Editorial

Money is a point of uncertainty in every American’s life right now. Even millionaires are worrying about their stock portfolios and their capitalist ventures. The economic crisis really affects the middle class, though. It affects the people that work for the millionaire’s corporations. It affects us, and it affects you. The fear of spending money at a time like this, can be seen everywhere from car sales to movie ticket sales. One industry that has not been greatly affected by this recession is the food and beverage industry. Sales have actually been up when it comes to dining out. However, the people that work in these restaurants are dependent on customers for their money. Coming back to the issue of fear. The fear of spending has caused Americans to withhold money in certain areas, while splurging in others. This goes back to a certain server’s saying, ‘if you can’t afford to tip, don’t go out to eat.’
Food and beverage servers work for some of the lowest wages in the United States. There are places that pay their servers $2.13/hour, with much of that going toward taxes. The I.R.S. assumes that servers make a certain amount, and they tax on that amount, regardless of what the server actually made. In the past this has not been a problem because for every patron that tips 10%, there are two that tip 20%. Now that money is getting tight for everyone though, people are still spending the money on the meal, they just aren’t paying for the service.
The food and beverage industry hasn’t been the only one to encounter this dilemma. Late last year, car dealerships face a similar problem with the majority of their employees being paid on commission only. The thing is, they did something about it. They paid their employees hourly to compensate for the lack of cars being sold. Restaurant owners and investors need to do something similar. No one can get by living on a taxable $2.13/hour. Minimum wage would at least keep servers on their feet through these hard times.
Enforcing a law that either paid servers hourly in addition to their tips, or made 15% a mandatory tip amount would help servers immensely. Being able to guarantee these hard workers a certain amount of money would secure restaurants with a hard-working wait staff. It would also help people prioritize their money, making them realize that when dining out, they must budget enough money for a tip. Everyone enjoys the feeling of going out for a nice meal, but the people serving the food must also be able to enjoy the security of going home without a paycheck, knowing that their customers will take good care of them.

Tipping: Part I

***DISCLAIMER: This is a link to an R-Rated movie entitled Reservoir Dogs. It contains very graphic language. RECOMMENDED FOR VIEWERS 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.

This will be an ongoing issue that I believe in and advocate long after I hang up my non-slip black shoes, and apron. Tip. Tip well. Tip well, because servers in most states make between $2-3/hour. California is different. Those people make $10.75/hour + tips, so they don't really get much empathy from this girl.
Many people think that 15% is fair, and I agree. If I could consistently make 15% per table, I would be monetarily satisfied every night, but this is rarely the case. People seem to be able to sleep at night by tipping between 10% and 12%. I have received less than that obviously, but it was because of horrible service. The worst feeling is not getting stiffed, believe it or not. The worst feeling is getting tipped a quarter, or two quarters, or a dollar. It is the worst feeling because it often happens when the customer is not trying to send a message. When you get stiffed, you usually know why. When someone leaves a dollar, they may feel that your service was great, and that's why you deserved that extra green back. This is a deeply sickening feeling because you think of all the servers along the way that are going to come into contact with this person.
***Believe it or not, certain people truly do think this way. I don't understand it and I never will be able to. One of the hardest things is walking away from a bad tip, and not letting it affect you until the end of the night. Your instinct tells you to chase the customer to the parking lot, and grab their child, who had 25 chocolate milks that you made by hand, and hold them as ransom until they give you another $5.25, but somehow you must maintain.

Male vs. Female servers

This is an epic battle as old as time. This will not be settled in this blog, nor in my lifetime I imagine. No it is not the argument of abortion, race, politics, or UNK parking! It is males vs. females in the service industry! Who makes more money and why? Who does a better job and why? Who is more detail-oriented, and who is more friendly to customers?
I worked at an "upscale" restaurant for about a year, and would constantly compete with one of our male servers. We would compete to see who could make more money in a night or weekend, who would get more requests for their service, and even who would get more verbal compliments(which is pretty much a way of people justifying the fact that they are leaving you a 5% tip when you both know damn well that you deserved 20%.) Typically, I would win these little competitions, but not always. As frustrating as it was for him, we tried to dissect the reasoning behind this and here's what we came up with.
1) Black pants.
Really? Need I say more? Men put on black pants, and they look professional (especially if they are pressed.) Women wear tight black pants, and they look everything but. Well, they may look professional, but it is not the profession that most women want to be perceived as having.

