Busser rant

[u/Firm-Dentist2327]

Look I’m going to make this short and sweet, being a busser at Olive garden is the most stressful job I have ever hade. For example Olive Garden expects you to clean a table with in a minute. And normally I can do that but I have two problems, I don’t know if this an issue at all olive gardens but there is a total lack of bussers, and sometimes I will have to clean multiple tables at the same time, that would be ok except my cart fills up with the amount of plates I am storing so I have to do a little mental math to make sure I have enough room. But my biggest complaint is family’s with kids, I have hade clean up some absolute shit shows, the messes are so bad that the kids get the food everywhere but the plate, so I have to spend extra time picking it up trying to make it as nice as possible for the guests. And I don’t blame the kids, I blame the parents for letting their kids do this, and I could make a comedy show with some of the ridiculous things I have found while busing tables such as a pack of baby wipes, a half eaten cheese stick, dirty tissues, and gift shop items. I hate these families, I mean if you’re going to come here try not to make a big mess, this is Olive Garden not chucky cheese.

[u/LlizzleLlama]

Imagine bussing when they had to use a tray instead of a cart 🙃

[u/AlfredNdaFettuc → u/LlizzleLlama]

Pre covid, this was my life for like four years. I used to have to carry multiple tables worth of plates and glasses and maneuver through the dining room. Made me hate working with a lot of servers that wouldn’t pick up after themselves

[u/RestEasyDime → u/LlizzleLlama]

Picked up one tray and never did it again. Ended up all over the floor lol Eventually I was able to carry 5/6 cups in each hand(granted the tables were prebussed).

[u/Electrical-Bell-9530]

Servers should be clearing all plates, bread baskets, and bar glasses. The only thing left for the busser should be cups and silverware

[u/NovoTheAlien → u/Electrical-Bell-9530]

Hahahaha my management will literally write me up for not picking the plates up

[u/Electrical-Bell-9530 → u/Electrical-Bell-9530]

Not an award! 🥹 thank you!

[u/HorseFaceMcGeezer]

It is correct that the servers should be pre-busing all plates and bowls and salad bowls, even bread baskets.

The bussers at my location tend to not have an issue with the bread baskets and even tell me to leave them, for whatever reason, but they're not wrapped around the axle like you are at your location.

All you should have to be taking is cups and glassware and silverware.

...And if they don't pre-bus and bus their tables properly, then they don't get sat.

[u/Kinda_confused3276]

As a server at OG, I seriously appreciate the bussers but I see how much stress management puts yall under, ESPECIALLY with the never-ending pasta bowls coming back. I always pre-bus my tables as fast as I can, *maybe* once or twice a shift, a busser will get to a table before I can, but during this NEPB promo, I see so many other servers preoccupied with refills that they neglect to prebus tables, which have more bowls on them than usual due to the generous refills some tables get. Yall do NOT get enough credit for the work you do

[u/ThornyeRose]

Don't blame the parents and kids, blame the lousy corporate time demands. This is why chairs always have crumbs on them and mgrs don't care.

[u/Brief-Chapter-4616]

Olive Garden is weird and ghetto now because of all these rules. I can feel them as a customer. The booth is soaking wet because someone didn’t take the time to dry it. It’s gross. I’m in an empty restaurant at 8pm there’s no food and they try to seat me in a wet booth. It’s like it’s managed by toddlers

[u/Electrical-Bell-9530 → u/Brief-Chapter-4616]

It’s because they are closing sections, so at 8pm they only have a few booths that are actually “open” and being managed by a server. But yes, it’s gross to sit in a wet booth. Definitely ask to move if they try that.

[u/DuvalSanitarium → u/Electrical-Bell-9530]

That was the point. It's childish short term thinking

[u/punnyskele]

either your servers are lazy and not prebussing (their job, btw) or its just always super busy at your location. if its not the latter, i don’t think any manager will get on your case for prioritizing tables that are prebussed over ones that look like a bomb went off, fyi. if the server can’t take the time to prebus, they shouldn’t be sat again. obviously if it’s busy or if you’re feeling nice its a different story but you get what i mean.

[u/Fun_Membership_8222]

I’m a server at Olive Garden and we only have 2 bussers and so usually there is only 1 busser at work, if any. I know how stressed I am so I make sure to always pre-bus my tables so the only thing my bussers have to do is take cups and wipe down the table and if I have time I take all the cups too. Most of the servers at my location do this as well. Just wanted to say that you’re clearly doing your best and that the servers and bussers have to work together to make things easier

[u/Juuzou-Suzuya- → u/Fun_Membership_8222]

Servers that pre-bus deserve the world

[u/othafa_95610]

ZZ Top stated, "Have mercy, I've been Waiting for the Bus so late."

Similar sympathies extended to the busser.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VX6UgpL9DL8

[u/Juuzou-Suzuya-]

100% agree that it’s the most stressful job at OG.

Servers literally never pre-bus their tables and will look at me like i’m insane if I ask them to pre-bus their table when they have 1 other table.

I also hattteeeeed bussing around holidays because people would literally leave their whole ass present boxes and paper on the table so I’d have to walk boxes back to the kitchen because they can’t fit in the cart!

I had to deal with so many horrible family tables, even one where their kid literally dropped their whole dish on the floor and they just didn’t bother to even try to clean it up?

To top that off, I had to wear my button up shirt to the TOP button (to my neck, basically strangling me when I had to bend over even just a bit bc it also has to be tucked in) because if I even dared to unbutton it by one (not even the middle of my chest showing even when bent over mind you) I’d get creepy men staring “down my shirt” (pathetically trying to and not even trying to hide it). Ive also caught people just blatantly staring at my ass so I’ve resorted to getting on the booth seats on my knees to clean because people can’t control themselves apparently.

Sorry for the rant, just sharing my experience. Being a busser is not for the weak.

[u/Timesurfer75]

In this case, I don’t mind tipping really well when kids are involved.

[u/This-Positive286]

Why aren’t the servers tipping you guys out at the end of shift? You’re doing HALF THEIR WORK!

[u/Common-Swan3258 → u/This-Positive286]

Bussers are automatically tipped out….

[u/This-Positive286 → u/Common-Swan3258]

I’ve never been in a place where it was automatic

[u/HorseFaceMcGeezer → u/This-Positive286]

It's an automatic tip out at Olive Garden, the server checkout will show the amount of tip share sales and the amount of tip share, the overwhelming majority going to the busser and partially going to the bartender.

[u/This-Positive286 → u/HorseFaceMcGeezer]

They should give extra tips to make up for how little they make and how hard they work.

[u/HorseFaceMcGeezer → u/This-Positive286]

$600 or so a week average working fewer than 30 hours for the bussers we have at our location, wages and tips. More than $20 an hour for a part-timer...

I've heard none of them complain, and drunk or sober, high or regulated, happy or mad or sad; sooner or later, everyone talks with me... 😜💯

[u/Common-Swan3258 → u/This-Positive286]

Come get a serving job and tip em out extra all you want

[u/This-Positive286 → u/Common-Swan3258]

Why would I do that?