Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Ever worked in retail/food service? Did it change you?

mixedmedia · 11-11-2010, 05:18 AM

I come from a restaurant family. My grandfather owned a successful bbq restaurant in Atlanta. My mother opened her own bbq restaurant using his recipes in New Smyrna Beach, FL which unfortunately was not successful, but I spent a lot of free time there. My older sister has been a waitress off and on for most of her working life, so I have shared in a lot of her stories and have pretty much taken on her perspective when it comes to assessing service in a restaurant. I'm a good tipper and an excellent tipper when service is exceptionally good. And I consider all of the possible causes before I conclude that I've gotten bad service.

I worked the soda fountain of a legendary Jewish eatery in Orlando for about three months (before, thankfully, finding a better job) and it was one of the worst jobs of my life not because of the customers but because of the also legendary waitstaff who treated me like I was inferior and their slave to boss around. Not all of them, of course, but the ones who had been there 15-20 years seemed to have a whole lot of faith in the aristocratic hierarchy they had created while serving the same people, the same food everyday. It was a weird place, probably exceptionally weird.

As a teenager I worked as a hostess for a well-known, popular seafood restaurant that was infested with rats and that was pretty illuminating, too, and weird.

Never worked in retail unless bagging groceries count.

I was a hairstylist for a while, but I don't guess that counts, either.

I try to be nice to everyone, though. Not obsequious or overly ingratiating, just courteous.

Overtly bad or rude service does get under my skin, though, and it seems to be getting more and more common.

11-11-2010, 05:18 AM	#26 (permalink)
mixedmedia has all her shots. Location: Florida	I come from a restaurant family. My grandfather owned a successful bbq restaurant in Atlanta. My mother opened her own bbq restaurant using his recipes in New Smyrna Beach, FL which unfortunately was not successful, but I spent a lot of free time there. My older sister has been a waitress off and on for most of her working life, so I have shared in a lot of her stories and have pretty much taken on her perspective when it comes to assessing service in a restaurant. I'm a good tipper and an excellent tipper when service is exceptionally good. And I consider all of the possible causes before I conclude that I've gotten bad service. I worked the soda fountain of a legendary Jewish eatery in Orlando for about three months (before, thankfully, finding a better job) and it was one of the worst jobs of my life not because of the customers but because of the also legendary waitstaff who treated me like I was inferior and their slave to boss around. Not all of them, of course, but the ones who had been there 15-20 years seemed to have a whole lot of faith in the aristocratic hierarchy they had created while serving the same people, the same food everyday. It was a weird place, probably exceptionally weird. As a teenager I worked as a hostess for a well-known, popular seafood restaurant that was infested with rats and that was pretty illuminating, too, and weird. Never worked in retail unless bagging groceries count. I was a hairstylist for a while, but I don't guess that counts, either. I try to be nice to everyone, though. Not obsequious or overly ingratiating, just courteous. Overtly bad or rude service does get under my skin, though, and it seems to be getting more and more common. __________________ Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce