Emily Duprie
A server and TikToker recently went viral for discussing some coded ques wait staff use to signal that your time at their restaurant is running thin. Her TikTok sparked discussion on the true feelings of servers when you overstay your welcome at a business.
If you’ve ever been in the food service industry before, you know how frustrating it can be when a table stays after they’ve finished eating. Not only does it keep you from getting a new table and making more tips, they can sometimes get carried away and stay after closing time. A table keeping you from getting home on time is the worst.
There are sometimes instances when you can feel a server’s energy becoming anxious. Usually, this is the social cue that it’s time to head out. User tastyriah posted her short but powerful clip with a text overlay that wrote “‘can i get the check’ but i pull it out of my pocket bc I’ve been waiting for you to gtfo my section.”
Through her video, other servers came forward with their hints and cues they utilize to nudge customers out of their sections. One common and ironic phrase some of the viewers agreed upon was “Whenever you’re ready! No rush.”
I’ve heard this phrase numerous times, and have used it myself as a former server. The irony of telling the customer “no rush” when you really mean “hurry up” is a reverse psychology tactic that leaves the server more frustrated than before more often than not.
This TikToker and waitresses tips on how to pick up that your server wants you gone racked up over 1.4 million views.
Viewers discussed their different strategies for luring guests out of their establishments in the comment section of the creators video. Read them below to see if you’ve ever had a server’s social ques fly right over your head while over-staying your welcome at a restaurant. And be sure to keep them in mind for next time!
