i don't know anyone who deserves to be chopped up and fed to a hungry plant.

I feel that it is time for me to rant about my job, and be justified. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job and I love the people I work with. What drives me insane here, are the customers.

there are a special variety of people who frequent the faux Italian restaurant chain where I spend my days. Of course, our restaurant being in the super liberal college town I live in, isn't the first choice for our locals. Occasionally, we'll get some travelers and people who just have a craving for mediocre fettuccine alfredo.

let me start by describing the types of people who visit our lovely establishment. We have our 'virgin' guests, those who have never been to our chain. On the difficulty scale, they vary depending on how competent they are. They usually are here because someone gave them a giftcard. Hopefully, they won't ask you about everything on the menu, if not, I'm sorry.

next we have our lunch usuals. They are they guys who come by on their lunch break and since we all know them, they are allowed to get EVERYTHING special. They don't follow the rules. They are pretty nice and usually tip ok. Well, sometimes. . .

the elderly croud that comes by can be either really great or horrifically awful. Something I learned is that old people are easiest to deal with in small groups. The larger the group, the more you want to put your head in the oven. Tips from the elderly also vary, some still think 10% is enough to live on, and others give a little extra the more you talk with them.

the younger crowd is far worse than the elderly. In this town, finding a young person who's parents actually taught them how to behave in a restaurant are rarer than bigfoot. You both know that they don't have the money to be here, and they still insist on buying too much. If you get more than two dollars, its a miracle.

foreigners. . . Oh the foreigners. With this city being the cultural melting pot it is, its not uncommon for people of different cultures to visit. This is a good thing, and I love seeing the variety of people here. However, I wish someone told them how to tip. I'm not going to go into the details of each culture's problems, but let's just say, you're lucky if you get more than 10% on a $150 check.

a lot of other people visit, and depending on their needs, things can either go well, or end with disaster. A lot of people stay far too long for whatever reason, we call 'em "campers." If you have to work two shifts that day or if its busy and they are just taking up space, they are your worst enemy.

lastly, I'm going to end my rant tonight by ranting about tipping wage and tips.

by federal law, 'servers' get paid a tipping wage which is roughly 2/3 actual minimum wage. This requires servers to live of their tips, so if its a bad night or people are stingy, they suffer for it. Now, if the system worked correctly and everyone left 20% or more tips, it would be fine. But they don't, and it makes working at slow restaurants like ours difficult to have as an only source of income. Its a rough job, and I would love nothing more than to make actual minimum wage, that way, tipping wouldn't be mandatory and had a more stable income.

I really like this job, and I enjoy working here. I want to stay here and keep doing what I do. I wish I didn't have to rely on my guests to pay my wage. That's why I encourage everyone to treat your servers better, because they are people too.

a long time ago, I was talking with my godmother, and she told me one of her firm beliefs. People on salary and hourly wage have a steady income. They are also allowed to have bad days. Days where they are tired or sick or emotionally compromised, and they still get paid the same. A server is not allowed this luxury. If they have a bad day, their income is cut. If they make a mistake, it comes out of their pay. This is unfair to these people and they deserve better.

however, its a cultural problem, and it needs to be addressed.

ok. I'll get off my soap box now.

good night.