They Are the Ladies Who Toil

They are the ladies who do breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are everywhere and in every age group, toiling for a living, serving the public these major 'food groups', each and every day of the week. Meeting the public can be a challenge. (Saturdays and Sundays are not weekends off for many of these endearing, steady workhorses of the food service industry.) They are the waitresses whose service to the public goes unnoticed.


A show discussing the hospitality industry and the practice of tipping, for services rendered, had some audience members decrying this time honoured tradition. Many felt that wait staff, those who are disenchanted with their jobs of serving the public, should leave or go back to school to get a better job. (This comment was directed towards this predominantly female work force.) ...If we were to take this absurd comment to its logical conclusion, wait staff would disappear to find this 'better job'. The rest of us could, now, simply stay at home, having nowhere to go because all the waitresses are nowhere to be found. We could, possibly, tip ourselves, while we toil in our own kitchens, bemoaning the fact that the waitresses are gone. The term, ' Night on the Town' with the girls/guys would now have no meaning at all. (Sitting at home eating cheesies, potato chips and ice cream while watching reruns of shows /movies would paint a dismal picture for us.)


Eating out allows us to relax, socialize and enjoy something presented to us in a new way: food and its companions. How we choose to indulge is our problem or our delight! We dine out for reasons that are endless: to celebrate dad's milestone 90^th , mom's 50^th , a son's graduation, a friend's new job, a daughter's wedding day, or simply, a romantic evening out with our special companion or that special first date. It is a moment of relaxation, a moment of bliss, perhaps. Sometimes, we simply want to spoil ourselves. We are fortunate that there are people willing to put up with the demands of serving food to an unappreciative public in the oft rush hours of the day, afternoon and evening. The serving of food must be done efficiently, in quick fashion, with grace and diplomacy. This is no easy task!


Being a waitress, while a full time student in 1970, was a great opportunity to earn money, working part time. There was on-job training and experience was not always a prerequisite. Your people skills were always tested, each and every day. I met all sorts of people. And not everyone tipped. On one occasion, I remember being on duty, alone in one of the larger sections of the two story restaurant, one of the few stand up bars in Toronto, in the late 60's. Realizing that close to a hundred people were depending upon me for their special evening out, I worked quickly and diligently to serve them while spending most of the evening apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the shortage of wait staff. ... It was all I could do to sympathise with the customer and explain that I understood their frustration and worked quickly to show them I was trying. ... The menu was simple and straight forward- which made my job easier. It was frustrating for the patrons and challenging for me. An “I'm sorry” helped to diffuse the situation and calm nerves.. ...(During one slow Thursday evening shift, I met my husband. you might say my tips soared that evening - 43 years ago!)


If we can afford a night out, it behoves us to appreciate the person who chooses to wait tables. They have given us a night off without us having to cook, clean, wash the dishes, the stove, the counters, etc. We are off duty. For me, dining out is always a special treat. It allows me the opportunity to eat something new or familiar, while meeting interesting people. .. People from all walks of life wait tables for all sorts of reasons. If they left to find a 'better job', it just might be ours.