A TikTok user and restaurant server went viral after posting a video in which she shares tips for “rookie” waitresses, and reveals that if the manager tells you their computer crashed it’s probably a lie.
TikTok user Chelsie (@thatbaldbih), who posts about her job as a restaurant server, starts the video off by promising “rookie server tips I wish somebody would have told me.”
Chelsie’s first tip involves what to do if you’re calling in sick for a shift.
“Tell everybody the same lie,” she says. “You never know when something’s gonna slip–people are back and forth all day.”
@thatbaldbih Sorry for the cut offs I hate them too #fyp #serverlife ♬ original sound – chelsie
The second rookie tip involves staff dynamics.
“You never know who’s dating or siblings. I worked with this couple for like six months, didn’t know they were dating,” Chelsie says.
Therefore, she advises, “Just don’t even talk about people at all.”
Tip number 3 involves arguments with the back of house staff. “If you get into an argument with a cook, ever, never under any circumstances ever in your life eat there again,” Chelsie says, offering an example that is so graphic it must be bleeped.
Another tip Chelsie describes as “crucial” is to never throw away your tickets.
“This literally happened to me yesterday,” she says. “I wrote down somebody’s order, didn’t put it in, threw the ticket away, and 30 minutes went by before I realized.”
Chelsie says this resulted in her digging through the trash in the middle of her shift to try to recover the lost order. Ultimately, her manager had to go out and stretch the truth with the customers. “My boss had to go back out to the table and had to tell them a lie that the computer crashed. Whatever you do; never throw your tickets away,” Chelsie warns.
Ultimately, Chelsie says the best policy is to “keep it real” and be honest and genuine with your tables. This includes setting healthy boundaries around respect and not putting on an artificially bubbly personality.
The Daily Dot contacted Chelsie via TikTok and email for comment. Her video has amassed more than 273,000 views since it was posted on Oct. 2. In the comments, current and former servers said they can relate to the advice.
User Angelica (@fopnuts) wrote, “your boss is a real one lmao my manager would’ve snitched me out HAPPILY.”
Another server, Hannah Kaufman (@hannah_rose354) ,wrote, “Something I learned be careful who you tell your business to, if it’s the wrong person the entire restaurant will know by the end of shift.”
“I’ve gotten into so many fights w the cook but anytime i see them, we reminisce and laugh,” wrote user @mygodpaigeee_.
“I agree with most. Only thing is I could never tell someone to be patient even if they are screaming in my face like Mother’s Day was so busy for us,” wrote Kelsie (@kelsie.billingsley1).
