# Today, someone in the restaurant business called in sick. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376 "2011-12-16T03:58:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/101 "2011-12-17T04:02:34Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I don’t know what’s going on in the OP’s mind, of course, but something else just occurred to me: I don’t think he’s complaining about customers per se as he is complaining about the onslaught of X number of customers at one time (aka a “rush” in restaurant lingo) while serving the previous rush of customers…? > > Think of “shoveling shit against the tide”. You’ve got all these people in different stages of waiting on top of yet another wave of people in different stages of waiting. You, the employee, are trying as best you can to juggle everything, but there always comes a point where one little thing – in this case, the tomato in the OP’s post – is just enough to send you over the edge. So, instead of pulling out your figurative AK47 and shooting everyone, you come to the Pit 🙂 QFT This is what I got from that awesome rant. I can certainly understand how that last little thing is enough to make someone post a rant. I didn’t really believe that **Amblydoper** had come home and was posting drunk enough to pass out on the floor. That rant was just too awesome. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > At least when it’s extra busy, or when the work that would normally be done by _n_ people has to be done by _n_-1 people, the servers typically earn more in tips for their extra work (which is one big advantage of the tipping system). Do the kitchen staff get any extra compensation for doing extra work during busy shifts? Except that many people tip less when its busy and their server isn’t right there when their water glass is half empty. When I did my stint in food service, it was pizza. The drivers were getting slammed, the person who took the order would tell the customer that it would be an hour, and if the driver managed to get them their pizza in 50 minutes, they would get stiffed because it took so long to get it to them. I can’t speak for the OP, but I don’t think the servers share tips with the cooks like they do with the buspeople. There have been times that I’ve been in a dive and got awesome food, so I’ve asked for the manager, said how much I liked the food and asked the manager to deliver a tip to the cook. The cook has always come running out with a surprised look on his/her face to thank me and then ran back to the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/102 "2011-12-17T04:23:47Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Sorry, but no. The OP ranted directly at customers, who have the gall to always be eating out, and keeping him and his co-workers employed. > > So fuck him. > > I agree that too many rants in the pit get jumped on, but the OP made the entirety of the dining-out population (which probably includes at least a few dopers) the subject of his rant. oy. some of you take rants like the OP’s wayyy too seriously. leave it to a doper to be all “he’s ranting about people who eat out at restaurants! why, i eat at restaurants! **i’m offended!!** ”:mad: get a grip. no one’s bedgruding you your right to have a meal out. food service/retail jobs can be soulcrushing because there is rarely any down time or slow moments. when you deal with a job like that full time, day in and day out, yes, there are moments when one is like “oh my god, JUST GO AWAY.” and then they paste on a smile and serve you your dinner, or ring up your groceries, or whatever. to no one in particular: seriously, the “get another job” attitude is really getting old. yes, you graduated from your food service position to a cushy office job. we’re all very impressed by and happy for you. sometimes these jobs are the best people can do for the moment, for whatever reason. i mentioned in my last post that i had a pretty decent job where i often had a similar rant as the OP. yet i stayed because the benefits to keeping the job outweighed the annoying things about it. i think most people are probably familiar with this concept, yet for some reason it’s rarely considered when the job in question is something customer service related. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/103 "2011-12-17T04:55:26Z")
Ah yes…food service. I’d rather whore - I’d make more money and get more respect. And it always seems the most demanding, churlish customers - the ones who seem to believe you should only wait on them and ignore your other tables - are the ones who tip very little if at all. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/104 "2011-12-17T06:00:11Z")
