Saturday, August 30, 2014

Why you shouldn't be offended when I write "God Bless" on your ticket...

So as y'all know I am a waitress. You also probably know that I like to vent about being a waitress.

So this is something that has been weighing on my heart recently, so I feel the need to vent about it.

If I am your waitress and it is time for you to get your check I will go to the nearest micro (computer) and print your ticket and then I will write-

Thank you!
God Bless
-<3- Kate

NOW, sometimes I forget or I am in a rush and I don't write this, but most of the time I do. Even if you have been difficult or less than enjoyable during your stay at my table, I will write this, and I do mean it.

I am not by ANY means "shoving" my "religion" or "denomination" down your throat.

First of all, by saying "God Bless" you cannot even tell what denomination I am, however if you ask me I will tell you. You can tell that yes, I am a Christian. But I am in no way saying that you have to be to. I take any chance I get to witness to customers but I do wait for them to initiate any discussion about religion or faith. You have come to enjoy a meal and I will not pester you about ANY topic that you do not bring up first or ask me a question about.

When I put this I am in a way opening up a conversation, you can choose to comment on it if you wish, a lot of customers say "God bless you too!" or say that they like that I put that. I have actually NEVER had someone tell me they did not like that I put that on there but sometimes I have coworkers that express they themselves would be uncomfortable if it were them or customers give me a displeased face when they read it. I do not understand someones discomfort or displeasure with this, it is the same as saying "have a good day!"---- I am simply saying that I hope that the God that I believe to be The Lord and Savior of our world blesses your life after you leave me. While you have been at my table and come into my life, no matter good or bad, I have hoped to be your blessing, I have hoped to meet your wishes and bring you some joy and now that you are leaving me, whether or good or bad terms I hope that you continue to be blessed and get some joy.

I cannot understand why some people take offense to this. I am not trying to convert you, patronize you, or try to make you feel guilty. I am wishing you well.

End. Rant. Sorry guys but sometimes being a waitress is frustrating.


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings....

My Favorite Things....

So I've been in a writing mood lately however I haven't been able to come up with inspiration for things to write about and/or the things I am going to write about need a few days to be published. So what to do? Write about things that I love, because today I spent a day doing things that I love! 

I have been sick with some sort of virus since last week and FINALLY went to the doctor Monday where I was told that I needed to rest and not return to work until Thursday (tomorrow) so I have had 2 days to not leave my house. Yesterday I spent a lot of time sleeping, laying on my couch, watching movies, etc. today I was restless so I cleaned my room, my bathroom, and then I decided to spend some time doing things that I love. So I drank tea, watched Jane Eyre, got on Pinterest, ordered take out from the restaurant I work at, blogged, and organized things. 

So that is what sparked my inspiration for this blog post, my favorite things.



1. TEA. 
I seriously love tea. Can't live without it, some people need water, some need milk, some need air, I need tea. Whether it be sweet tea, green tea, herbal, whatever kind it be, I need tea. Lately I have been drinking herbal peach tea, it's delicious and comforting.  I also really enjoy sweet tea with a little lemon in it. Yum. I'll always be a southern girl at heart.

2. Movies based on books from the 1800's.
Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, these movies and books just comfort my soul. How I long to be Elizabeth Bennett and find my Mr. Darcy. I love to cozy up in silk button up pajamas and watch these movies (or read the books) with some tea of course!

3. Organizing. 
This is nerdy but I love to organize things, especially school supplies, bags, and purses. With school starting next week today was the perfect time to do this! I got to clean my room and get everything organized for school and now I can sleep a little better at night too. 

4. Makeup
Guilty pleasure of mine, makeup, nail polish, hair care products, I love them. I also love to have them organized (refer to #3). I spend a lot of time on pinterest looking at beauty and hair tips and tricks. Lately I have been trying to recycle my own make up collection, ballin' on a college budget means I can't splurge on beauty products all the time so I have been trying to find new ways to use the products that I already own! 

