Most of us are so used to getting a good friendly service while eating out that we often take it for granted. In reality, working in a restaurant proves to be a very difficult and tiresome job. And this is not just because of how much walking and running servers have to do during their shift, this job also tiring emotionally and psychologically. Yet, despite all the effort waiters have to put into their jobs to offer customers good dining experience, we as a society fail to appreciate how much they do and fail to respect the hard work of people working in this field.
People who work in the restaurant industry are undervalued in various ways and society doesn’t understand the amount of work these employees do. Therefore they should be given more respect.
The first struggle that takes a real toll on the well-being of restaurant workers dealing with rude customers. Everyone has a bad day now and then and it is the people whose job requires them to be friendly and polite who have no way to defend themselves from someone who is in the bad mood today. Waiters have to wear a mask of friendliness throughout their workday even when dealing with rude customers and this proves to be a very tiring emotional labor. Furthermore, apart from verbal offenses, many servers, especially female servers, suffer from sexual harassment in the workplace more than people working other jobs (Green, 2016). All these emotional hardships are a lot to take for a job that offers literally minimum monetary compensation.
Waiting tables at the restaurants does not pay much. Servers usually receive the minimum wage for their, which differs somewhat across states but does not offer an opportunity for a decent living nowhere in the country. It is generally assumed that the income waiting staff makes should be supplemented by tipping and in many cases, the customer really is on board with this idea and are ready to tip their waiters a decent percentage of their bills. Yet, because tipping and the amount of tips if strictly optional, some live very low tip or not tip at all even if the waiter has served them well. Another major risk of relying on tips as that tips make a very inconsistent and unpredictable stream of income (Green, 2016). Even though waiters can make good money on a busy night, there is no guarantee that their next shift will bring in anything substantial. This leaves serves to live very uncertain and vulnerable lives.
Lastly, waiters work long hours and tiring hours. Although some people believe that waiters can actually work less than the standard working week, in reality, servers are often forced to take extended shifts to be able to earn more and make up for the nights when they did not make enough. Combine this with the fact that waiting tables is physically exhausting and it becomes clear that on top of everything being a server is hard physical work which inevitably takes a toll on one’s body and health (The Pros and Cons, 2014). And having to keep a smile on at all times makes it even harder.
Drawing conclusions, working in a restaurant industry is quite difficult from a number of perspectives. Namely, it requires people to work hard both emotionally and physically while not offering them fair and consistent compensation for this hard work. Taking into account that all of us are benefiting from the efforts of restaurant staff, it is high time we start recognizing what that their hard work enables us to enjoy our outings with family and friends. To express respect and appreciation for their hard work, we all could tip a bit more while also being nicer and more considerate of the person who waits the table.
- Green, A. (2016). The Emotional Labor of Waitressing. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/waitress/507842/.
- The Pros and Cons of Being a Waiter / Waitress. (2014). Retrieved from https://thewaitressconfessions.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/the-pros-and-cons-of-being-a-waiter-waitress/.
