Waiter
|
A waiter in a resort setting |
A
waiter is a male who "waits" on tables, often at a
restaurant or a
bar. A female who "waits" on tables is often called a
waitress. The
gender-neutral server and collective
waitstaff can also be used.
Waiting tables is one of the most common occupations in the U.S. (along with
nursing, and
teaching). The
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, as of May
2005, there are over 2.2 million ([
1]) persons employed as waiters and waitresses in the U.S.
Waiters' duties include preparing tables for a meal, taking customers' orders and serving drinks and food in a restaurant. Depending on the restaurant, other less common duties may be required, such as singing birthday songs to customers who are celebrating a birthday. A
theme restaurant may even require waiters to
dance (e.g.
Joe's Crab Shack). There are now
event caterers that outsource waiter/s/esess to events and specific functions.
"Silver Service" waiters are specially trained to serve at banquets or high-end restaurants. They follow specific rules of service and it is a skilled job. They generally wear black and white with a long, white apron (extending from the waist to ankle).
The head waiter or waitress is in charge of the staff of waiters and/or waitresses, and is also responsible for assigning seating. This person can also be referred to as the
maître d'hôtel. Some restaurants employ
busboys or
busgirls to assist the waiters and/or waitresses.
In the
United States and some other Western countries, it is customary to
tip a waiter or waitress after a meal. In the U.S., waiters and waitresses, like other "tipped" employees, can be paid a lower
minimum wage than other occupations. For example, waiters and waitresses in
Georgia are generally paid around $2.13 an hour. It is appropriate that you tip between 10% and 20% of the total bill depending the service you received.
In contrast, waiters and waitresses in many
East Asian countries refuse tips, which are sometimes even considered an insult. Many cultures in the region believe that leaving a tip implies that the waiter or waitress is not being paid enough by his or her employer.
Tipping is not customary in
Australia or
New Zealand and is not factored into wages of waitstaff. However, tips are appreciated especially if the customer or party has been unusually difficult or has left a mess. Many parents of small children leave a small tip. Tips in Australia, because they are not a significant part of the income of the service staff are usually token amounts rather than a percentage of the bill.
*
William Somerset Maugham:
Of Human Bondage*
James M. Cain:
Mildred Pierce*
Terrence McNally:
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (filmed as
Frankie and Johnny)
Garçon! (
Claude Sautet;
France,
1983)
*Team Mew Mew from
Tokyo Mew Mew*Amélie Poulain (
Audrey Tautou) in
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain*
Tyler Durden from
Fight ClubReservoir Dogs features a lengthy dialog on the principles of tipping.
Pulp Fiction has a brief cameo by
Steve Buscemi as a cynical
Buddy Holly-lookalike waiter
*Various characters from the
2005 film
Waiting...*Buscemi plays a waiter again in
Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes.It Could Happen to YouCocktail with Tom Cruise as a barman
*
Rachel Green (
Jennifer Aniston) as a coffeehouse waitress in the first three seasons of
Friends, and also in the
1999 comedy movie Office Space.
*Joanna from
Office Space:
*
Table service
