Could be because I'm practicing to be an old curmudgeon, but sometimes I feel like kids sixteen, seventeen, oh, lets say to twenty or so, just don't have a work ethic. Worse, I think they not only lack a work ethic, but they also have this sense of entitlement that shocks me.
Case in point:
One of our hostesses has been trying to get the owner to let her serve. The owner is having none of it. Frankly, this girl is lucky to still be a hostess; one morning shift she fell asleep rolling napkins, then told the manager it "wasn't her job" when he asked her to wipe down some doors or something. How she didn't get fired I will never know. Anyway, so even though she has shown no hustle or desire, she feels it is her right to be moved up to server. The owner asked her (putting aside the sleeping incident) if she had, in the five or six months she's been a hostess, taken the time to learn the menu. No. If while standing around doing nothing on slow shifts she had talked to the bartender about wines and how they pair with certain dishes. No.
I suppose judging a whole age group on the actions of a few is blatant stereotyping - I know she is only one piece of anecdotal evidence; but there are so many more her age that act in the same "I Deserve What I Want" manner it is hard not to generalize. And hard not to think I'm right in doing so.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
You Are All A Lost Generation
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7 comments:
I think almost all of us are like that when we're at that know-it-all age. Looking back, I know I came off that way to my first employer. So I don't think it's specific to this generation...it's the age group. What really sucks is when people carry that attitude as they get older.
Or maybe hostesses are just that dumb.
I'm with Miss Edit. I think many people at that age -- of course, not EVERYONE at that age -- have things relatively easy.
I mean, at that point in my life I worked part-time and went to school full-time, lived at home, and had very little to worry about in the way of bills. The bills I did have were for luxury items and things I could live without.
Unless these kids are fortunate enough to have parents & peers who teach them that they must, in fact, earn their way, they will continually take the path of least resistance until life rubs it in their faces. I, of course, wish to be there when this happens.
Peace,
- Dennis
www.donttipthewaiter.blogspot.com
I'm with Dennis. Not that I'm much older than the hostess you speak of, but when I was that age, I didn't have the luxury of being lazy.
During most of my time in college I've been a full-time student (or more, thanks to a few 16/18 hour semesters) and had at least two jobs.
I can't speak for age groups/generations much as what I've seen at my bar and other places doesn't hold much pattern. Our laziest, most do-the-bare-minimum, bartender is in her mid-thirties. Our hard-working doorguy is about a decade younger than her. It seems a toss-up at my place.
OT: Just read your guest post over at Don't Tip the Waiter. Hee hee. I love it.
No matter what age group they fall in, hostesses are just that dumb.
I think Upset Waitress has hit the nail on the head!
My students are around this age and have the same attitude. I was a little different, as I went off to college knowing that I was lucky to be there, and my grandmother, mom, and dad would have beaten the shit out of me for an attitude like that.
But yes, I see a lot of entitlement among the younger set. I can't remember if my classmates were like that 15+ years ago, but I sure see it now. And it gets old pretty fast, having to explain to students that they do not get A's simply because their parents paid their tuition bill. [sigh]
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