PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMYE MACHINA ON PINTEREST

A sign hung up by an establishment, informing patrons of a rude customer charge.

As the face of the restaurant they represent, Front of House (FOH) servers are given some of the most vile treatment out of any customer service employee. 

Despite only being the messenger of the rules from the higher-ups, they often face truly hellish conditions. They are subject to dancing like a jester for their customers, enduring blows to their self-esteem amid all kinds of humiliation, just to earn above minimum wage to provide for themselves. 

As a server at Fuji Japanese Steakhouse here in Jonesboro, my tenure has been riddled with patrons who have shown a lack of basic human empathy and understanding of the processes behind a restaurant. 

From getting cussed out by a group of middle-aged drunkards reverting to their high school years, to having ill-mannered high schoolers make borderline sexually harassing comments towards me, my rage-filled responses get shoved down into the recesses of my thoughts until they can spill out onto my coworkers during a break from the chaos of the dining floor. 

And what’s the only thing that keeps a fake smile on my face while I serve food for these sorts of detestable people? Only the most valuable tangible item in any society: money. 

While there are quite a few customers who leave me with a genuine grin on my face while serving them, I put on a facade to make sure I am being as presentable as possible to get a tip that does not subtract from my daily earnings after tip pooling.

At what point do customers need punishment for their treatment of employees? 

Servers are told over and over to stay professional and keep a mask up while their patrons continuously tear into them for any small mistake, even if they are not at fault. Why not find a way to deter people from acting out while dining at your establishment? 

For the sake of the waiters and waitresses, along with the preservation of a safe dining environment, I propose that restaurants employ a fee on unruly customers.

While there needs to be certain restrictions and processes set up to make this work, such as a way to provide evidence of the offending interaction or what exactly constitutes the enforcement of the fee, this idea would help to improve the morale of FOH staff in the restaurant industry. Additionally, a rude customer fee would act as an effective deterrent for anyone forgetting their manners.

Adding this sort of incentive for servers when dealing with wrongful treatment would provide more of a worthwhile reason to keep composure in these situations. If they suspect a customer will not tip, there is less motivation to maintain a positive outward appearance since there will likely be zero monetary payoff. 

The fee would create an insurance for servers not to have to pay for someone else’s lack of etiquette or restraint while they continue to stand stoically in the face of verbal abuse.  

On the flip side, customers are less likely to act out when it means that there is more money being forced out of their pocket. Remaining calm when there is the possibility of a fee for harassment of an employee still gives the opportunity for the patron to voice their displeasure by stiffing if they genuinely have reason to believe the service was unacceptable.

This is not the end-all solution to the unfair and inhumane treatment of servers. Rather, a rude customer fee serves as one step forward in the push towards a change in how FOH restaurant staff are viewed. 

Even if it’s what you’ve been fed at every restaurant, maybe it’s time that we realize the customer isn’t always right.  

Categories: Opinion