A Reasonable Request (Continued)

I accept your challenge, Katie Songer!

Before reading this post, you may want to visit my dear friend and recent co-worker (Yay!), Katie's blog , to understand the motivation behind this post. And for those of you who tune in solely to see pictures and stories of my boys, you will not find them in this post.  Sorry.  Next time.

Actually, I can not believe that I have been in the blog world for over a year now and have not posted one single Cracker Barrel story, a similar post to this one, or one about some of the crazy antics that occur in my work environment.  And there are plenty!  I HIGHLY recommend you read a post by Katie, that witty and ever so eloquent writer friend of mine.  It is called Bottom of the Barrel, and it is hilarious!!  If you have ever worked in food service or with the public, in general, I am sure you can relate.  And if you haven't, then you need to at some point in your life...to have a true appreciation for people who choose to work in the service industry. I still think that one should never be allowed to eat in a dining establishment until they have first worked in a dining establishment.  You should have to carry a card as a badge of proof.

Can you tell I have worked as a server on and off for over 12 years?

I do love my job and I love people!  It is truly a delight to serve others (including co-workers) and converse with so many different people with whom I ordinarily would not cross paths.  It is also an awesome mission field!  I love the fast-paced world of serving, as it really fits my personality. Since I am quite the fan of eating out (and eating, in general), I really do want others to have a pleasant dining out experience. It does take a lot to get me miffed in this job.  I can ignore the rude comment and compassionately consider that the person may have just had a bad day.  After many, many years at it and two kiddos at home to care for, I have really learned to overlook the minor annoyances, not take anything personally and not get stressed over the little things. 

But there are exceptions....

The following paragraph was blatantly stolen from Katie's blog (since I gave you credit, that doesn't make it plagiarism, does it?), but the requests are those I added to the list from her blog.  She had most of the really good ones, but there were a couple of extras that I thought of.

Here are the stolen words:

There is a fine line between reasonable and unreasonable requests in a restaurant, and guests can’t always be expected to know on which side of the line a particular request will fall. So here are a few real life examples of the kinds of behaviors that will and won’t make you the topic of mockery in the kitchen. 

I might also add, REMEMBER, your server is a person who has complete access to your food before it arrives at your table, and if you are going to do something unreasonable, then you might want to wait until AFTER you have received your meal.  I would never condone food tampering....I am just saying that I have been around this business for quite a while and others do not share my convictions.

Reasonable Request: It is certainly reasonable to request that your steak be well done, but not charred.  Even asking for a little extra steak seasoning is acceptable in my book.  I even welcome you to send back a reasonable steak order that is not to your liking.  You are paying hard earned money for your meal and I would do the same.


Unreasonable Request: Asking that your server make sure that the cook examines all the steaks and gets the one with the most marble (this apparently means fat), puts just enough steak seasoning on it-but not too much-because you also want the catfish seasoning on it, too.  But remember, not too much.   Make it an even ratio. Also, make sure that the steak is well done, but just well done, not a bit more or less.  And don't forget to ask the cook to put butter all over the top of the steak when it is nearing done, but take the steak off the grill before the butter melts completely.  But make sure the butter has covered all sides of the steak, but careful not to get any on the bottom.  Got all that?  And remember if it is not exactly how I stated, then I will send it back.  Thanks, sweetie!  And make sure my tea is lukewarm.


Not acceptable! Yes, this was an actual request from a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently, some people do not have eyes to see that they are not the only guests in the building and that asking for that much attention to be put on a mere steak is ridiculous. Especially when there are thirty more orders coming through at the same time. I don't even pay that much attention to the dinners I make at home, for just my immediate family...and remember, I made my own baby food for the boys.  Sheesh!  If you are really that picky and particular about your food, then you should consider cooking for yourself.  Super, duper special requests make for very unhappy cooks, especially when it is busy.  This makes all of our lives rougher.  And remember that whole, people whom you are annoying having access to the food that your going to eat, thing I referred to earlier?

Reasonable Request:  It is reasonable to ask that your pinto beans be a little extra soupy or a little dry.  It is even okay to ask that any big chunks of ham be removed from the beans.  I get it.

Unreasonable Request:  But it is completely unreasonable to ask that every trace of ham be removed from an item that is COOKED in it.  This is particularly a challenge for the turnip green consumer who just can not handle finding a trace of ham in the greens. 

