New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“Some things I wish people knew about the restaurant industry and what it’s like to be a server.
Being a server is not all that bad, it’s a great job to keep as a side job, or a seasonal job, even as a full-time job. As a server, we want to get the best possible tip so always try our hardest to give the best service as humanly possible, however, that’s not always the case.
With the industry being one of the hardest hit by COVID it has left many restaurants short-staffed – something people should always keep in mind when going out to eat. I understand some people don’t believe in tipping, that’s fine and dandy, but if that’s the case then you should let the server know beforehand that they will not be receiving a tip. Most restaurants have a tip-out policy.
How this works for some places is the server comes in already with a negative balance. Then at the end of the shift, a percentage of the gross sales is tipped out to the bar, and for some places cooks, sushi chefs, meat runners, bussers, etc.
Bad servers do not last. I repeat bad servers do not last at all in the industry. So if you for some reason receive bad service at a restaurant, there is usually a valid reason behind it.
The point being that if you think that leaving no tip or anything less than 18% is okay, please do all the servers of the industry a favor and let them know beforehand or tell them directly if there are any issues. Otherwise a majority of the time we end up paying out of pocket for your and your friend’s/families’ meals.
If your answer is to seek another job, well that’s what a lot of great servers already did, and that my friends is why the industry faces the mess we have today.
Just some food for thought. No pun intended.”-Anonymous.
