The life of a waiter

Life as a waiter has multiple advantages. Not that it is all pleasure and no drudgery. Its greatest advantage is the crowd of people one meets. As a waiter does not meet them at a social level, there is no question of being involved. Nobody seems to mind the waiter. People sit and talk over cups of coffee and plates of sandwiches, over hamburgers and lunches and dinners paying little heed to the shadow figure hovering around their table, catering to their requirements and bringing things to and fro. They discuss business deals and family affairs; they discuss problems, delinquent children as well as courtships and marriages. A waiter can, if he so desires, become a very knowledgeable person simply by listening to these conversations. He also learns about the happenings in town and may become the best informed person regarding the scandals, next perhaps, only to the barber.“I took this job up as a temporary measure when I had just finished school and was on the lookout for an opening. But it has so far proved fairly lucrative and I am happy and so, I am still working as a waiter after three months,” says Ben Karenzi a waiter in a Coffee shop in Kacyiru, Kigali. He also added that waiters and waitresses should keep track of how much money they earn in terms of tips. He noted that tips were so important in that even the employer considers them when remunerating their pay at the end of the month. Immaculate Jolie, who serves at Simba Restaurant had this to say, “On a good evening shift, I can go home with around 4,000 francs in terms of tips.” Clearly, tips of that amount in a day not only enthuse a waiter or waiter but also enable them to go about their daily expenses without necessarily touching on their monthly income. On the other hand, waiters go through a lot for one day from struggling to remember people’s orders to wiping the dirty tables. As intermediaries who bridge the divide between kitchen and customers, waiters serve an invaluable role in shaping a diner’s experience.