Niamh Shackleton
A waitress sparked a debate online after showing the stark difference between the way two parties left their restaurant tables.
Having worked in hospitality myself, I always try my best to make server's lives easier; whether that's by putting my plate at the end of the table so it's easier to reach or simply just being kind and courteous towards them (like I'd expect back).
But it's not always about if you've worked in hospitality that impacts your restaurant etiquette, but your age - apparently.
Back in 2020, server Kate shared a clip to TikTok showing how a table of Boomers left their table in comparison to a group of Gen Zers. See it here:
Advert
On one hand, the younger customers attempted to leave the table the way they had found it, stacking the plates and cups neatly at the end of the table, with all the garbage from the table sitting on top.
In contrast, the older customers left the table they dined at with half-eaten meals, napkins, and general messiness, leaving without cleaning their area or their plates.
Because of the stark contrast between the two tables, the poster noted the politeness of young people towards service workers in comparison to older customers in her caption, which read: "They get paid to do that VS we know restaurant life is hard here, let us help you out."
Kate later explained in an interview with Buzzfeed that the purpose of her posting this video wasn’t to take shots at older patrons, but rather to make a statement about politeness and respect.
"I posted it because I thought it was ironic since older people always expect respect,” Kate recalled.
"All I'm saying is it was cool and helpful of the younger people, and I appreciated it," she added.
The video left peopled divided and many TikTokers took to the comments section of the clip to share their thoughts.
The original viral video was deleted by Kate after it blew up 'because corporate got mad', as she put it. But after leaving the job, she re-uploaded it again.
One person said: "Would you like them to place the order and pick up their food from the chef also??? I mean why keep you if the customers will be doing all the work?"
"What r u sayin though? It’s ur job either way. Just sayin," added a second.
But others were more understanding of where Kate was coming from.
"It’s not hard to clean up after yourself and make things easier on staff," one wrote.
Echoing similar sentiments, another penned: "My dad always taught me not to leave the place a mess when I leave. It’s not hard."
What do you think?