Guaranteed to cause cancer and ignite gasoline fumes.*
“You’re Abe Froman?”
- “Yes”
“Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago?”
These words elicit fond memories for those of us who remember watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off back in the 80′s. The scene is set: Ferris, Sloan and Cameron pick the fanciest restaurant in all of Chicago and steal a reservation set for a meat magnate by calling the restaurant asking for “Abe Froman”, who happened to look exactly like Ferris Bueller.
Fast forward 24 years to the year 2010 and the ability to pull this trickeration off is reduced to nil. In 2010, the woman calling for Abe Froman (Sloan calling) wouldn’t have called the restaurant to reach him, she would have just called his Blackberry. I say Blackberry, because a man of his meaty, sausage-y stature and business savvy wouldn’t be caught dead using an iPhone4 (his daughter would, perhaps). Don’t forget the fact that Abe Froman probably has the restaurant, Chez Quis in his contacts list, so he’d probably call ahead to let the Maitre D’ know that he was running late. Thus, Ferris’ day off wouldn’t have been so well-rounded. Imagine after doing amazing things like driving around in a Ferrari, dancing and singing in a parade and catching a ball at a baseball game, the three of them went and grabbed lunch at a Taco Tico. It just doesn’t fit. I suppose we can all trace it back to Abe Froman’s Blackberry, couldn’t we?
Having cell phones on us at all times has become the standard. It’s almost become such an odd occurrence when you can’t reach someone immediately, that there must be something terribly wrong. Of course, we must always be available to anyone who tries to reach us in case something important has happened. This desire of accessibility has even extended it’s tendrils into what should be an enjoyable, sensational experience: dining out. Twenty years ago, there were no cell phones to distract us in a restaurant. We’d either dine alone with a newspaper or lunch with friends and family. With all these people constantly on their cell phones while they eat, you almost forget that they call it a “Lunch Break” for a reason. It doesn’t mean “Lunch get-away-from-the-office-but-keep-working”.
We, who work on the front lines in a restaurant require human interaction to perform our jobs. If we can’t get your attention or hold a short conversation with you, you don’t get served and we don’t get paid; the two things that are pretty standard operation for a server. There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to customers will cell phones: those that will interrupt your mobile conversation and those that will not. I tend to lean towards the latter rather than the former. If I see a customer who is on their cell phone, I’ll either walk up to the table and acknowledge the cell phone or I will “eagle eye” the person from a far distance until I notice that they have put the phone down.
As much as I dislike people excessively using cell phones at the table, I understand it. However, your cell phone is not a brick wall. Yes, you may having what you think is an important phone call, but you can see that your server is standing right next to you. Continuing to talk, making no acknowledgment to your server and pretending they are not there is analogous putting your fingers in your ears and going “la-la-la-la-la-la-la”. If you’re going to use your cell phone at the table, understand that someone who claims ownership of the table you’re sitting at has a job to do. We know that you’re busy and we respect that you work hard, but we work hard also. When you’re on lunch break, we go to work. We appreciate it when customers will tell the person on the other line to “hold on” and address us with whatever it is we need from them, whether it be to get them something to drink or take their order.
There are quite a few things I’d like to talk about when it comes to cell phones, but this little segment is long enough.
I’m not going to go off on a rant as to why customers should put away their cell phones when they come into a restaurant. It’s unrealistic to think that in this modern era of technology that people can detach themselves from accessibility for an hour a day. Maybe one day those tumors growing in our heads because of cell phones will eventually become a cell phone and we would ALL be hands-free*!
*Cell phones have not been proven to cause cancer, tumors or ignite gasoline fumes.
The thing that gets me about customers using cell phones is when they get mad at me for not coming to the table sooner. I’m not going to be rude and interrupt your conversation, and it really does go better taking orders if you can pay attention to me and what I’m saying. If you’ve been talking on your phone for the last ten minutes, don’t give me a dirty look and get an attitude that I didn’t come sooner. It’s your own fault.
That and when someone’s ring tone goes off loudly and annoyingly the entire time they’re in the restaurant. Turn it down, geez.
More information about the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation from wireless technology is coming out every day. Enough is not being done by cities, counties, states and the Federal Government to protect us from the potentially devastating health and environmental effects. Through the 1996 telecommunications act the telecoms are shielded from liability and oversight. Initially cell phones were released with no pre-market safety testing despite the fact the Government and the Military have known for over 50 years that radio frequency is harmful to all biological systems (inthesenewtimes dot com/2009/05/02/6458/.). Health studies were suppressed and the 4 trillion dollar a year industry was given what amounts to a license to kill.
