Response to the NY Post Article “You Got Served” by Kyle Smith

“I don’t even need to know your name. By the time you tell me about the specials, I’ve already forgotten it. You’re a servant. So serve.” (An excerpt from his lovely piece about NYC waiters)

Remember this face everyone, Kyle Smith does not want to be served, he does not enjoy a dining experience, and he definitely does not want you to ask him how everything is. Oh yeah and by the way no matter what you do he doesn’t like you because you are just doing your job and is only going to tip 11 %. So NYC waiters remember this face because he seems to think waitstaff should be treated as servants because god forbid we say our…gasp…name when approaching a table. If Mr. Smith had any sense at all or had the chance to read through some of our stories here he’d know what serving tables is not always such a pleasure but guess what no matter how we feel about the guest we have to provide excellent service that meets the standards and policies of our establishment. So sorry for telling you the specials and making sure you have everything you need. Maybe you should write a letter to the owners of my restaurant and all the other restaurants in America and explain that you hate to be told the specials and it is so utterly inappropriate to be checked up on during you meal or offered dessert or coffee, I’m sure they will be happy to change their policies that have been working so well and making them millions.

Obviously Mr. Smith needs to pull his pretentious panties out of the twist in his ass and realize that this is how the service industry works in America and however much he wants us to know, “In France, where I try to spend a week or two every year, waiters don’t even work for tips (the customer is expected to leave a mere euro or two) and yet they’re so much less annoying”, those waiters work in France so pack up and GO THERE!! Also, from those of us who have been to Europe, usually a 15 % service charge is added to the bill as French laws require tips to be assessed for tax purposes. So maybe thats why the servers act like they don’t give a crap how you are doing and complete the bare minimum of the job as they are already guaranteed a larger tip than you so generously left for their American counterparts.

To anyone who is new to the site or has not worked in a restaurant before, it is filth like the article Kyle Smith wrote that perpetuates generalizations that industry folks deserve less respect. Read through some of our stories here, we have to deal with a whole lot more than just saying our name, specials, clearing some plates, and bringing drinks to the table. Each day at our jobs we experience pretentious people like Kyle Smith who think they are better than us, overtly disrespect us, and then tip 11% or worse just because. I have a suggestion for Kyle Smith when he is not in France, it’s called ordering To-Go, then there will be no one bothering you, you can dine in privacy, and the best part of all there is no tip expected at the end. The New York Post should have used better judgment before allowing this story to run, they will definitely not be getting my business in the future and Kyle Smith better hope to never visit San Francisco and try to dine out.