P's and Q's
I have a lot to say about this, but I am having trouble organizing my thoughts. This article needs to be read. THIS HAPPENS.
https://cherrybombe.com/katie-abbondanza
I typed my thoughts on this topic out three times today and deleted it three times because it just wasn't right.
Then I thought it would be a great first blog post. So here goes.
The cliff notes to this article are: while we have been currently focusing on harassment within the work place, there is a large group of us out there who are not only exposed to harassment by our superiors or co-workers, but by the people whom we are serving. In the hospitality industry, as the name alludes, we are to be hospitable to guests who are patrons of our restaurants or hotels etc. We are paid to be nice to guests; whosometimes often take advantage of that.
This has happened to me as a manager of a restaurant. This has happened to me as a server. This has happened to my staff. This has happened way too many times. When the first bouts of harassers being dethroned commenced, and the whole #metoo started circulating, I knew that I had been harassed but I couldn't put my finger on how, when, by who, and how I reacted. That's because in the service industry we are trained to take harassment, plain and simple. We are instructed on how to deal with difficult customers but keep a big smile on our faces. When I read this article, it all came pouring back to me. I have had a customer tuck the tip in my shirt because my hands were full of his licked clean plates. I have addressed men who seem to be creeping on my employees, and the harassment has been turned on me. I have been reviewed on Yelp for being racist towards a man because I had to kick him out of the restaurant, not because of his race, but because he was just being an asshole. As a person who loves this industry to death I do not think that people should be able to tip for good service. Good service should just be given no matter what. And customers should be polite no matter what.
We aren't lower than you because we are working in a restaurant. We don't deserve to be talked down to, or waved over like we should bend at your every blink. We are humans just like you, and this is how we are making a living, we just do it on the days that you get to relax. Then we take time to relax on the days that you go to work. We get to go to the grocery store when there aren't hundreds of shopping carts dodging each other like a demolition derby. I guess I can see why you might be a little crazy if you have to deal with that every Saturday. But to be honest, when I go to a restaurant on my Saturday or Sunday, (or even Friday night if I am lucky, but I probably have to work) I treat the people serving me with respect, because I know what it's like to be doing the serving. It's crazy to me that some people have never ever had to serve someone else in their entire life, but hey it happens.
I guess my sexual harassment from customers blog post has kind of turned into a harassment in general from customers rant to defend us in the service industry. Because I don't feel like the focus should only be on sexual harassment. I understand that it might be categorized as worse then verbal harassment, but it's all horrible. Why do we suddenly have the right to raise our voices at someone when something isn't going our way especially in public? When you walk into a restaurant, understand that those walls are the home to the people who work there. They eat there, sometimes they might even sleep there, and they sure spend a lot of hours trying to make it better for diners who come from every corner of the earth. Please don't come into our house and harass us. It doesn't look good on you. And to a lot of us who went to school to cook the food or serve the wine we bring to your table, it means so much to us that you are a patron. Just please try to remember to mind your manners.
https://cherrybombe.com/katie-abbondanza
I typed my thoughts on this topic out three times today and deleted it three times because it just wasn't right.
Then I thought it would be a great first blog post. So here goes.
The cliff notes to this article are: while we have been currently focusing on harassment within the work place, there is a large group of us out there who are not only exposed to harassment by our superiors or co-workers, but by the people whom we are serving. In the hospitality industry, as the name alludes, we are to be hospitable to guests who are patrons of our restaurants or hotels etc. We are paid to be nice to guests; who
This has happened to me as a manager of a restaurant. This has happened to me as a server. This has happened to my staff. This has happened way too many times. When the first bouts of harassers being dethroned commenced, and the whole #metoo started circulating, I knew that I had been harassed but I couldn't put my finger on how, when, by who, and how I reacted. That's because in the service industry we are trained to take harassment, plain and simple. We are instructed on how to deal with difficult customers but keep a big smile on our faces. When I read this article, it all came pouring back to me. I have had a customer tuck the tip in my shirt because my hands were full of his licked clean plates. I have addressed men who seem to be creeping on my employees, and the harassment has been turned on me. I have been reviewed on Yelp for being racist towards a man because I had to kick him out of the restaurant, not because of his race, but because he was just being an asshole. As a person who loves this industry to death I do not think that people should be able to tip for good service. Good service should just be given no matter what. And customers should be polite no matter what.
We aren't lower than you because we are working in a restaurant. We don't deserve to be talked down to, or waved over like we should bend at your every blink. We are humans just like you, and this is how we are making a living, we just do it on the days that you get to relax. Then we take time to relax on the days that you go to work. We get to go to the grocery store when there aren't hundreds of shopping carts dodging each other like a demolition derby. I guess I can see why you might be a little crazy if you have to deal with that every Saturday. But to be honest, when I go to a restaurant on my Saturday or Sunday, (or even Friday night if I am lucky, but I probably have to work) I treat the people serving me with respect, because I know what it's like to be doing the serving. It's crazy to me that some people have never ever had to serve someone else in their entire life, but hey it happens.
I guess my sexual harassment from customers blog post has kind of turned into a harassment in general from customers rant to defend us in the service industry. Because I don't feel like the focus should only be on sexual harassment. I understand that it might be categorized as worse then verbal harassment, but it's all horrible. Why do we suddenly have the right to raise our voices at someone when something isn't going our way especially in public? When you walk into a restaurant, understand that those walls are the home to the people who work there. They eat there, sometimes they might even sleep there, and they sure spend a lot of hours trying to make it better for diners who come from every corner of the earth. Please don't come into our house and harass us. It doesn't look good on you. And to a lot of us who went to school to cook the food or serve the wine we bring to your table, it means so much to us that you are a patron. Just please try to remember to mind your manners.
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