LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT
“How was everything?” Waitress Clair Courier asked one of the couples she’d been waiting on all night.
“Oh it was delicious, thank you, please pass our compliments to the chef!” replied the woman.
“Oh I will, and thank you for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed everything, I’ll definitely let the chef know” lied Clair through an insincere smile.
This was not the first time Clair had let this silky lie roll off her forked tongue, catching up with the Advocate after her shift she explained just how well rehearsed it is.
“Oh it’s every table, we do about 100 covers a night so I’ve got a fair bit of practice.”
“For some reason people feel compelled to tell you how much they enjoyed the meal, I mean I’d get it if we were at hatted restaurant, but we’re not.”
“We’re a mediocre Italian restaurant that passes off Barilla as home-made pasta.”
“I literally couldn’t care less if you enjoyed your meal, you’re either lying or have no tastebuds.”
The Advocate understands that hospitality workers, or ‘hospo’s’ as they like to be called, right across the country deliver these very same lines every night, pacifying customers into a false sense of importance with the hopes of increasing the gratuity left after the meal. Whether or not this tactic is effective remains to be seen.
More to come.
