I'll Be Your Server (please put down your phone)

Celebrities can be so rude. The lack of respect for those who serve us in stores and restaurants is appalling. The whole world seems to be paying more attention to the events taking place on their smart phones than the events unfolding in their lives.

Customers in restaurants treat servers like personal slaves at times. Many servers are taken aback by the lack of breeding and manners some diners display. The server is often blamed when the meal is not to their satisfaction. If there’s a backup in the kitchen customers tend to take it out on the server.

The recent Kendall Jenner incident at New York’s Mercer Kitchen exposes a dilemma. At times celebrities expect immediate delivery of their food (and often, they expect the meal to be complimentary). Many A-listers do not carry money – their assistants take care of the annoying task of paying the bill. In the recent past a possible presidential candidate was given a bill for a dinner party of eight. The person glared at the server and said, “I’m sorry but I never carry money or credit cards. My assistant will have to take care of that.” The assistant did pay the amount in hundred dollar bills but neglected to add the tip. Lately, service people in many different fields have noticed a nasty trend developing. They are being talked down to and often ignored. After they put a plate down in front of the diner, their boss might nod, remind[ng them to ask if everything is to their satisfaction. Some diners express annoyance as if the server is intruding or listening in on their conversation.

For the wait staff it’s exasperating that people will not stop looking down and playing with their phones. It’s rude to their dining companions as well as the waiter/waitress. It shows enormous disregard. I was in a well-known (dare I say “famous”?) Studio City delicatessen recently where a young couple had three children with them. The youngest, about 18 months, was seated in a high-chair and screamed nearly nonstop. The two older children were about three and five years old. They ran up and down the aisles, bumping into other diners, pulling at chairs, stopping to touch other people’s food, and diving under tables. The parents sat like statues smiling at their respective cell phones. At one point an older couple were leaving the restaurant – the man handed his bill to the young father and said, “You’re buying us dinner tonight, pal.” No further explanation was necessary.

I was amazed at the incident and mentioned it to my server. He said, “That’s nothing – earlier tonight I had a female diner who didn’t like her meal so she took her plate and spilled it upside down all over the floor. She didn’t leave me a tip but at least she paid the bill.”

What’s happening with society? Are we losing it? Have we totally lost respect for everything and everyone around us? At times, I wish my mother were present -- she’d be able to set things straight again.