There is such a thing in this world called 'professional deformation.' This is when we are experts in something due to our work (or consider ourselves experts), and when someone does this work for us, we cannot assess the level of service completely impartially. Simply because we ourselves are used to doing the same thing.
So the author of the story that we'll tell you today recently also found herself captive of professional deformation - when she went to a bar across the street and, being a waitress herself, could not help but evaluate the service of her colleague. Or the absence of this service - it’s actually up to you to decide.
The author of the post is a waitress with many years of experience, and her daughter recently came to visit her
Image credits: Wayne W (not the actual photo)
The cheerful company went to the nearest bar to have some drinks there
Image credits: [deleted]
After around two hours, the author asked the waitress for a third drink and she answered: "Really, another one?"
Image credits: Pablo Merchán Montes (not the actual photo)
Image credits: [deleted]
The author got livid but didn't snap at the colleague, tipping $20 instead of $50
So, the Original Poster (OP), in her own words, has been working as a waitress and part-time bartender for more than 35 years. Of course, this means a tremendous amount of experience, but also the almost inevitable comparison of other members of the profession with oneself.
For example, recently, the author's daughter, her husband and children came to visit the original poster. As the OP says, right across the street from her house, there is a large mall where there is a Dave and Busters - and the author and her relatives decided to go there to have a good time.
And everything was fine, but at the end of the second hour, when the original poster asked for a third drink, the waitress looked at her skeptically and asked: “Really, another one?” If you were expecting here that the OP would snap at her colleague, then you were definitely mistaken. After all, the author is a waitress herself, and knows what it’s like when a client goes dramatic.
But our heroine also know a lot about tips, and usually always gives at least half a check. But this time she was so outraged by the waitress’s remark that... no, she didn’t leave her completely without tips, but instead of the planned $50, she left only $20. According to the OP, many people may say that this is not petty revenge at all, "but to those of us in the industry it is."
Image credits: Louis Hansel (not the actual photo)
“Over the many years of my work in bars and cafes, I only twice had to refuse to serve more alcohol to a client,” recalls Vlad Ostrometsky, the administrator of UNIT Cafe in Odessa, Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment on this situation. “And both times it was a client who came from another bar already very drunk and behaved quite aggressively. Accordingly, our staff did not know what the next drink would be for them. But in any case, it should be the manager of the establishment, and not a waitress or bartender."
“Based on my professional experience, the waitress had no right to tell a customer how much they should drink or eat, and when to stop. Therefore, in my opinion, if the customer left the waitress without a tip at all, I would understand her. But in any case, the waitress's behavior looks unethical in my book," Vlad supposes.
People in the comments are also sure that the waitress acted inappropriately, and are generally surprised by the original poster's generosity, as she tipped her at all. According to many commenters, this level of service doesn't deserve any tip. "You tipped 20% more than they were worth. What happened to upselling to get more income for the business?" one of the commenters sarcastically ponders.
And commenters from other countries are also sincerely surprised that having three drinks in two hours served as a reason for the waitress to ask such a question. "3 drinks in 2 hours? In the UK you'd have been asked is that all?" some random Briton in the comments questions. By the way, have you ever encountered similar behavior from the bar staff, and how did these situations end? Please feel free to share your stories and opinions in the comments.
People in the comments massively sided with the author, claiming that the waitress didn't deserve any tips here at all
Image credits: Aleksandr Popov (not the actual photo)