5. Pinterest. 
As mentioned in #4 I really love Pinterest. I find ALL kinds of things on there, inspirational quotes, makeup tips, my different fandoms, Harry Potter, Once Upon A Time, Big Bang Theory, Jane Austen, etc. and all kinds of recipes and tips and tricks! I spend way too much time on there but I also find SO mnay useful things on there. Recently I have found a ton of healthy eating recipes and tips on cheap healthy snacks for when school starts. Pinterest is my all around go to for anything and everything. It's the best tool I have in my toolbox, come to think of it, it IS my toolbox.

6. Music.
I love music, all kinds of music. Country, Christian, Pop, Rap, Rock, everything! Pandora will forever be my favorite because whatever suits my mood can always been found. 

















Saturday, August 16, 2014

8 Reasons Why Being a Waitress Has Made Me a Better Person

Hi! Welcome you guys, my name is Kate and it is my pleasure to serve you tonight! What can I get you started with to drink tonight? How about a (insert newest beverage menu item that the managers are pushing us to sell here)? 


Waitressing is NOT easy, it is very, very hard. It is long hours, high stress, fast paced, physically, and emotionally exhausting. However, I continue to be a waitress and I don't foresee me quitting my serving job any time soon, even if I only waitress on the weekends. Why?

Well just some quick benefits of being a waitress....

1. Fast cash. Best college job ever, you leave every night with your tips in hand (however you NEVER see a pay check, I get paid 2.13 an hour and by the time taxes are taken out of my wages and the electronic tips that I have to claim my paycheck = 0.00)

2. Awesome discounts on the food, I don't know about other restaurants but the restaurant I waitress at gives me 50% off my food while on the clock before or after my shift, and after 3 months they send you an employee discount cards and you get the same discount ANYTIME. With up to 3 people, so where will I be during the semester studying? At my restaurant where its just as cheap as fast food but its ACTUAL food and honestly the staff is my second family.

3. Going off of that, I have met some of my truest friends through serving. People that are a lot like me, I wouldn't trade the staff at my restaurant for any others. We all seem to mesh together really well and I can truly be 100% myself when I am at work. So even if I drop a tray or a customer yells at me, they've got my back. Always.

Why has being a waitress has made me a better person?

This is not something I ever thought I would write about to be honest. When I applied at the restaurant I worked at it was out of somewhat desperation, I needed a job and I couldn't wait around, I had NO experience but I thought, how hard can it be?

HARD. IT IS REALLY REALLY HARD. Being a server is a completely different world. Being that I hold 3 jobs currently I really see the difference in being a server. People that I would meet at one of my jobs as a secretary, that would treat me with respect and like a human being worth talking to, I could meet those same people as their server and all of a sudden I turn into the SERVANT.

How does this make me a better person?

