Something's Missing

I needed a day to really decompress about work Wednesday before I wrote about it and put things in print that I didn't mean (or rather- that I REALLY, REALLY mean, but should never put it print).

Being a waitress- rather, a good waitress- is all about customer service. What the customer wants, they get. The customer is always right. (Actually, there are alot of times where the customer is dead wrong- and while you want to call them on their BS- you need their money)

I've been at my place of employment for a year and a half now. And in that time, I have been in my fair share of "I am too smart for this job" scenarios.

Example: for serving drinks to a large party during lunch one day- I was verbally berated by one of my bosses in front of the large party and all my other tables.

Well, Wednesday, I had another "I am too smart for this crap" moment.

At "the restaurant"- we serve a dessert that is apparently very famous in the South. (P.S. I am not mentioning where I work or what we serve or names, just to cover my own ass basically)

I had this table of 2 very nice ladies. From the moment they sat down, they were a joy. Sweet. Funny. Laughed at my corny jokes. Even complemented my earrings. They both ordered a side of that "famous dessert".

These ladies ate their entree first, I went over to check on them, refill drinks, pull plates, etc...., around the time they were getting ready to dig into the dessert.

I come back not 30 seconds later to check on an adjacent table and the ladies call me over.
They show me thier dessert was a little skimpy with some of the ingredients. They hadn't really even eaten it. Took about one bite, realized that it wasn't 100%, and called me over.

I saw this too. They ask for replacements in to-go boxes because they had to get back to work, but they didn't want to have to pay. (Reasonable. I thought. When you go to a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter, and what you order/purchase/consume isn't what it always has been or is faulty- you should get a replacement at no charge to you)

I take these desserts back to the kitchen, explain to the bosses the situation and they claim that the customers had eaten them already and that we were not going to give them free ones.

I was very upset by this- so I decide to take money out of my tips and buy these ladies a new dessert to take back to work.

This did not sit well with my bosses.

I go back to the table with these new desserts for the customers and they can tell I am upset.
After some prying and prodding- I tell them what happened in the kitchen when I went back there and how their mid afternoon snack was going to be on me today.

They were very angry.

THEY apologized to ME and both left me a tip of DOUBLE what each individual dessert cost to cover what I paid AND to tip me.

For the rest of the day I was upset. And worried because I cannot lose this job. I need this job.

So, at the end of the day- after all the customers were gone, my other opener/closer had left, and only partial kitchen staff remained, I went up to the desk to get my charge tips for the day.

One of my bosses was up there and he just handed me my money and I left.

Nothing about the dessert fiasco of 2009.

And then I realized, it was ok to them that I had done what I did. It was ok that those ladies were upset.

And at that moment I realized- I was on an island. (And my I, I mean me and the other co-workers of mine who I actually value and respect and care for) I had decided to just get up, go to work. Do my job. (And damn well if I do say so myself) and go home.

I will never be the "perfect employee" I guess because I will not sacrafice my pride for a couple dollars or to be put in the best section of the restaurant. I am not a kiss ass. I will never be. I am respectful. Polite. Kind. But I will not lower myself for people who I don't believe actually care about the day to day of my life.

And in the end- I am really ok with that.

I can look at myself in the mirror and not hate the person I see.

Can they?
Can you?

-Samantha