Working in the food service industry isn’t all fun and games. It’s grueling, repetitive work that isn’t always rewarded as generously as it should be. And very often, as a server or chef, you’ll also end up emotionally exhausted after dealing with people and stressful situations all day long. Some customers are great, sure. But there will always be at least a handful of less empathetic ones who will make you question your choice of career.
To show you some of the challenges these hard-working employees face, our team at Bored Panda has collected some of their top posts and vents about what they constantly deal with. Scroll down to take a look. If you’ve ever worked at a restaurant, you might find these takes incredibly relatable!
Bored Panda reached out to Jaime-Alexis Fowler, the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization ‘Empower Work,' for some advice on handling negative emotions and stress in customer-facing roles. Read on to see what she told us.
#1 The Most Hateful Meal
Image credits: FrinkyNicks
"It can be really hard to be in customer-facing roles, especially as negative behavior has increased. We're all people doing our best to provide the best support that we can. Sometimes, that gets lost amidst the demands and pressures. We see folks reach out to the Empower Work text line regularly who are dealing with frustrating customer interactions or lack of support from management to deal with them," Fowler told Bored Panda in an email.
"We encourage folks to find ways that work for them to manage the stress. For some, that might be creating structures to their day, like breathing exercises to let go of situations as they transition from work."
Fowler said that for some employees, other ways to manage all of that work-related stress might include taking some time off... or even finding another job entirely.
#2 Who The Chef Really Is
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#3 The Uselessness Of Signs
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Still, others might benefit from small shifts in their daily schedule, like changing their commute to "walk off some of the stress."
"We all handle stressors differently. What's important is finding a space or support to work through the approaches that work for you," Fowler told us.
We asked her for some advice for managers on how they can support their staff who have to face dissatisfied customers.
According to Fowler, the first and foremost that they ought to do is have structures and processes in place for how to handle customers and escalation paths if needed.
She said that part of those approaches should include the assurance that in hard situations, management will support their staff. If you face challenges at work, including with customer interactions, you can visit the 'Empower Work' website or contact their text line for support via 510-674-1414.
#4 The True Stupidity Of Earth
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#5 Got Your Back
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#6 Oops
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The food service industry is absolutely gargantuan in the United States. It encompasses everything related to food prepared outside of one’s home, from full-service and quick-service (e.g., fast food) restaurants to catering, cafes, private chefs, and more. Statista reports that the largest share of employment in the US food service industry came from waiters and waitresses in 2022. On the other side of the scale, private cooks made up the smallest share of employment that year.
In 2022, the American food service and drinking place industry as a whole reached earnings of a jaw-dropping $975.9 billion. That’s just shy of a trillion!
In 2023, that trillion-dollar mark was breached, with the sales in the industry reaching an eye-watering $1.09 trillion, supporting 13.2 million employees. Statista notes that there were over 2.1 million servers in the US in 2022, and more than 2.2 million in 2023.
#7 As A Person Who Worked In Retail, All I Can Say Is Very Accurate
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#8 Every Time, All While Saying "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry"
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#9 An Inspiration To Us All
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With the size of the industry in mind, it only makes sense to take the workplace issues that the employees in this market face very seriously. Good managers ought to care about their staff’s welfare. Meanwhile, good business leaders know that motivated, well-compensanted, and properly supported employees are loyal and get better results.
Online food delivery is also massive and continues to get ever more popular. The US has the second-biggest online food delivery market after China. In 2023, the size of this market in the US stood at around $270 billion. Grocery delivery brought in $182.9 billion while meal delivery was worth $86.9 billion in revenue.
WebstaurantStore reports that nearly 750k restaurants were operating in the US in 2023. An overwhelming number of them—9 out of 10—were small businesses with fewer than 50 staff members. Meanwhile, 7 out of 10 restaurants were single-unit operations. Most American adults (63%) have worked in the restaurant industry at some point in their lives.
#10 And Salt
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#11 She Knows What's What
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#12 Can't Get Any More Accurate Than That
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The sad reality is that many servers have to deal with rudeness, disrespect, and entitled behavior on a constant basis. One server and popular content creator, Quinn, previously opened up to Bored Panda about how a customer came in, started filming him, and set up a game for him to play for his tips.
He said that many employees don’t stand up for themselves because they’re scared of getting fired if some of their customers were to complain about them.