2) Who is picking up the tab?
Typically men pay for more expensive meals. Typically men tip cute girls more than they tip for good service. I only say typically because there are men out there, like my father, who believes everybody deserves 20% no matter what! Funny that this is the same man who has constantly tried to teach me a hard work ethic, and who opposes any type of re-distribution, or any presidential candidate who would ever be accused of idealizing re-distribution of any kind, hmmmm...
3) What type of restaurant is it, and what type of meal is it?
If it is 6 men at a sports bar watching a game, you can bet your $2.13 an hour that they are gonna want a flirty, ditsy, jersey, lip gloss, and eyeshadow-wearing, girl. Not woman. Not man. Girl. (Now just for clarification, most of these men get frustrated with females who have been serving for more than 6 months, because after that initial 'i don't wanna screw up so I'll just smile' stage, we don't put up with you. Sorry, that quarter you give us per round of Busch Lights you and your buddies are sucking down isn't helping me more than me repeating some random thing I heard on Sports Center a month ago to try to sound knowledgeable is helping you.
Now, on second thought, if this group of 6 men are at an upscale restaurant discussing business matters, they want one of their own. A smart, promising, young man who will eventually rub elbows with these schmoes, and since those are so prevalent in the service industry, they can have their pick. One frustrating thing about men is that while women spend their time competing and hating one another, men form this bond, a bond that typically ends with one guy picking up the tab and the friend who wanted to pay slipping the waitER a $50.


4) Wanna chat?
Women like to talk. In the service industry, this can be a great gift, but it can also be a curse. If a customer enjoys talking with their little entrepreneur who also happens to wait tables, they may bypass the fact that she forgot their salad, and topped off their Absolut and Tonic with water. On the other hand, if they just want to read, talk amongst themselves, or watch a sports game, then a Chatty Kathy is not what they need. This is one of the few occasions that a male server actually comes in handy.
5) Hearts, swirls, and signatures.
Ever get a bill that says 'Thank You...heart your server name here?' Odds are that as delicate as that looks, man hands couldn't have done it. Sweet girls do sweet things, and in-turn they make pretty sweet money. Although this is a minute detail, it does pay off, I have tested it. Men who do the very same thing though, could actually be hurting their tips. No, I do not understand it. Yes, I take advantage of it.

None of these things prove or disprove who does better. No flirting, chatting, black pants, or sweet note on the back of a ticket can make up for good service, and customers will tip according to great service, not according to cup size. Hahaha! Yeah, and Anna Kournikova was a phenomenal tennis player.

Who needs money when we've got booze?

The unsteady economy has affected us all in some way or another. My father had money tied up in stocks, my mother tried to sell a house, hell, even my lender for my student loans couldn't well, lend. In an odd way though, the bad economy has helped certain professions. I bet you can guess what one of those professions is by looking at my blog name!!! Correct! The bad economy has not stopped people from going out to eat, and drink, and drink some more. I am not the only one who has noticed this trend. As a server of alcohol and food, I definitely can't complain. I do find it quite humorous though when I am serving a table and ask if they would like to add a salad to their meal. They reply, "Does it cost extra," and I say, "Yes, $1.25 extra." They then look to their spouse with worry in their eyes knowing that that extra $1.25 might just break them in this unstable economy, swallow their pride and say, "No, I'd better not...but I will take another beer!" It kinda makes you wonder. I understand that people have their priorities and they must make compromises and sacrifices when times are tough, but they don't seem to budge on booze. It makes perfect sense to me because I am a borderline alcoholic myself, but to the common man alcohol may seem like a luxury. Or should I say it seemed like a luxury before the common man became the poor man who now sits at your local bar and rants about the good ol' days, and how he almost made it big!

Coachsurfing huh?

So...I am anticipating inauguration as much as anyone else, but I am anticipating it in the way of reading about it, and watching it on television. Apparently, there are some hardcore political followers who are traveling to Washington D.C. to watch it firsthand. While that may not even seem all that strange, this does. These people sleep in the homes of complete strangers. This article talks about it a little more in depth. Not sure if I would let complete strangers into my home, but people all over the world do it everyday. This site was set up to help people who are traveling abroad on a very tight budget. Very very tight, as in, no money set aside for lodging and food. The CNN article in particular made me raise an eyebrow, because I am less trusting around this time of year. We are at a turning point politically in this country, and if a complete stranger wanted to bunk up with me so he/she could be closer to the president elect, I would be leery. But to each their own. More power to these people that can trust. It is refreshing to see that this is still (somewhat) a nation of brotherly love.

HELLO WORLD!!!!

I am Amanda, and I am a phenomenal waitress. While many wouldn't think that this is a point of pride, they would be mistaken. In addition to that, I am a graduating in May senior earning a degree in Journalism Mass Communication, and a minor in Advertising. I am from Fort Collins, CO and I am traveling to Switzerland in May to live for a few months. Enough about me, back to my blog. This will be a humorously written blog centered around working in the service and food industry. It will help workers and customers alike. This blog is being written for a class, but will be maintained in the future, although the waitress theme will eventually fade out. For now though, here is my inspiration for my blog name, written in a 1991 edition of Playboy by one of my favorite authors, Tom Robbins. Enjoy!