Waiters/waitresses...what's the worst screw-up you ever made?
821518
My worst screwup was when I was a catering waitress for a wedding, "Family style" (bowls of food placed on the table and people help themselves).  I spilled green bean juice from the bowl onto a woman's dress.  She was so p'ed off!  But her husband laughed hysterically and handed me a $10 bill!  Oh my...
1063698
I SURE DID! just the other day i was in a hospital and i had really bad gas,because of this new diet,and i let one rip while i was alone on the elevator...well i pushed 5th floor at the first floor and i forgot someone might get on at one of the floors in between...well it happened...two beautiful woman and a grandma and i couldnt say anything...one of the girls started to laugh and then nudged her friend (trying to be discreet) and the granma coughed...it was a really bad one...the kind that can even make the owner of it puke...\nvery embarrassing!
653743
The first job I ever had was at a "Bennigan's" Restaurant. I was a server's assistant/Hostess. I worked there from age 16 to age 18, when  I graduated from High school. Believe it or not I really did like it, it was hard work, but good for a high schooler, flexible hours and such. Made alot of good friends..etc...I helped the server's serve and cleaned tables. I also seated people, gave them menus, told them about our specials, and brought them their drinks.  I learned that being a server is a hard job to do especially when dealing with rude people, and I learned not to go eat somewhere and leave a huge mess, someone has to clean it up, and they dont get paid enuff for it, and I learned how hard it is to make a living as a server, people, always tip well, they deserve it. Did I answer all of the question?
952486
Yes my cousin did it, one time and it was a bill of $60 dollars in a steakhouse, I just never go out with her anymore.
844817
A pal of mine was working at an amusement park one summer, as he had for most of his college career.  He had been having a rather clumsy day one hot afternoon.  The poor guy tripped over a cleaning bucket a custodian had left at the Tilt-a-Whirl ride wher he was stationed, and happened to fall onto a female patron in a rather, uh, suggestive position.  It was totally an accident, but she ratted on him and it got him canned.
362607
Forget Proper! Go based on the quality of the procedure itself, and the temperment of the person that did it! \nI think there is too much put into what you are "supposed" to leave, that people in customer service, waitresses etc, forget their manners, just figure they are OWED that tip. Screw that!
247962
I have two favorites:\n1.I switched the "N" key and the "M" key on a co-worker's computer.  He couldn't get logged on and kept trying until the system locked him out. I said maybe you just can't type. He said "I CAN type!" He was really mad. When he left his office I switched the keys back. He never did find out:)\n2.someone taped a opened can (empty but still had the juice)of sardines under a desk. After a few days it smelled really bad! "Roger" (the desk owner) came to change his shoes every morning;  he would bend down to get his shoes from under his desk and say "wow, my feet really stink". I would try not to smile and pass him a bottle of sneaker freshener. This went on for a week or two. He almost made a doctor's appointment because he really thought his feet had something wrong that made them stink. Man, that was funny!
655899
This one didn't happen to me, but rather to my brother, but it was so funny that I'll have to use it as my favorite all time bathroom blunder:\n\nOne day when I was a lot younger (I was in high school and my brother in jr. high school) I was watching TV in my room and my brother went into the batchroom to take a shower. He went in, about ten minutes passed by and no sound was heard at all coming from the bathroom, until I just heard "Thump!", then my brother saying "C r a p !", then the toilet being flushed and finally my brother saying "Oh c r a p !!!" once again \nand coming out of the bathroom looking somewhere between completely confused, frustrated and pissed. \n\nWhen he came out, my mother was coming into my room and my brother told us both what happened. He went to the bathroom to take a dump. Finished, and saw a mosquito flying near the ceiling. Without closing the toilet lid, he stood on top of the toilet and started trying to swat the mosquito. While doing so, he looked down to make sure his foot wouldn't go into the toilet (remember, the genius hadn't flushed up to this point :-) and when looking down, his glasses slid of his face and fell inside the still not flushed toilet. Not knowing what to do, he was going to try to take the glasses out of the toilet, and when trying to bend down to reach for them, he slid and his hand actually accidentaly flushed the glasses (along with everything else in the toilet) down the drain.\n\nWhen he came out and told us what had happened, I had a seeeeriously hard time trying not to laugh, and it was made even harder when I saw that my mom, upon hearing the whole story got seeeriously furious and started telling my brother just how much of an idiot he was ...then I just couldn't hold myself and you had, my brother with a scared little mouse face, my mother with the most furious face you'd ever seen her with and me rooling in the floor laughing uncontrolably ...Sigh !!!! The memories :-)
1068789
I know that I'm going to sound like a prude, but it would have to be hanging up on my boss while she was in mid sentence!! I was being called in on my day off (after just working 15 days straight without a day off and double shifts at that). I told her in no way shape or form was I coming in that day, that the restarant would have to survive without me for the next 3 days and hung up!!
