An Ode To Food Service Employees

Being a student is a full time job, but unfortunately we’re being billed instead of being payed. To compensate, a full-time or part-time job is on the agenda for almost everyone over the age of 16. The freedom allowed from making your own money is so addicting, that the annoyance of working is slightly overruled by the paychecks deposited into our checking accounts every other week. Food service is one of the easiest work forces to get into, but it poses quite a challenge. Food service employees deserve a load of credit, and lets be honest, some much needed alcohol after a longgg week (and mostly weekends!) of work. Here’s an ode to all the food services employees out there just trying not to lose their cool every shift.

To the customer service alter ego we all have:

Every time food service employees clock in to work, our alter ego clocks in with us; the higher toned voice, the forced smile, the ignorance to our own exhaustion and stress. Our normal selves are aching to get back after dealing with providing outstanding services to others for a good six to eight hours.

To the customers who don’t know what they want:

Whether you’re in quick service or fine dining, most customers are pleasant to interact with food service employees. This includes their promptness, and their readiness to put in their orders because they’ve been to the same restaurant for a number of years, so they must know what they always want. Right?! Wrong. Here’s to the customers who have a very familiar name and face, and still don’t know what they want to order every time they place an order.

To the countless weekends lost because of work:

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been asked what I’m doing on the weekends to which I always reply: “Working”. A 9-5 job sounds like heaven for food service employees. Weekends are typically the busiest days of the week, and when the most money is earned. So, for as annoying as it may be to lack a social life (you get over the bad case of FOMO you start out with), you really can’t complain when you walk away with a hefty pocket. Here’s to all the weekends, special events, birthdays, city trips, and sanity we lose out on almost every week.

To the phone orders who don’t have their credit card numbers ready:

Food service employees who work specifically in pizzerias or like-wise establishments know that time is money, and money is taking as many customers’ orders as quickly and as accurately. So, when we’re on a roll, and a customer has us on hold for five minutes while they fetch their credit card that was in the car opposed to at their side before their order was place, our groove (and our moods) gets a little thrown off.

To the ranch askers:

Food service employees know the kind of surge of impatience when ranch askers are thrown into the mix. It’s not that we don’t want to get you your side of ranch, because who doesn’t love ranch?! It’s just that…amid the rush of phones ringing off the hook, the food waiting to be expedited, the pick up customers waiting for their orders, and the pizza line needing more dough from the cooler…it throws a wrench in our faces (metaphorically, of course). And let’s face it, there’s always…always…a dine in customer throwing wrenches, asking for a side of ranch.

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To the one’s who need to speak to the manager:

I’m fortunate enough to not only be a part of the food service employees, but be the daughter of the owner at my place of work. I don’t leave work when I leave work…if you know what I mean. Some food service employees don’t have an upper edge when a customer asks for a manager, because let’s be honest, after a long shift with complaining customers and messed up orders, tempers can be lost. I, however, am blessed with knowing quite a few things about the business my dad created, and dealing with customers since the day i was practically born. I, for one, will tell you the exact same thing the manager (aka the owner) will tell you. And I, for two, will not feel bad when we cannot give you $1000 and free food for life and whatever else it is that you want after the manager explains to you what I already tried to for the past five minutes.

To those who don’t bother to leave a tip:

Listen, being a member of the fellow food service employees, I’m fortunate enough to receive an hourly wage. Most, however, are not. Tips are their paychecks, and often times, while in school and dealing with the sh*t load of bull crap that we face as young adults, we don’t have the time or experience to apply for different, more paycheck-driven jobs. So, lay off us when you tell us that we did this to ourselves by being servers, and start leaving more than two dollars of a tip on a 50 dollar bill. Thanks!

To the regulars who make the job bearable:

Loyal customers are thrilled to order their Friday night pizza, or go to their favorite spot every weekend. I’m sure wherever you work as food service employees, you’ll always have your regular customers who make your shift more bearable with friendliness and a nice tip. We thank those who understand our frantic business, and make our jobs much easier and pleasant right after we deal with those who make us want to smash our heads right into the table.

Food service employees can agree that our jobs aren’t easy, but sometimes free food and nice tips makes it all worth it (only sometimes).

Feature image found on WeHeartIt.