So. Waiter Rant. Kind of like customers_suck, except it's only one person posting ("Waiter"), and it's usually wank-free. Usually.

The waiter that writes the blog recently started working in a new restaurant, and has become . . . slightly bitter. As a result, he posted first "50 Signs You're Working in a Bad Restaurant," then "50 Signs You're an Asshole Customer." The first doesn't garner much attention, but the second . . .

Four hundred comments later, people are still wanking over:

-Whether it's acceptable to bring your own tea (look for Desert Princess, misspelled as Dessert Princess).
-Whether it's acceptable to leave a tip on a credit card that ends in a weird amount ($2.51 on a tab for $10.49).
-If you should tip on takeout.
-If asking about the music is okay.
-Why saying that you're allergic to an ingredient in order to get it taken out of your food is evil.
-How bitter "Waiter" has become.
-What is a 'normal' tip—fifteen or twenty percent.

Namecalling and accusations of elitism abound, and perhaps 1/4 of replies become non-wanky.

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	gweniveeve 2007-03-26 03:51 am UTC (link)
	I don't know, but I do know that as a server I didn't know jack about the music. For me it's like asking about the upholstery! If a restaurant really emphasizes its music, then the servers might know. "I didn't design the atmosphere, I just work here..." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ryuutchi 2007-03-26 06:47 am UTC (link)
	That's nice. Would you rather a customer ask for the manager to find out what the music was? Because that would be painless for everyone involoved, I'm sure. Note: I've never done it, I just think it's a dumb thing to get riled up about. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	napalmnacey 2007-03-26 09:27 am UTC (link)
	It's perfectly acceptable to be asked about the music here in Australia. People do it all the time, but in most cafe/restaurants, the service is pretty good and Australians are overly friendly anyway. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ryuutchi 2007-03-26 03:47 pm UTC (link)
	I've never lived in a place with friendly people. Is it nice? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

napalmnacey
2007-03-27 03:04 am UTC (link)

Yes. Sometimes I accidentally get into conversations with the check-out chick or the person that runs the store (if its a small one). Actually, that happens often cause I'm one of these weirdos that doesn't maintain the 'wall' if you get what I mean. I figure, "That poor girl has been on her feet all day. I'm not going to treat her like a goods-dispensing-machine, I'm going to smile and be friendly."

I was very lost in LA cause I'd try to talk to people and they'd give me this look like, "Are you soft in the head? Pay for the thing and fuck off!"

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chibikaijuu
2007-03-26 08:03 pm UTC (link)

Does the fact that you don't know (but I don't know that you don't know) then somehow make my polite "Excuse me, but could you tell me what music/artist/song this is that's playing?" rude? "I'm sorry, but I don't know" is a perfectly acceptable answer, which is likely to be followed by "Is there a way that I could find out?" (Acceptable answers to which are "I could ask the manager/head server/whatever", "You could try asking the manager/head server/whatever", and "It's a mix corporate sends out, and I don't think we have a track list, sorry.")

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innominate
2007-03-26 08:52 pm UTC (link)

It's a mix corporate sends out, and I don't think we have a track list, sorry."

But this is pretty standard to me (maybe I'm not eating in fancy enough restaurants.) I don't think asking about the music in itself is rude, but I don't blame a waiter for thinking a customer clueless if the customer appears to expect the waiter to know. It doesn't belong on a list of "ways to be an asshole," but I could definitely see how it could make a list of annoyances if you had to repeat it a lot. Particularly if you hate the kind of music playing and try to tune it out as much as possible. (<--never had the experience as an employee, but have as a customer)

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