#13 The Honest Truth
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#14 At Least He Took It Well
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#15 If You Have Ever Picked Up One Of These With Your Bare Hands, You Don't Need To Worry About What's In The Vaccine
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“We can’t change how people think, however, if servers realized their job is just a job and stood up for themselves more often and had managers who backed their servers up more often instead of allowing such behavior from these guests, I think we’d see a massive improvement in the workplace of restaurants,” the server told us in an earlier interview.
#16 There’s Multitasking And Then There’s Multitasking
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#17 It Makes You More Patient With Stupid People And Also Makes You Way Less Irritable When Places Are Running Behind/Messing Things Up
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#18 Silly. You're Supposed To Balance It On Your Head
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“Servers are people and just because they’re in the industry doesn’t mean they’re beneath you. In fact, some A-list celebrities used to be servers: Chris Pratt, Chris Rock, Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Aniston. A lot of important people used to be in the service industry, not just celebrities, people in science, people in our justice system, and doctors. Just treat them for who they are—PEOPLE.”
#19 They Are So Bad At Reading The Room
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#20 Been There
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#21 I Showed This To The 56-Year-Old Who Sitting Next To Me And His Response Was “I Don’t Understand What That Means”
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Not all rude customers are alike. Some folks are decent but they’ve had an awful day, and they snap (even though they shouldn't). Others are used to always getting their way, so they resort to bullying and manipulation.
Servers with lots of experience can often instinctively tell who’s who, and how to deal with each category of people.
#22 Truer Words Were Never Spoken
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#23 Nothing Like When The Doors Are Already Locked And They Start Aggressively Tugging On The Doors From The Outside Though
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#24 Mine Was Mr. Pickles Because I Asked For Extra Pickles On My Sub
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Often, unhappy customers just want to be heard and their criticism shouldn’t be taken personally. A dash of empathy and some active listening from the server’s side can work wonders in these situations.
It can be a ton of help if your manager roleplays with you and walks you through some potential scenarios with rude customers. Meanwhile, managers should always be available to support their newer staff members and step in if they have trouble handling negative and entitled people.
#25 Newbies vs. Old Vets
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#26 "I’m Scheduled Until 8, So I’ll Probably Be Off Around 10"
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#27 As A Server, I Promise You We Noticed Everyone That Makes Our Restaurant Their First Date Spot
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Have you ever worked in the food service industry, dear Pandas? Do you have a lot of experience as a server, chef, or bartender? What are the weirdest situations you’ve ever been in with customers?
What advice would you give anyone who’s completely new to working at a restaurant? We’d love to hear all about your job stories, so if you’re taking a coffee break, share your experiences in the comments at the bottom of this list.
#28 I Mean He Ain’t Wrong
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#29 The Reasonable Requests
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#30 The Highest Quality Speakers
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#31 Using Your Coworkers As Free Therapists
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#32 The List Of Allergies A Table Handed Us On NYE (The Set Menu Was Surf & Turf)
Public service announcement: "If you have life-threatening dietary restrictions please check the menu beforehand and contact the restaurant to ensure accommodations can be made. Thank you".
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#33 Changing One Of Those Bad Boys In A Lunch Rush Is An Extreme Sport
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#34 Foodservice In A Nutshell
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#35 It Really Is
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#36 Facts
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#37 Bit Harsh
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#38 Not To Mention We Had A Solid 50 Other People Ordering Food
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#39 The Least Welcome Version Of Small Talk
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#40 Simple Timetable
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#41 The Generational Difference
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#42 Better Not To Know What Is Happening Behind The Scenes
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#43 Accurate
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#44 That’s Today’s Society For You
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#45 The Staff Have Got Enough To Do And We Clear Our Own Mess
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#46 Hahahah, Why Do I Relate To This Back On My Old Sales Days
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#47 I Always Say Sorry I Left My 3rd Arm At Home Today
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#48 Opening The Box Was The Hardest Thing For Me
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#49 The Intense Heat
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#50 I Work In An Upscale Seafood Restaurant And Get Order Like This All Day
We only had 58 covers today and I've already seen 3 different tickets like this. Almost every station contains fish. I don't understand the logic of choosing to go to a seafood restaurant with a severe allergy like this.
Image credits: PBR4Lunch
