to yell abuse or personally insult you. I think also that some customers assume that they can treat you like this because ‘it’s your job.’ But the thing is, a lot of people working in hospitality are working towards something bigger. I’m a university student who’s trying to save some extra cash for uni and serving you food isn’t my life. There’s nothing I hate more then people treating me with disrespect because I serve them food and am therefore apparently not worthy of their respect.
People forget the basics – Have you ever heard of please and thankyou? Apparently not! Kids tend to have better manners than most adults.
People take their food very seriously – It astonished me when people expect a culinary masterpiece when ordering a chicken schnitzel. Really mate, it’s a snitty… what did you expect? Also, calm down if your mushroom sauce is on your snitty and not on the side like you apparently ordered? What difference does it make?
People lack understanding and empathy – We’re working in a high pressure environment, it’s hot, we’re running around at a hundred miles an hour, you don’t say please and thankyou, and then wonder why we’re not giving you our undivided attention. We’ll give you a smile, a ‘enjoy your meal,’ anything you ask for, but please know that we’re human beings and not robots and therefore use a lot of our energy to get things done for you.
You get yelled at from every direction – Not only are you getting yelled at by the customers, but also the chefs, your colleagues and your supervisor.
Guys always flirt with you – They’ve had a few beers and you’re just trying to do your job and pick up glasses, but some guys feel the need to try and become your best friend. It’s nice to know that I’m looking good whilst at work but come on! Once, one guy said to me ‘you know, for a ranga, you look kinda cute.’ Umm is that an insult or a compliment? I walked away and I think my passive aggressiveness made him feel so bad that he ended up giving me a $10 tip. Now that’s one of the perks of working in hospitality.
However… despite all of these things that cross your mind at night and get you thinking ‘why am I working in this job?’ There are a lot of great things about working in hospitality. Your work friends… they go through it all with you and at the end of the night, you can bitch all about it and they completely understand what you’re talking about. And, you can usually do it over a cold beer. So yes, working in hospitality can make you a bit cynical, but once your shift (or split shift) is over, you can appreciate all the little things in life, like wearing your hair down or getting a good nights sleep.
xxx
A
A Worldly Addiction 
We work indirectly with hospitality, mainly as a rental supplier, and I completely agree. I could never provide the level of service that people on the front line do. It is incredibly demanding and often thankless work. I love the highlights that you mentioned and those keep you going.
If it helps you are not alone and I think we all feel the same to some degree whatever part you play in the hospitality industry 🙂
I’m glad someone understands! Even though it’s pretty mundane work, it’s still nice to be appreciated! 🙂
One of the really great things about working in food & beverage is NOT working in f&b. When you’re finally on the other side of the table you can become a great customer & leave smiles, compliments and great tips. Your appreciate the great servers, and recognize that there is skill and talent required.
Sitting on the other side of the table is definitely a good feeling. And when I do go out, I always make sure to thank my waiter a million times! 🙂
working in a hospital also makes you cynical too…. all those people thinking that H stands for Hilton! 😉
Aw, I could imagine your frustration must be much greater than mine!
Ahh so very true, I worked as a barista all through college and geez people would act crazy! The amount of stupid pickup lines we would get was ridiculous. But it has made me appreciate any who work in service that much more.
Haha I completely understand, the pick up lines are just the worst! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right 🙂