Addendum the second

I just want to take a minute to go back and make a few things clear.

First and foremost, I do respect the front of house staff and the work that they do.

Yes, I do throw around terms like FOHSOB.

Why?

Well, for one, I am one. Willingly, at that. So I have some sort of leeway when it comes to making fun of a group that I am a part of.

My reasons for taking this job were two-fold. The obvious is that I needed a bit of money (until grocery stores start giving me food for free, this will be a common need of mine). Furthermore, it's relatively easy money.

Relatively.

Another thing that I want to make clear - each individual part of the job is, in and of itself, easy. Polishing silverwear, not a big deal. Filling waters? No problem. Folding napkins and taking them out to the server's station, done. It's a matter of having to do twice as much work in half the time, and having any given number of servers needing help with their tables when it's busy, and anything and everything else that's happening all at once.

I'd say that I wish it were as simple as waiting on one table at a time, but then I'd be bored all day.

Reason number two: I actually want serving experience. I want to be able to say that I've worked out front, to have learned how (and just as importantly, how not) to do things. If I ever do open my own restaurant, I'm going to have to know a bit about the workings of the front side. No better way than to jump in and start swimming, so to speak.

Now, on the whole tipping thing. I don't mean to jump up and down ranting about how everybody in the world is a horrible person for not leaving a big tip. Most people are courteous and know the American tipping system. The people of whom I speak are, thankfully, a minority (afterall, if no one tipped well, no one would be willing to take the job). It's an admitted sore spot... but hey, if your tip share was $15 from working a weekend plus one or two nights during the week you'd have a few select words to say yourself.

Lastly, on the note of "knowing the chef".

That's cool. It's fun to be able to walk into a place and say "I know the guy (or girl, as the case may be) who runs this place".

But, let's be honest here, it's no reason to climb up on some elitist pedastle. Storytime, kids.

I was at work, just coming out of the kitchen and headed back to the upstairs dining area when i was stopped by two ladies. They asked for a glass of wine. "We're meeting with the sous chef" one said, with the tone and look that you'd expect from someone who just got promoted to Supreme Galactic Emperor.

I went to the bar, got them their drinks, and took them back with a smile. I wished them a good evening.

I like to think that I was pretty gracious, despite the hilarity of what they had just asked me to do.

"But isn't getting guests what they ask for your job?"

Well, sure, and I did. But there are a few details that are worth knowing.

These two ladies weren't seated at a table. They were standing.

In the bar lobby.

Roughly ten feet from the bar.

There was no line to speak of.

Considering that they were, in fact, standing, I can only be led to assume that they were both fully capable of leg movement. Despite this ability, they could not seem to bring themselves to take five steps to the bar, and if they so chose, the five that would take them back to the original position.

Isn't voluntary servitude just great?

And, just in case you were wondering, no, they did not see fit to slip anything my way for saving them that dangerous and hard-fought journey to the bar and back.

I don't mean to complain about following my job description, but it goes over better if you don't treat me like a lap dog.