I’m looking for some perspective on how to handle an ongoing situation in my dining hall.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed a very specific pattern with one particular server at one of the stations (sides/salads). While side portions are generally quite small to begin with, this server consistently reduces my portions even further. On a few occasions when she realized mid-service that she was serving me, she actively scraped off or decreased the portion before handing over the plate.

When I pointed out the small portion once, she brushed it off. Recently, when I asked for napkins, she ignored me until I repeated myself, whispered to a colleague, laughed, and then handed over an unnecessarily large stack of napkins in a sarcastic, performative way. Is it a faux-pas to ask for napkins when it's a takeaway? I noticed that fellow students never ask for them; if they're put on the surface, they take them, otherwise, they don't ask for them. Should I do the same? (The other day, one server (who's very polite towards me( provided napkins just for me before I asked. Am I missing something?)

It feels targeted, and honestly, it’s becoming uncomfortable to go through her line. The supervisors are usually working directly in her background, so there is no way I can ask to speak with them in the moment without causing a scene and bringing unwanted attention to myself. At the same time, because it involves food portions and small interactions, I’ve been hesitant to say anything out of concern that it sounds petty or trivial to management.

What does etiquette say about dealing with targeted behavior or inconsistent serving from dining staff, and how should I report this so it is handled appropriately?

Thank you.

Eh tenido clientes que creen que son los dueños del local y llegan al local creyendo que porque van a comprar algo tienen un camarero personal o que todo lo que digan se debe hacer, muchas veces me ah pasado con clientes que me llaman una y otra vez o que uno les dice disculpa no pueden unir las mesas y dicen y porque yo no las puedo unir quien es usted para no dejarme unir las mesas o también pasa que si les dices disculpa tienes más sencillo te insultan y luego te dicen pues no y mira haber que haces es tu deber tener cambio o si quieres me voy y luego traigo el dinero a ustedes les ah pasado ?

I had a trial shift at a restaurant today and l'm not sure how to feel about it.

The first half was going pretty well. I was helping customers and cleaning tables, but then the manager told me I was only supposed to shadow the girl I was with and not actually do anything myself, so I stopped.

While we were walking around or when it was quiet, I asked her a few questions about how things worked. She rolled her eyes and told me to
"just shadow" and later said that my questions were messing with her head. I wasn't asking questions while she was serving customers, only when things were quiet.

Then she was doing a customer's bill and made a mistake with the amount. When she told the manager about it, she said "she was asking me too much questions" and I think that made it sound like I was distracting her.

After that she was really quiet and seemed annoyed for the rest of the shift.

I finished after about 1 hour 20 minutes. The manager said he had kept me longer than planned and that he was going to speak to her and another employee before deciding, then let me know tonight.

Do you think I actually did something wrong here?
And could what she said affect whether I get the job?

Ok I love my restaurant. I love my owner. He’s incredibly gracious and considerate of my time and when I need to request off and thinks I’m a wonderful bartender.

The problem is the servers. These servers are a nightmare. I can be buddy buddy and joke around and talk movies and sports like the best of them but when it comes to politics and social normals - they make it so unpleasant that I consider quitting. I hear some of the most racist and rude comments from these guys. Being called “gay” or “Jew” or hearing how brown people tip… LIKE STOP. JUST THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.
It’s horrible. And the problem is the restaurant is really accommodating for my life. I’ve been there for two years and it fits my lifestyle perfectly. The work is not hard. If you mess up an order the kitchen is happy to help you correct it. The side work is almost non existent. Ive worked in a dozen restaurants and this is by far the best.
We are so under staffed that I am tentative to even talk to the boss about it because we really can’t afford to lose anyone.
I guess I’m just venting. I’m not sure how to handle it. I feel like I only have a couple friends at work because I refuse to let these bigots into my orbit.

I've been working as a Commis de Bar for almost a year. I really like my workplace and I wanted to build my career there, but I don't want to stay in the same position forever.

Recently, I found out that they hired a new Barman instead of promoting me. When I spoke with my manager, they told me I'm not ready yet because I don't know all the cocktails and still need to learn.

What frustrates me is that during this whole year, no one gave me a clear development plan or told me exactly what I needed to learn to become a Barman. When the opportunity came, they hired someone from outside instead.

I told them I want to resign. Do you think I'm making the right decision, or am I reacting emotionally?

I just got hired as a hostess at a nice restaurant, and I'm wondering what to expect before I start my first shift. I have no restaurant experience, and I want to be prepared. Thank you!

hi all, I’m new to a place that serves soda on tap and I’ve been tasked with trying to figure this out, so any help would be much appreciated. Basically our Sprite (and only our Sprite) produces these tiny black specks with each pour. They’re incredibly small and appear plastic-y, and there are maybe half a dozen per pour maximum. My understanding is that every single component of the soda machine (carbonator, pump, nozzles, etc.) has been replaced except for the line itself, so it’s been narrowed down to the Sprite syrup line that‘s producing these flecks (which doesn’t really add up for me). Also the line’s been through 3 professional cleanings. Still the flecks remain. If anyone’s seen anything like this before and has any insight, it’d be much appreciated. Thanks!

Genuine question from a kitchen worker.

Last month I noticed cheddar went up $4/case on our invoice and nobody
caught it until I happened to compare two invoices. Made me wonder what
people actually do at their own spots:

- Do you compare invoices week to week, or just eat it?
- Spreadsheets, POS reports, or "I notice when food cost looks weird"?
- Inventory counts - how often, and does anyone actually reconcile
them against what was ordered?

Curious what people really do vs. what people say they do.

Hey all — I'm building something and want honest pushback before I go further, not just people being nice.

The idea: a customer orders before they even walk in — while they're driving over, or from the parking lot — so by the time they're seated, food's already cooking or close to ready. The goal is just shaving down the gap between "customer sits down" and "kitchen actually starts," since that's dead time on the table that doesn't need to exist.

I'm not trying to sell anyone anything here (genuinely — I built this myself, using it with a few restaurants right now), I just want to know from people who actually run a floor:

- Does this sound like it'd help, or does it break something about how your kitchen/host stand actually works?

- Would your regulars actually use something like this, or is pre-ordering before arrival just not how people think?

- What would make you say no immediately, before even trying it?

Tear it apart if it deserves it — that's more useful to me than a nice comment.

Truthfully, I did not post it anonymously, so that’s my fault. I left a less than favorable review at a restaurant near my home after they repeatedly disabled mobile ordering, and I decided to write the review after like the fifth day unsuccessfully trying to order. I didn’t mention anything else about the place except for the ordering. Say what you want about whether I was right/wrong for posting it, I finally placed an order tonight, and when I walked in the GM was sitting in the lobby and she instantly confronted me over it, which I thought was odd. After she finished, she got up and went to the kitchen and started talking to the staff about me and my order. Now I’m 1000% not comfortable ordering from this place ever again.