890976
If I encounter a rude waiter or waitress, I usually ask if they are new.  Sometimes it's nerves that makes them come across as being rude.  If they tell me they are not new, then I know they are just plain rude and should not be doing that type of work.  I might leave them a few pennies or a nickel instead of a real tip.  Someone told me a long time ago that by not leaving a tip, they might just think I forgot to leave one. If I leave a few pennies, they will know I didn't like their service. I hate it when I'm dining alone and it takes the waiter/waitress forever to bring my check.  They should always leave the check when the food is delivered to you.
1078410
I tip at least 15% unless the server is rude. 20% for good service. \n\nKeeping the table cleared is a biggie for me. Dirty plates piling up really distracts from the experience. \n\nKeeping the water glasses filled. \n\nYou should be looking at the tables you're serving regularly to see if they are signalling you -- nothing is more irritating than a waiter who avoids eye contact because they are busy. That is just rude. If you have other things going on then explain that you'll be with them asap.  \n\nRemembering to bring the condiments requested with the meal instead of 5 minutes later when the food is no longer hot -- or even THERE for that matter. \n\nFriendly and smiling and relaxed. If a server is all stressed out I can feel it and it makes the whole dining experience uneasy.\n\nShowing a genuine desire to give good service. It is always obvious when a server sees you as a dollar sign and not a human being. I can understand how servers get that way, because their work is often thankless and people can be dismissive, rude and super ignorant in dealing with waiters. I've worked in fine dining and banquets myself, so I know how it can be. So when you reach burnout level move on to something else, instead of being a lousy server with a bad attitude. \n\nFood service can be great fun and bringing home tips every day is a great perk. I hope you enjoy your new job!
765645
I went out to dinner with a guy who got extremely drunk.  He got up and started singing "Some Enchanted Evening" in the middle of the restaurant,  and was so screwed up he fell on top of the table next to us.  I was stupid enough to drive him home (even after that stunt), and he took all his clothes off in the car and threw them out the window.  \n(I swear to G*d I am *not* making this up).  When I got him to his house I (literally) kicked his a*s out of my car and left him on his front lawn naked as a jaybird.  Needless to say that was our first and last date!
1155246
waiting on tables in a very busy restaurant.\n\nbeen there done that, laughed my way to the bank.  I made over $200 just on the weekends.
321947
Oh I could be very cruel..I once told my shy friends son if he would ask the waitress out I would give him $50..He didn't do it..I then told him I'd give him $20 just to tell her she was looking good today..He didn't do it..I'm sure he regretted not making a quick $75..\nI would go around daring people to do all kinds of things.
657949
Complaining like a gentleman or a lady definitely requires some tact:\n\n- If you have a complaint about the food, simply stop eating what you've been served. One of the most astounding things I witness in restaurants is customers eating most or all of their entree and THEN complaining about it to the owner. That is a quick way to look cheap and trashy, regardless of how well you are dressed or how much money you have. So, if you have a complaint about your entree, stop eating it immediately and quietly call a server over to your table (just like if you were going to ask for a fresh napkin or more water). Politely tell your server what is wrong with your entree (i.e. wrong order, not well-cooked, not fresh, found a foreign object, etc.). Remember not to be rude to the server, because most likely it is not his fault that your entree was a disaster. Ask him if he would please ask the chef to prepare you another meal. If the server comes back and states that the chef refuses your request, then pleasantly ask to speak to the manager.\n\n- If you have a complaint about the service and have been treated badly, do not speak to the server - just ask for the manager immediately. The best thing to remember, as usual, is to remain calm, collected, and understanding. A manager will NOT want to deal with an ill-tempered, angry customer and simply won't care if you never come back to his restaurant. However, if you remain patient and diplomatic, the manager will do his best (as a businessman) to make sure the problem is remedied so that he can retain a good customer who will continue to bring him business and tip his staff well. \n\n- If you have remained diplomatic, patient, and understanding but no one (not even the manager) will help you, it is in your best interest to quickly pay the bill and leave immediately. It is not completely inappropriate to tell the manager WHY you are leaving. You may calmly say to him, "I am leaving your establishment and I can guarantee you that I will not be returning. I will also recommend to my friens that they DO NOT go to your restaurant, because of how unfairly I was treated today. You have jeopardized your reputation and that is unfortunate."\n\nJust remember to keep your cool and act as much as a gentleman or lady as possible. If you remain collected, but firm, only the manager will look like a jerk for losing a good customer.
160485
I read one once about a guy that robbed a bank - the hold-up note he wrote was on a deposit slip - to HIS account!\n\nThere was one local here last year, a guy robbed a resturaunt - he hid in the place until they closed (or something like that) and then tried to get out through the grease vent (over the ovens) and got stuck, half inside, half outside!
961337
I was dining out with friends, 4 couples in all, in a restaurant which had a series of semi private rooms. \n\nI fell asleep and my friends decided to tiptoe out and leave me to it.\n\nAnother group who we did not know, asked was happening and without prompting took my friends places,\n\nThey then woke me, and thanked me for buying them a wonderful meal, presenting me with the bill.\n\nI was severely embarrassed.