The OP expresses anger and frustration of the lack of worth America places on types of work seen as menial. It’s more insulting that this “menial” work is labor-intensive, and often time-sensitive. However, adding greater insult to injury is the “worth” of that job is political and geographic. The [current minimum wage in Colorado](http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDLE-LaborLaws/CDLE/1248095305416) where the OP lives (according to their public details) is $7.36/hour. The minimum wage for tipped positions is a measly $4.34/hour. Those numbers go up to $7.64/$4.62, respectively on January 1st, 2012. It’s better than the federal minimum of $7.25/$2.13. Yet, in the state I live, [the minimum wage is $8.67/hour](http://www.lni.wa.gov/workplacerights/wages/minimum/). Period. No lower tipped wage. Come January 1st, that goes up to $9.04/hour. If a food server makes 15 percent tips, that averages almost $9.97/hour right now. Perhaps it’s time to get rid of the “tip wage” and have a single wage. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/105 "2011-12-17T06:33:52Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Yeah, but do you find yourself mad at the patients for getting sick and coming to your hospital? … When it’s the umpteenth stat STD screen from the ER on the same patient as last month and the month before and I have to drop everything to do it because, you know, there’s a whole TV ad campaign guaranteeing ER service faster than pizza delivery no matter what your problem is and the pressure is on us to live up to it or else, then yeah, I do. It’s not right and I don’t like it and it’s not all the time but I can’t help feeling that way at certain moments. Maybe I’m not fit to do this anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/106 "2011-12-17T07:07:05Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > God, I can’t imagine the extra effort that poor chef must go through to NOT cut up a tomato and sprinkle it on a salad… I’m a chef. I get what you’re saying, and generally it’s not really a big deal. But if we’re being serious, every modification slows down the kitchen. The menu and kitchen should be designed to handle this amount of variation between dishes, but it really is much, much more efficient to make everything exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/107 "2011-12-17T12:13:20Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I have cooked or worked in some aspect of the food industry for about 26 years. > > Never called in sick. > > Fuck that slacker! Just because have an excellent health, doesn’t mean everyone else has. Fuck that mentality! ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/108 "2011-12-17T12:34:26Z")
In my view, neither the sick person, nor the customers (not the exceedingly bitchy ones anyway) are to blame. Especially this tendency to blame the sick person is very frightning. This mentality is, well, sick. Just fucking THINK about it, people. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/109 "2011-12-17T12:49:12Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > QFT This is what I got from that awesome rant. I can certainly understand how that last little thing is enough to make someone post a rant. I didn’t really believe that **Amblydoper** had come home and was posting drunk enough to pass out on the floor. That rant was just too awesome. :high fives you: > [@](#): > > Except that many people tip less when its busy and their server isn’t right there when their water glass is half empty. When I did my stint in food service, it was pizza. The drivers were getting slammed, the person who took the order would tell the customer that it would be an hour, and if the driver managed to get them their pizza in 50 minutes, they would get stiffed because it took so long to get it to them. When you’re starving you want to eat RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND FUCK THE REST OF THE WORLD. Og forbid that something as simple as traffic hinder your ability to shove something into your maw. If this is your standard behavior to delivery drivers, then I suggest you get your fat ass out of the chair and DRIVE THERE YOURSELF. See? Problem solved! (I know people currently doing pizza delivery, btw – that attitude is very much out there) > [@](#): > > I can’t speak for the OP, but I don’t think the servers share tips with the cooks like they do with the buspeople. There have been times that I’ve been in a dive and got awesome food, so I’ve asked for the manager, said how much I liked the food and asked the manager to deliver a tip to the cook. The cook has always come running out with a surprised look on his/her face to thank me and then ran back to the kitchen. We always pooled tips back when I waitressed. Out of the grand total, the bartender automatically got his percentage, then the busboys got theirs. The rest of it was divided among everyone else. Every once in a great great while the cooks received a very small percentage, usually around the holidays. It’s not a standard practice, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/110 "2011-12-17T13:07:34Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > In my experience, it’s a mixture of a few factors. Yes there is the macho aspect. There’s also a sense that if you call in sick, you’re not pulling your weight on the crew. Add in that most kitchens are understaffed and overworked and you get a desire to not be the one that makes everyone else work that much harder. That’s exactly it in a nutshell. Those who have never worked a service job have no idea what this is like. Somebody may have called in because of a genuine family/individual emergency, but the fact that their absence means one less working pair of hands has a lot to do with this attitude. > [@](#): > > I’ve had to defend my crew against a vindictive boss who was furious that a vomiting cook was sent home. I also had to nearly physically force the cook out the door because he was worried about said boss cutting his hours. Working through injuries/illness is considered an unspoken badge of honor, just as long as you neither bleed nor hork all over the food. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood on a sprained ankle for X number of hours, or how many times I’ve accidentally burned myself, cut myself, etc. Staying there rather than succumbing to it also silently tells my coworkers that I’m not going to drop the ball just because X happened and I’m sore as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/111 "2011-12-17T13:07:46Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > After a day of thinking about my horrible week, It is my bosses that I am pissed at. I was taking it out on the customers a bit too much. I come across as angry at the customers in my rant, but I’m really angry that my bosses won’t allow any room for error in their business model. > > I was in quite a positive mood today, despite having the busiest weekday lunch service in a long time. Every went smooth too. It’s good to hear that the day went well. I hope the rest of them do, too. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/112 "2011-12-17T17:31:59Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Come January 1st, that goes up to $9.04/hour. If a food server makes 15 percent tips, that averages almost $9.97/hour right now. Me thinks your math has a glaring hole in it. 15% of the customers bill in tips. So if a waitress has 1 table per hour and the bill is $40 per table, she is making (hypothetically) $6/hour in tips + tip wage. Make that 4-5 tables at $30-$40 per table per hour and its hard work, but can be pretty well compensated. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/113 "2011-12-17T17:52:41Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Me thinks your math has a glaring hole in it. And I think you’re being extremely kind by merely referring to that nonsense as a hole. ---
**Author:** ![Stelios](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Stelios](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stelios)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/114 "2011-12-17T18:31:57Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Wow. Get the chips off your shoulders. Yes, your industry is hard. So are others. You’re not precious and unique in your experience, sorry to say, and SOME of us do have a FUCKING clue. > _\_ > . . will get you no sympathy from everyone. Shut the fuck up. I’m paying for my food. If you’re ‘working yourself to death,’ that’s your fucking problem. As someone upthread said, it’s a management issue. Because, frankly, I could make it at a quarter of the price (or less), depending, of course, on the details of your restaurant. Wow, you really are a colossal prick. Such frustrations as the OP’s are virtually ubiquitous throughout the service industry, and as a lifelong bartender I sympathise completely. I _love_ bartending, and wouldn’t dream of doing anything else, but there are plenty of nights when I find myself wishing, _praying_, for a quiet night, profits be damned. Frankly, if you’ve never, ever felt that way then I really _don’t_ think you have a F.U.C.K.I.N.G. clue. Not the slightest clue at all. And the OP probably works harder than you ever have. Well, either that, or you have the patience of a saint, which you evidently don’t. No-one’s disputing your, or anyone else’s right to dine out, but if you expect your servers be unfailingly happy to see you, if you genuinely believe that’s an integral aspect of the restaurant experience, then you really _should_ stay at home because, truthfully, you’re probably getting _that_ far less often than you think. **Amblydoper’s** OP was an expression of frustration and utter exhaustion, a perfectly human reaction to eight hours frantically maintaining a pleasant dining experience for you, and dozens like you. The appropriate response was empathy and understanding. _Commiserations dude, sorry you feel that way. We appreciate what you do_ Something like that. Something which would make him _feel_ better. But you wouldn’t know that. Because you’re a total dickhead, and Stalin probably had more empathy in the tip of his cock. > [@Eonwe](#): > > And, you’re providing not just food, but service. That’s why people go out to eat. And pay through the nose for it. And re-reading the OP, I find no hint that **Amblydoper** falls short in either respect. Get it straight: Everyone in the service industry feels this way from time to time. It’s natural. Even the most dedicated servers hate their jobs occasionally. Some physically can’t find another job, while others, like me, feel that the pros outweigh the cons, but we all get where the OP is coming from, and the fact that you don’t is a clear indication that you’ve never had to work particularly hard. > [@Eonwe](#): > > So, you’d better fucking serve me with a smile and like it, because that’s what I’m paying for; for someone else to serve me. Otherwise, I won’t be back, and maybe you’ll have to turn off some of the lights. Serve you with a smile? Sure. If you demand we enjoy it 24-7, then you’re shit outta luck, always and forever. We’ll hate it as much as we fucking well please. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/115 "2011-12-17T18:37:17Z")
I have the opportunity to meet people who work in many fields. Though I have never personally worked in the food service industry, or for that matter in the service industry in general, I can feel for the op. I do encounter entitled fucks on a regular basis, and I got the feeling the initial ‘screw the customer’ rant comes from that, and on that note I could sing harmony. If the op is angry enough to write a rant that gets this much response, then the op still has a foot in the door of life. That’s good to hear. If the op gets to the point they just don’t care anymore, then there’s a problem. Anyway, enjoyed the rant. Fuck the haters. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/116 "2011-12-17T19:02:41Z")
> [@](#): > > The amount of those kind of excuses are in direct proportion to the age of the employee – at least in my experience. Quite right. It’s usually the same people - the partiers - who call off “sick.” I’ve been in the buisness for far longer than I care to admit and frankly I’m at the end of my rope. I’d LOVE to quit but right now I can’t afford to take a pay cut. Benefits aren’t a problem - I don’t have any! Well, I used to but after being franchised, corporatized and then franchised yet again there’s nothing left. Fortunately most of our customers are decent, even though I love to hate 'em sometimes. Just recently one of our regulars handed his server a hundred dollar bill and told him to divide it between the employees who always took care of him. We ended up getting $10 each. Not much to be sure, but a very nice gesture and it was certainly appreciated. If only our new bosses were like that! But no, they came in to a recent meeting, all smiles, telling us how important we were and what our (many) responsibilities were. Then someone broached the subject of vacations (which we used to have). Could have heard a pin drop New boss ceases smiling, shuffles some papers and sheepishly says “Only the manager and the assistant get a week per year.” Talk about being made to feel like a piece of shit… ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/117 "2011-12-17T21:14:33Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Because, frankly, I _could_ make it at a quarter of the price (or less), depending, of course, on the details of your restaurant. Well then go home and cook your own food, will you? The price includes not only the food but the wages(ha!) of the staff, the overhead such as taxes and utilities, plus, hopefully, some profit. As a worker in the food service industry it really gripes me to have people expect cheap meal prices simply because the ingredients aren’t always so costly. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/118 "2011-12-17T22:18:36Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Well then go home and cook your own food, will you? The price includes not only the food but the wages(ha!) of the staff, the overhead such as taxes and utilities, plus, hopefully, some profit. Not to mention, it wasn’t cheap to build and furnish the building in the first place, and to buy all the kitchen equipment, the plates and silverware, etc. If the restaurant’s been in business awhile, that all might have been paid off by now (although there are ongoing repair & replacement expenses), but I’d include all of that as part of what you pay for when you eat out. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/119 "2011-12-18T03:07:55Z")
**Amblydoper** Today I went out for breakfast at my favorite diner. Not during the rush, like **Lynn** , I try to not go out to eat during the rush hours. My food was good, as usual. My waitress spoiled me as usual. Due to this thread, I gave the waitress 5 bucks for the cook. As I was leaving, the cook came out and hugged me. Of course I also tipped the waitress. In the future, I will always send a couple of bucks to the cook if I like the food. Thank you for starting this thread. Tipping the cooks is voluntary, but I’ll bet that when the waitress tells the cook that its me, he will not complain that I want my hash browns extra crispy. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376/120 "2011-12-18T03:50:45Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I’ve a better idea. Learn to cook. I can cook. I can also clean the house, do the laundry, cut the grass, work on my vehicles, and do minor repairs around the house. But should I dare take advantage of one of the businesses that open to perform one of these tasks, should I stay away or expect meager service because the employees aren’t happy with their jobs? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-someone-in-the-restaurant-business-called-in-sick/606376.md?page=7)