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One of the restaurants I have worked at is located by the TD Banknorth Garden. Majority of the time our guests are people going to a Celtics or Bruins game. My motto for these people is, "get em in, get em out, on to the next one." I make my money from the amount of guests I serve during the short but hectic rush before a game at the Garden. Occasionally we get private parties where we need to dress really fancy and act like we are serving at The Top Of The Hub. My boss told me that we were having a private party of about fifty French doctors and that he wanted me to be one of the three servers on that day. He really stressed the fact that we had to be very professional and proper because they were spending a lot of money to eat at this establishment.
From stereotyping French people I just assumed that they were going to be super snobby and pompous about everything. Not like my usually guests in their Bruins jerseys slugging back Bud Lights and shots of Jameson.
As the French doctors arrive and sit down I go over introduce myself and ask if anyone would like something to drink.
Well, oh my god. They started speaking to me in French!!! I mean it took me about thirty minutes just to get their order of drinks. In fact our boss told us to just walk around with a bottle of red and white wine and see who points at it.
At one end of the table there was a group of men, probably late thirties early forties. Every time I went over there one would wink, or say something in French and they all would start laughing and stare at me. After a few more glasses of wine the only man at the table who could speak broken English started asking me questions like, "so are you student?" "What do you want to do for a job?" "Will you kiss my friend he thinks you are very pretty?" WHAT, HELL NO. Was what I wanted to say but you learn something very quickly working in this industry and that is to bite your tongue. I smiled and laughed at the man and said, "I don't think that would be very appropriate" and I walked back to the server station.
Unfortunately I had to put a smile on my face and pretend it didn't happen so these French doctors would enjoy their experience and recommend this restaurant to other people.
At the end of their meal the same guy grabbed my arm and started asking me questions again except they were even weirder and made me even more uncomfortable than before.
"So what is your rent?" Kind of a rude question but again I had to bite my tongue; I replied, "Well I pay $900 a month." Then he said, "What time are you off from work?" ...Again uh weird. "I am not sure tonight it depends on how much cleaning we have to do." To continue on with this awkward conversation in his broken English he said, "When you off work I meet you in my hotel and I pay you $900 to spend night with me."
I was in total shock.
Did this man just offer me money to sleep with him? Do I look like a prostitute?
I could feel my face turn tomato red. All the men just sat there and stared at me, oh my god he wasn’t kidding and everyone at the table knows exactly what he just asked me. Not to mention he had a ring on his left hand.
I didn't even respond to him I just walked away and hid in the server station until the group of French assholes left.
Here’s the thing, yes I am a server and I get you drinks and food and try to make your time pleasant while you are sitting at the table I am taking care of. However do not get this hospitality confused with me being submissive and your slave. Just because I am getting you drinks doesn't mean I am going to go back to your stanky French hotel room and serve you grapes and champagne in a toga all night.
Let me fill you men in on something about women servers, I may seem like I am enjoying your comments about how pretty you think I am or how you want to hang out after my shift. But as soon as I walk back to the server station I am making fun of your goofy ass with the other servers. You are a joke and entertainment for me to get through this shitty shift that is filled with other guys just like you all night.
Stop looking at women and treating them like they are just as valuable as the piece of meat they serve you.
