Posted on 05/12/2023 6:15:44 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Mother's Day is one of the busiest days for the American restaurant industry. It also has a reputation among waiters and restaurant staff as one of the most grueling days on the calendar.
"Every server knows that working on Mother's Day is hell. In fact, if I die and go to hell, I completely expect it to be Mother's Day. 365 days a year," wrote Darron Cardosa, in his book "The Bitchy Waiter: I'm Really Good at Pretending to Care."
What's so bad about it? From big groups that show up in waves ("most of us are here!"), to food-fussy kids and grandmas to splitting the check dramas and three-coffee-cup lingerers, restaurants hate this holiday. This year is expected to be particularly challenging as high inflation and rising menu prices give some restaurant-goers an extra sense of entitlement.
"The anticipation alone can make you anxious," said Joe Haley, an abstract artist who works as a server at a Quincy, Massachusetts, Italian-American restaurant. It gets "jam-packed. People are calling at the last minute for a reservation, there are other people who made multiple reservations so Mom could have her pick and they never cancel... people who take out their mother once a year tell you 'Nothing can go wrong!'" he said.
But it does. With big tables, a few late arrivals can kick the kitchen into chaos. "And every family has at least one black sheep or in-law who can't be relied upon to save their lives. Mother's Day: I dread it," Haley added.
Chefs, servers and owners said that this year guests have set their expectations high: Special occasion meals in a time of rising food prices. In a post-pandemic world, luxury -- or rather the appearance of luxury and excess -- is "in."
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
Not that much tips. Women are notoriously cheap on tips. I did time in food service. One of the other things that makes Mother’s Day the least pleasant is there’s no gratitude. Other holidays people tend to be quite grateful for the restaurants that are open and super cool to the staff “missing the holiday”. Not on Mother’s Day. Too many folks see Mother’s Day as a chance to “thank” mom for all that hard work doting on them as kids by making others dote on mom for them.
Mother’s Day is also terrible on the biking/ walking trails. So many mother daughter pairs flood the trail not keeping the lane rules and just being in the way.
Father’s Day on the other hand, absolute best. Father’s Day is very heavily oriented to “let dad chill with a beer”, much more pleasant for everybody.
It doesn’t make down time, it makes a group with reservations irritated because they have to wait. Actually probably 3 or 4 groups in series cause once the schedule gets blown up, it’s blown up.
I don’t think I have ever been to a restaurant on Mother’s Day. Sounds horrible. LOL.
Yeah. Seems like everyone and their mother is out there.
I don’t know about Mother’s Day but when I worked as a delivery driver for Panera Bread, and worked the dining room between deliveries, Easter was the day I hated working the most.
Some people coming from Church to get a late breakfast or early lunch after church were among the worst – nasty and demanding and rude.
I recall one woman who when placing her order made sure to tell everyone and very loudly that she had a gluten allergy, and not just gluten intolerant but claimed her allergy could be fatal to her and through a fit, a real “Karen” meltdown when she found a very tiny bread crumb on the table where she seated. She and her group were coming from Church, and she had a Bible on the table and was wearing a prominent cross.
But that didn’t stop her from cursing at me and several other ee’s and demanding to speak to the manager.
She demanded I wipe down the table and the chairs with antiseptic wipes and have her food order made all over again for her.
I really wanted to tell her that if you have such severe and life threatening a gluten allergy, perhaps you don’t want to lunch at a restaurant called Panera BREAD!
I agree. Along with my brother and sister who live locally, we had a set date for dinner out once a month, at a restaurant we all liked.
Then Covid hit. The pandemic is supposed to be over, but my SIL is still so terrified she refuses to go out. My brother picks up my sister and they have dinner at my brother’s house these days. We haven’t been invited, but then we are out and about almost every day living life as we did before the lockdown. We could bring Covid to her!
Covid paranoia will be with us for sadly decades...
The absolute lies and fear mongering given over the last 3 years is unforgivable.
Waiters and retail workers love to complain about their jobs these days.
Darron sounds like a fag.
1st off I refuse to pay $30 for Eggs Benedict AND there DAMNED SURE better not be any fish eggs on or in it !!!
Obviously the prices are a bit dated, but I think of the Cosby routine:
A dollar thirty five! Ladies, what do you pay for eggs? 79 cents....and that’s for a dozen of them. For a dollar thirty five that egg better have an act. They pick up that silver dome and the egg stands up and does a song and dance number, then lays back down, and I eat him.
I easily make Eggs Benedict w/ fresh-made Hollandaise Sauce, using either American Bacon or Fresh Salmon. No Canadian Bacon for me.
My exact comment as well, FRiend.
‘To crowded.’
in the words of the great philosopher Yogi Berra...
“nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded...”
well, I see you beat me to the punch...that’ll learn me to scan the posts first...
‘And fathers now have to share Father’s Day with single moms who “do it all.”,
some company, whoever makes Dove soap, I think it was, ran a tv commercial on Father’s Day extolling the virtues of women and mothers, the clear implication being that fathers deserved no such thing as a ‘day...’
‘Covid paranoia will be with us for sadly decades...’
indeed it will; and I fear it will be with us for happy decades as well...
We had a large Sunday Brunch at a 4 star hotel on Mother’s Day. Did almost 600 people. At $40 a head it added up.
Only brunch bigger was Easter Sunday.
:)
Yogi is always quotable.
Waiter “no problem sir, I’ll have the chief put Roe on instead…”.
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