The restaurant I work in sells primarily ice cream, seafood, and burgers. Because of the vast variety, no one can ever decide what they want. They look to us for opinions. I absolutely loathe seafood. Hate the smell, the sight, the taste…refuse to go near it. Whenever someone asks me how the clams are, I try to answer objectively. “Oh, they sell pretty good this year, I hear they’re awesome” or likewise. That usually works, I occasionally get a persistant customer. “Well which do you prefer, the clams or the scallops? Are the scallops salty?” That’s usually when I give in…“Actually, I really hate seafood…I’m more of a burger person myself. I’ve never tried the fish here, so I wouldnt know.”
After that, they either just drop it, or go for ice cream instead.
You: I don’t drink, but…
The customers look at the OP weirdly because he decides to give them a fact sheet on his personal life. Hey, someone give the kid a gold star! He doesn’t drink! Round of applause!
[tangent]Jonmarzie, I did a web search for Chester’s Hamburgers…and oh am I sorry there’s not one in southern California! It looks sooooooooo good![/tangent]
So, you imposed your personal morals upon customers? Did you witness at the same time?
Was it part of your job to
a) Offer wine or beer as part of the service?
b) carry any items ordered by customers to their tables?
if you were a vegetarian, would you refuse to serve meat to people?
If you dont drink, well done, you made an informed opinion and have stuck to it. I just think it is incredible that you kept a job as a waitress when you refused to do some of the most basic requirements of the job.
As for the OP, no one is forcing you to drink. I think the funny look might be more of the look you would give someone who is selling you a product they know nothing about.
Then again, you’d probably make a great consultant
I second this. Refusing to do part of your job is seriously unprofessional. For the record, I’ve worked in a toy store, and I found the practice of selecting gifts based on the child’s gender rather than interests to be reprehensible. Never once did I say a word about this to the customers, not so much as a mild-mannered “You know, girls like Legos too.” It wasn’t my job to raise their kids, and it isn’t a waitress’s job to encourage or discourage her customers from ordering certain items. Don’t like serving alcohol? Don’t get a job that requires it.
What the OP is doing, on the other hand, isn’t wrong, but it’s definitely a bit of a non sequitur if they’re asking for a recommendation. What’s the matter with “I hear good things about Joe’s Ale” or “This new German beer is really popular” or even “Why don’t you ask my co-worker here, she’s really the beer expert”?
Sheez, gex gex. I doubt Jonmarzie prefaces his response with “I don’t drink, but…” to demonstrate any moral supremacy. Instead, it’s probably just a caveat given to the customer, like "Take my answer with a grain of salt, because I really cannot vouch for the quality of other customers’ tastes.
Besides, I see “I Am Not A Lawyer, but…” all the time on these boards. Is this somehow a way of gloating that they didn’t choose a stereotypically dubious line of work? Of course not. It’s a way to share an opinion that shouldn’t be given as much weight as one that a professional gives. Jonmarzie’s statement, IMHO, is tantamount to “I Am Not A Drinker, but…” It’s simply a way to share an uninformed opinion.
Regardless, why shouldn’t Jonmarzie be applauded for choosing not to be a criminal, when many social expectations encourage otherwise?
[RE: tangent]Rilchiam, Southern California has better weather, beautiful (for the most part) beaches, a winning basketball team, and Disneyland. San Antonio has alternating dry heat and flood, tortilla-flat and boring land, the San Antonio Spurs, and Fiesta Texas. Without Chesters Hamburgers, everyone would move.
Oh yeah, we also have Schlitterbahn…[/RE: tangent]
Theft and murder are also large parts of society. So is fraud, and drug dealing. So is cheating on your taxes.
I am 17 and don’t drink, because I chose not to. Over 70% of my school drinks, 60% use marijuana and around 40% smoke 30% use some other more harmful drugs. Just because the majority of students smoke pot doesn’t mean I will. A good persentage smoke cigarettes, and I’m not starting down that road. One should try something based of their principles and its potential risks, not based on popularity.
