One of the (few) benefits of not operating your own business, and instead working for someone else's, is that you take on none of the risks of the business — isn't that the sole reason why businesses and executive management justify keeping so much of the profits?

Often when we see stories online about customer service people, it's regarding the abuse they receive from customers. But, since service industry workers are people too, it should be expected that there are plenty of examples of the worker themselves being unreasonable or entitled. These stories don't fit the popular narrative, so they often don't get upvoted as frequently, getting shared less overall as a result. It's no surprise to anyone that ‘upscale’ trendy establishments can have a bit of…

Everyone wants to think they have all the answers… but sometimes you don't know even half as much as you'd like to think. We would all do our best to listen to other people's thoughts and opinions before assuming that we have the best and only answer. This student and part-time waiter made the asinine assumption that his method for charging guests was superior to the method devised by his coworker. After claiming that her methods were making it more difficult for him, he insisted that they reve…

This guy wanted a well-done steak but ended up getting roasted himself. There's nothing that can make a man feel small like his own mother. Even the toughest of gangsters know not to cross their mamma. When mom lays down the line and says, "Enough is enough," then you had better quit. This Dad was determined to act out the Applebee's scene in Talladega Nights before his mother stepped in. The story was posted by their server, u/Papakeely, to Reddit's r/talesfromyourserver subreddit. The family…

Sometimes, you just aren't good at something, and that's okay; not everyone is going to excel at everything they try, and that's just the way it is. We're all individuals with different skills who might find certain things more or less challenging. Still, it's important that we keep our egos in check and not lash out at others for our own shortcomings—for displaying grace in the midst of one's failings will determine how others will perceive your character. Some people don't seem to get this an…

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…

In the service industry, it's incredibly important to be polite and courteous to your “guests,” but occasionally, a chance presents itself that can't be ignored.

Being appointed as a leader generally means that you should be doing at least a little bit of leading: sitting on your cell phone while your teenaged workers suffer the onslaught of a rush is not that. It's a sure sign that someone shouldn't have been appointed to the leadership position they are in and is instead a living, breathing example of the “Peter principle.” Other times the issue is worse still, and the person's appointment to their leadership role isn't due to any previous performance…

The service industry offers its workers a myriad of shitty experiences: Terrible customers, terrible employers, terrible coworkers, and an (often) unpredictable income that relies upon strangers' ethics and understanding of their social obligations.

Unfortunately, every one of us has probably experienced foul treatment from someone in a position of authority who just specifically didn't like us for some reason. It might be conscious on their part, or it might be entirely subconscious; maybe you look just a little too much like an old friend who stole their partner; who knows? Whatever the reason, that person just perceived a freshly painted target on your back from the moment they laid eyes on you. Nothing you can do is ever going to chang…

There are times in life when temptation is just too great and leads us toward doing something that we probably shouldn't be doing… Take, for example, serving a customer a calzone containing entire chicken wings (bones and all) after they obstinately and repeatedly request it as a special order. When you've been working in the service industry, retail, or customer service for long enough, you get a growing itch to pull off something like this. With every entitled customer interaction, you can fe…

The problem with misusing your authority and making a scene is that it makes all those you are associated with look bad — this includes any organizations or groups who you might be affiliated with. This is why it's so important to conduct oneself in a manner that suits your station -whether you're on duty or off. Just take this off-duty hotel manager who was fired for being rude to the staff of another hotel as a prime example. This server took to Reddit's r/talesfromyourserver community to sha…

It's okay to feel a little bit sentimental about your favorite type of sauce. I, for one, am a ketchup guy through and through, you won't catch me far away from a little red bottle that's packed with that sweet tomato-y goodness. Sure, the actual contents of ketchup are probably like 80% sugar, 19% vinegar, and 1% ketchup but that's not something that bothers me in the slightest. I'll eat ketchup on anything and am happy for the disgusted reactions that my creations sometimes evoke. So, in this…

We've all been there; you're already having a bad day, behind schedule, and rushing to try and catch up to get back on top of things. All this hustle leads you to make a critical error that you wouldn't normally have made… If you're lucky you catch it. If not, well, that could be the end of your entire career.

This entitled Karen insisted on ordering a salad. However, the salad she was ordering was, in fact, not a salad. Despite the waiter's attempts to explain this to her, she refused to listen and then proceeded to have a meltdown once her "salad" arrived.

This guy is a walking red flag.