Tip:  If you don't eat pork, don't order our green beans, pinto beans, or turnip greens.  Save us all the agony.

Reasonable Request:  If you are one of the only tables in the restaurant on a cold, snowy night in mid-January, I completely understand your desire to have the fans turned off.  I will happily oblige.


Unacceptable Request: If you are a guest at 6:00pm on a busy night in the middle of July and no one around you appears to be uncomfortable with the temperature, especially your server, who is running around like a crazy person trying to "please people," do not request to have the fan turned down because you, and only you, are FREEZING!!!  Keep a sweater, light jacket, or snow coat...it's your choice.. in your car at all times for such occasions.  Or better yet, place your napkin on your head.   (Again, you may want to refer to Katie's Bottom of the Barrel, for a story that illustrates this.)  Remember, you are not the only person dining with us for the evening.


Reasonable Request:  When you learn that we are out of the special, it is okay to stick out the pouty lip for a moment and say how much you were looking forward to eating our meatloaf, roastbeef, etc.  Believe me, I love food and you will get genuine sympathy from me.  Then, let's move on to plan B.

Unreasonable Request: It is not okay to begin whining like a three-year-old for ten minutes, complaining about how your day is completely ruined now and how nothing in the world can remedy this tragedy.  In this scenario, you will get no sympathy from me.  I mean, really?  Not getting a piece of meatloaf is really the worst thing that could happen to you in a day?  Do you realize that a big portion of the world and many in our own country will not even eat dinner this evening?  Or that there are places in the world where a bowl of rice is a delicacy and the only food that will be had that day?   WAH! WAH!  Move on to the chicken and dumplings and think about what is really important in life!

Reasonable Request: It is okay to arrive five minutes ahead of your party and go ahead and be seated.  That is a fair wait time.  It is also okay to sit at a server's table for two hours, as long as you tip not only according to your ticket price, but also according to the extra time you occupied said table.

Unreasonable Request: It is not okay to arrive 45 minutes ahead of your party during our busiest time and sit sipping on your coffee while you tie up the table I could be making money on while you await the arrival of your slow "joiners."  If at all possible, wait for your entire party to arrive before taking up a table.  Remember, servers only make $2.13-ish per hour and depend on tables turning in order to make money.  Especially at Cracker Barrel, a reasonably priced eating establishment, where a family of four can eat for under $20.  This means that we don't have huge dollar amount tickets and therefore, rely on fast table turn to make a buck.  However, I invite you to have your family reunion with us and sit for hours on end, as long as you remember to tip according to the time you spend at the table, as well as the amount of your meal.

Reasonable Request: It is reasonable to have a cell phone conversation while you are in a restaurant, but only AFTER you have placed both drink and food order.   

Unreasonable request: It is NEVER okay to shoosh your server and act annoyed because the server is doing his/her JOB by trying to take your order when you have chosen to sit down at the table and have an inappropriately timed causual indepth thirty minute conversation on your cell phone.  I guess I could understand if it was an extreme emergency situation, but rudeness is not acceptable and the server should not have to return to the table repeated times just to get a drink order.  Servers just don't have time for that and it really messes with his/her work flow and productivity. Even in the most dire of circumstances (phone call wise), you can pause briefly and ask for a sweet tea and a bowl of beans.  Or better yet, we have a welcoming array of Hinkle family made rockers on the front porch that are available while you have the aforementioned conversation.  If it is cold out, we have a lovely hearth on which you can plant yourself.  You can talk until your little heart is content and THEN occupy a table and get down to the business of ordering your food.


Reasonable Request: I will happily inform your kids who are playing checkers near the fire place that their dinner is ready.  I am going that way anyway.  No problem.  I will even journey into the gift shop to give word to your loved one.

Unreasonable Request: But I will draw the line.  I will not happily retrieve your kids, spouse, friend from the bathroom (yes, I have been asked), from the front porch (asked that, too), or the next door hotel (not been asked yet, but I am sure it is coming).

Oh, there are so many more, but this is all I have time for now.  A book should definitely be written.

And I bet you didn't know I could get so sassy!  I don't think I knew I had that amount of sass in me.

I really do love my job!