Ordinary food can be made great with good service, while a bad wait staff can make even the best food not worth the trouble. Waitstaff are essentially the face of the company. They are the ones that give customers a first impression the restaurant, as they take care of the guest, provide customer service, and hopefully make the dinner worthwhile. They are the ones that have to face different situations with customers. If the unstable incomes and tedious, long shifts aren’t enough to make you sympathetic toward waiters and waitresses, knowing that they face a lack of health insurance, paid sick days, and vacations should.
As of 2016, US Bureau of Labor Statistic report showed that about 13.3 millions Americans are involved with food preparation and service industry occupations. The median wage per hour for waiter and waitress is $9.61 per hour, and that is just $19,990 per year. In most states, servers, bartenders and other workers who receive tips don’t have to be paid at the state minimum wage, but instead, restaurants are allowed to pay them a tipped wage or a hour rate lower than the minimum wage. That’s only a great deal if you work in a fancy and expensive restaurant where customers are generous tippers. Most servers make most of their wage through tips; but, it doesn’t matter how fancy a restaurant is, all restaurants take away most or sometimes, all of the server's tips.
If you don't know already, being a waiter is more stressful than being a doctor. A study by the Southern Medical University in Guangdong, China analysed the data of over 138,700 participants on job-related health found that jobs with high demand and little situational control, such as waiting tables, may be more stressful than jobs with high demand and high situational controls, such as teaching. The study also showed that low-paid jobs with high workloads leave employees at a far greater risk of heart problems and 58% more likely to encounter a ischemic stroke. Moreover, there’s a chance that high stress level jobs lead to more unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and high level of drinkings. Anyways, your server’s heart is taking serious heat right now. So, before you even consider not tipping them for their services, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how that would make you feel.
With National Waiter and Waitress Day coming up on May 21st, celebrate this day by appreciating those waitstaff who made your dining experience amazing. An ordinary way of celebrating this day is by simply tipping those who serve you. If you can afford the meal, why not give them a bigger tip. Larger tips will not only relieve their pockets but can also make their day at work a better one. If you had a bad experience, it’s your right to tip less. But, keep in mind that waiters and waitress often all have had a tough day dealing with fiery tempers coming from the kitchen, the bartenders, and the occasional customers and most of us don’t see it in them. So, think before you judge. To truly understand, we would all need to experience being a waiter.
Ben Wu