1.Serving is a very humbling experience. Your role in your customers life is to serve them, to meet their every little need as quickly as possible and to entertain them and make sure they have the best night of their lives. Now you try to achieve that goal with up to 10 tables at the same time over and over again in a night and you see how it can be a humbling experience. You cannot achieve that goal with everyone. For some, they come with baggage from their day, already in a bad mood and it is near impossible to please them. So what do I do? I smile even wider, I try to relate a little more, I make sure to pay a little special attention to them. Because that is what I have decided is my true role in my customers lives, to make an impact, to be friendly when they are rude or cut me short, to be understanding when they make a complicated order, and to above all make them feel special and meet their needs.
2.I honestly cannot wait to go back to school this semester because I am almost positive that waitressing has helped me increase my memory, ability to multitask, and has for sure helped reduce my stress levels. If I can manage 10 tables of at least 2-20 people or a party table of 40 and remember that one lady needs no salt on her fries and that the little boy at the end of the table is allergic to tomatoes and keep everyone happy with drinks filled and tummys full then I think my Biology class this next semester should be a breeze.
3.Patience. This is a virtue that if you don't posses it BEFORE serving, you sure will after serving! Patience is standing quietly beside a table that flagged you down because they were ready to order and then changed their minds 10 times while their partner is on the phone and holds up a finger to you to wait until she is done with her call to take her order. All while you have food to run to other tables, the table next to you is slurping their straws signaling that they are past due for a refill, and there's still 2 other tables that you haven't even greeted yet!
4.Honor&Integrity. This is something that I was raised with, to never steal, lie, or cheat. However this takes on a WHOLE new meaning in the food industry. On any given night, some nights with my rent due the next day or a school bill looming in the near future I have anywhere from $100-$600 in my book depending on how many people pay in cash. Now I could lie and say that some tables didn't pay me and pocket the money. But I know that isn't right. And all of us servers have built up trust with each other, we are comfortable letting each other watch over each others books, purses, etc. We all definitely struggle to make that extra $20 sometimes to pay bills but we earn it honestly, by busting our butts to earn our tips.
5.Sometimes in the food industry certain people get stereotyped. A lot of us servers think that we can tell a good tipper from a bad tipper by the way you look, talk, dress, and act. However through experience I have learned that EVERYONE just wants to feel special. When you get all dressed up to go eat or if you have had a long day and you just want to sit down and not have to do anything then you are looking to be served. I have learned that it doesn't matter who you are, you deserve good service. Even as a waitress I go to restaurants and receive poor service because I am stereotyped as a young college kid= bad tipper. I have learned through experience that the people that are stereotyped as "bad tippers" can be some of the best tippers you have ever had because they truly appreciate you giving the service they wanted, and that they deserved.
6.Teamwork. This is a tough one, if you are one of my coworkers reading this then I am sure you will understand this- teamwork is the BEST and WORST part of being a server. Teamwork is AWESOME when someone runs your food for you, grabs your table a refill, or fills up the chip and ice machine so you don't have to run all the way to the back for them. BUT when you are juggling a full load of tables and your manager asks you to run food for someone else because they are having trouble with another table or one of the cooks needs more plates, or your partner asks you to get drinks for your party table so they can start on food orders it seems like the most inconvenient task in the entire world. The immediate thought is to say every man for himself and just watch your own back but through experience if everyone is watching each others backs and helping each other as much as possible the entire shift goes SO much smoother. True team work is team service, help your team serve their tables knowing you wont receive the tip for it but trust your team to help serve your tables.
7.Thick. Skin. My first day waiting tables after my 2 days of training and 0 prior experience was a fiasco. I swore to myself I wouldn't cry. I did. There is absolutely nothing comparable to what the experience of being a server is like. It's high stress, very fast paced, and it seems like every person in the restaurant needs you. Everyone needs for you to be doing something, to grab them this, get them that, reheat this plate, order this, run that, stock this, organize that. They say the best feeling in life is to be needed, now I think I'd be okay being a little less needed. Tbh. And you have to have a thick skin to wait tables, people are going to call you mean names, question your intelligence and competence, raise their voices at you, and talk down to you and you have 2 choices. 1. Tell them off and guarantee that this displeased customer will NOT be tipping you and might even give you a bad review. 2. Smile, apologize, and fix it. That's it, no highway option.
8.Diversity. I have met SO many different kinds of people while waiting tables. I have had travelers from Brazil and India, I have had soccer moms, evangelists, football players, CEO's, sorority sisters, and people from all different walks of life. One of my favorite moments in my job is when I am closing the restaurant and I only have 1 or 2 tables left and one of them gets to tell me their life story or they want to know mine. You get to, for a brief moment, be a part of each others lives, a source of encouragement or advice lender, and I cannot tell you how many times I have been able to share my faith with tables! A lot of times my job truly is a joy, so many opportunities to make people smile and share Christ.

So that's my spiel on that. I think everyone's first job should be in the food industry, waiting tables. You learn SO many valuable lessons in the food industry and I for one am thankful for the experience that being a server has given me. After all God calls us to be servants, and trust me, waiting tables is GREAT practice at humble service. ;)  


Peace N' Blessin's-

Your Server For Tonight, Kate