"I used to be a server like you, and I've gotten stiffed by tables before. It just happens and you need to get used to it" were a restaurant owner's words when one of the waiters approached him after being stiffed on a $3,600 event. Talk about a good manager, huh? OP took to r/Serverlife after a frustrating incident at work happened, where he was forced to wait on a large party with a reservation booking in the restaurant's event room. Per usual, the restaurant was ridiculously understaffed, an…

Working in the service industry is one of the toughest to endure, as customers, management, and coworkers can really get under your skin. You need the patience of a sloth, the memory of an elephant, and the speed of a cheetah. Picture this: a family of eight, children sobbing whilst simultaneously drooling, parents at their wit's end just rattling off their order to you while corralling their children. Having a long list of dietary restrictions and substitutions to their order after demanding y…

The restaurant industry is known for being fickle; if a few coworkers call in sick, you're gonna find yourself in a bit of a pickle… that is, as a manager. But as someone in a management position, that is your problem; not the other employees' issue. In this case, OP's boss initially approved their vacation but quickly backpedaled when it became apparent that they had granted time off to too many other employees, meaning that now they were short-staffed. Tough luck, as OP was already on their v…

Working in the service industry is often stressful and traumatic for a number of reasons. On the one hand, you're often treated poorly by clientele, who mostly regard you as subhuman because of your line of work. On the other hand, you're at the mercy of the unrealistic expectations and unethical practices of the small business owner who owns the place, and—let's be honest—these people often shouldn't be allowed to operate a business or have responsibility over the livelihood of others. These o…