Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

There appears to be just as much dissent as praise among these comments with quite a spectrum devoted to each. Let me say this:

When you work as a server, as I do, the whole purpose of your being at the workplace is to be friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive to the needs of your customers. If you've read Hannah's previous columns, you're already aware that these features are what she loves about her job. I also work in a small establishment, typically only serving a few customers at a time. When the friendly exchange seems reciprocal throughout, I often wonder what happened when the tip is practically non-existent. Especially in cases where you've been complimented during the experience by the party on your service, you can't help but take it personally. You wonder what went wrong or what you did to upset them. You also wonder (frequently the case in "group" situations) if perhaps a mistake was simply made. Maybe everyone else in the group assumed that one person was taking care of the tip, etc.

I think Hannah was courageous to do what she did, though, keep in mind, that she also had the support of her management and co-workers behind her. There are numerous times that I wish I could have handled similar situations as she has here but I know that my employers would probably not support such an approach. NYC is a tourist market and this is a tough economy. It is important in that environment to learn how to appropriately inform guests not in the know of local customs. I recently had a group of guests from Sweden ask me straight out the amount they should leave as tip. It was terribly uncomfortably but I am glad I got through it.

Hannah, I think you're lucky to work in a restaurant that values the work ethic of their employees as much as yours.

Call me crazy but I think the ear with the bite in it keeps changing from the right to the left. Scariest Gummi Bear Ever.

I learned how to make eggnog last year watching Good Eats, but this seriously looks like an awesome recipe as well. Bourbon is the way to go spiked.

As a former scout, I feel the need to also contribute seriously to this matter.

I don't remember doing much as a Brownie other than earning merit badges in outdoor skills (similar to the boys) and subjects, like reading or art, that suited my interests. I, however, remained a girl scout until I was 13 because, in a small town, there wasn't much else to do! As a Junior and later Cadet Girl Scout the focus is shifted from selling cookies to doing community service. I think this is where I may have picked up some of the leadership skills that scouting is supposed to be about.

In recent years, I've seen commercials sponsored by the Girl Scouts of America advertising resources for parents to get their kids interested in math and science. If cookies contribute to this cause, they should most certainly not stop selling them!

Kinda strange...what is this from?

Gotta love Asian fusion served up with a side order of crazy.

the meatloaf mafia had best watch their backs.

I

Grape Tootsie pops = awesome. I get a bag of Tootsie candy every year to hand out after I pick out all of purple pops.

This weekend a bunch of girls walked (re:stumbled) in celebrating a birthday party. They made sure all of us knew they were celebrating. Hurray for us.

One of the cuter members of our staff went over to explain the wine flights to them. Perhaps you have noticed this: I don't know what it is about women who are a certain size, but they always seem to overcompensate for either being too tiny and thin (by being way too loud) or being overweight (sometimes by being loud or obnoxious). So he says to them, " all the wines in this option are going to be a bit fuller bodied." This prompts the biggest, drunkest girl in the group to response, "do you prefer fuller bodied?" while feeling herself up. All of her friends laughed hysterically while he announced he was taking his break right in front of them.

A party in my mouth for sure.

Because I am basically a bar tender (albeit, one who only pours/ talks about wine), I almost never give out my name. Sometimes customers are directed my way by other employees who give out my name and I don't mind this at all. I am on a first name basis with nearly all of our regulars, and often if we've had a good time chatting, customers will ask my name and introduce themselves right before they leave.

The "name-as-weapon" people are usually easy to spot: they ask for my name upon first interaction, repeat it each time I am serving them or checking on them and inevitably use it to call me from across the room. Not to generalize, but it always seems that the "type" who do this are older, gregarious men who embarrass their families by treating the help this way. I cringe when I see and hear them when I am out at restaurants.