Working in the serving industry can be difficult, especially in areas where servers rely solely on their tips in order to make a decent living. In North America, especially in the US, server wages are so low that if customers continue to leave stingy tips the server ends up making an annual income well below the poverty line.
Granted there are just as many bad servers as there are good ones, but even the servers that provide excellent service can end up serving one of the dreaded lousy tippers from our “What Kind Of Tipper Are You?” list.
In order to help change the system we’ve gone as far as creating a list of what to tip your server practically everywhere in the world. I’m not sure if this will help, but we are not the only ones trying to educate the masses.
There are a host of servers who have turned to the internet to educate, browbeat, or just down right embarrass customers for their poor behavior and stingy tipping habits. In no particular order, here are the top 10 of our most favorite server blogs:
#1 – Diners From Hell
First on our list in Diners From Hell. This blog features a hodgepodge of stories from diners and servers alike. It’s always a great idea to get both sides of the story before making a decision, but as someone who is familiar with the hospitality industry, I usually side with the server.
#2 – Red Lobster Blog
In a previous life I used to deliver these tasty, yet smelly, crustaceans to this chain restaurant, so this could be the reason I find this blog so interesting. Or it could just be the amount of humour that goes into the writing. Whatever the case, the Red Lobster Blog is a must read for anyone familiar with the type of clientele that visits these kind of establishments.
#3 – Waiter Extraordinaire
Steven Nicolle, the author of Waiter Extraordinaire, is both a server and world traveller. His blog provides a mix of information on food, wine and travel with some server stories thrown in for good measure.
#4 – Waiter Rant
The internet presence of Steve Dublanica, WaiterRant.net was launched in 2004 and quickly became a huge internet success. Steve went on to write his first book, a New York Times bestseller, ‘Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip – Confessions of a Cynical Waiter’. Even after he published his second book, ‘Keep the Change: A Clueless Tipper’s Quest to Become the Guru of the Gratuity’, he continues to remain active on his blog.
#5 – WaiterPay.com
Waiterpay.com is an internet resource for those working in the hospitality sector in New York. Although the site may address the specific laws of the State of New York the blog provides some valuable information for those working in the industry who may not be aware of what their own rights are.
#6 – The Waitress Confessions
From dining etiquette tips for diners, to advice on how servers can improve their work ethic, and everything in between, The Waitress Confessions is a one-stop shop for anyone that is interested in reading true stories about the service industry.
#7 – Stuck Serving
Stuck Serving is the place for servers to share their most humours true-life stories of the most ridiculous customers they have ever served. As the blog mentions, “Waiting tables is tough, take a break, relax, and read some funny waiter stories on Stuck Serving!”
#8 – The Bitchy Waiter
Working in the service industry since the 90s, the author of The Bitchy Waiter created this blog in 2008, as a place to vent about the terrible customers that every server has experienced at one time or another. As he states, “Writing stories on the Internet about annoying customers was better than poking the annoying customers in their eyes with forks.”
#9 – The Bitter Waiter
In 2007, after 10 long years in the food service industry, this waiter had enough. He transformed his bitterness into the Bitter Waiter. As he states, it’s not that he is fed up with serving, no it’s that he is, “tired of serving stupid people…rude people…cheap people…loud people…obese people…mean-spirited people…difficult people…condescending people…creepy people…” You get the point.
#10 – Confessions Of A Waitress
Although only three posts young, and a few months old, Confessions of a Waitress has potential. As the blogger mentions, “This is me confessing my true feelings, sharing my experiences and just exposing my life as a waitress in general…. And maybe, just maybe, this blog can change someone to be better customers.” We agree whole-heartedly. If no one is willing to try to change the world, it will continue to be the same.
About the Author
Corey Rozon is a freelance writer from Ottawa, Canada.
