Working at a restaurant: an absurdist tragicomedy

Click here to read part I.

I spent months coming home infuriated after work due to something ignorant a coworker said or how needlessly mean a customer was. But, in the last couple of months, I have developed a good coping mechanism. If I really don’t like a coworker on a personal level, if they are creepy or racist, which a lot of people in the industry are, I just start viewing them as video game characters. This way, I can imagine the conversations they force me into as part of their arc. "Of course, they would say that in such a situation, it’s so consistent with their character design!" Sometimes, I visualise a set of dialogue options appearing in front of me when I have to respond to them. Accepting that I don’t have to like someone to spend an extended amount of time with someone and adding some humour to the situation has been a game-changer. It even motivated me to explore how they think and operate by asking them questions and learning about them. 

But above all my snarkiness, the experience of working at a restaurant is a very human one. It is about connecting with people, having the kindest conversations with customers, and sharing a beer with coworkers after a hard shift. It is about learning about your coworkers’ lives deeply and knowing that this is special because there are no pretences, no particular way either of you must present yourselves. You can be honest, knowing that you might not see this person ever again if they decide to quit tomorrow. 

It is also about anger, a lot of anger, sometimes so much anger that you carry it around with you for days. Some interactions with customers make you lose all your hope in humanity or want to cry or scream, but you just smile and say “Enjoy your meal.” I cannot say that the positives outweigh the negatives: if I had the financial means to do so, I would much rather not work and focus on my degree, so I will by no means romanticise this experience or talk about how it makes one stronger or “ready for the real world.” But I will say this: something that is not tangible or quantifiable, but something nonetheless, would be missing from my life if it wasn’t for this experience.