On it’s face, the 1996 telecommunications act is unconstitutional and a cover-up. Within the fine print city governments are not allowed to consider “environmental” effects from cell towers. They should anyway! It is the moral and legal obligation of our government to protect our health and welfare? Or is it? When did this become an obsolete concept? A cell tower is a microwave weapon capable of causing cancer, genetic damage & other biological problems. Bees, bats, humans, plants and trees are all affected by RF & EMF. Communities fight to keep cell towers away from schools yet they allow the school boards to install wi fi in all of our schools thereby irradiating our kids for 6-7 hours each day. Kids go home and the genetic assault continues with DECT portable phones, cell phones, wi fi and Wii’s. A tsunami of cancers and early alzheimer’s await our kids. Young people under the age of 20 are 420% more at risk of forming brain tumors (Swedish study, Dr. Lennart Hardell) because of their soft skulls, brain size and cell turn over time. Instead of teaching “safer” cell phone use and the dangers of wireless technology our schools mindlessly rush to wireless bending to industry pressure rather than informed decision making. We teach about alcohol, tobacco, drugs and safe sex but not about “safer” cell phone use. We are in a wireless trance, scientists are panicking while young brains, ovaries and sperm burns.
Really? This is a restaurant blog. I make some snarky, meant-to-be-funny comment about cell phones and you pull out your big guns on cell phone studies? Wrong forum, David.
David-
If you hate cell phones soo much, don’t own one. Nobody is forcing them on you or anyone. Move to some Nowheresville in flyover country or Alaska somewhere to get away from the radiation, and for God’s sake, leave your computer behind, because, as all good little conspiracy theorists know, the CIA IS trying to steal your brainwaves, or some bullcrap like that, through the computer, or the computer is irradiating you also. Have a little personal responsibility for yourself and stop asking Daddy Government to hold your hand and protect you from the evil cell-phone companies. Serving in a restaurant is one of the purest forms of Capitalism left in the world today, and your anti-capitalist, conspiracy-theory rant is best left for some other, more loony blog.
dude you’re weird go to some other blog and leave servernotslave alone. you are really freaking weird.
i meant to aim that at the other dude my bad
Please don’t add gasoline to the cell phone fire. It’s just more fumes for the cell phone to ignite.
I’m sorry, I don’t know of a polite way to put this. You’re a total wacko — there is exactly zero proof for anything you have said and in fact there is considerable proof to the contrary. Please go wrap your head with tinfoil and let the rest of us enjoy talking about restaurants.
This guy seems to be all over the intertubes spreading his fear and conspiracy theories. Me thinks he needs to drop by a bar, have few beers and chill a bit.
Pretty cool blog. I don’t agree with everything you say but I have learned some about being a more understanding diner.
I appreciate the comment, Dave. That’s the reason for the blog: you don’t necessarily need to agree, but if I can teach you a minutia of detail of how to be a better customer, I’ve done my job.
seeing people who know the truth makes me very happy. other people need to learn to research things on their own rather than accepting everything the government says as true.
I’ll chime in about rude customers using their cell phones also, if I may. I work a 2nd job as a cashier in a grocery store. Just tonight, I had a woman approach the checkstand wearing an ear-implant device who talked the entire time I rang up her groceries. Not once did she acknowledge my presence. I usually just act as if the person on the phone isn’t on the phone. You’d think their money would be an issue…but it seems not. As she approached, I greeted her and asked it she needed anything else. Nothing. I totaled her groceries and announced the total. She continued to talk and delayed the people behind her (in the express line) until I finally tapped the credit card machine to get her attention. She entered the wrong pin number four times and I had to tell her each time to “try again.” Still talking. Finally her card was accepted and I bagged her groceries in the store’s plastic bags. It was when she was about the exit the checkstand when she presented her own cloth bags and told me she wanted to use her own bags. I re-bagged her groceries while she talked..more of a delay for the customers behind her…then she started to exit the store without her groceries. Laughing, she started to look at her receipt and began to question several prices…something she should have done while I was scanning. The prices were not wrong but she delayed them even more now. Finally, she took her bags, slowly and started to leave. Then she remembered she’d forgotten some items and wanted to leave her bags on the checkstand while she shopped for the forgotten items. Eventually she came back and bought three pieces of posterboard. Still talking. I found it ironic that she was dressed head to toe in all black in an hijab (covering of the body except the face and hands) and her conversation mostly consisted of her saying things like “we are to blessed to be stressed” and “life is what you make it” and “look for the good in all bad things and just be happy that things are not worse’….all this coming from the epitome of rude public behavior. Also, the only time she acknowledged by presence was to complain……YUCK!
Oh, how I loathe, as a manager, the guests who ask to speak to me, but cannot put down their cell phone to do so. Its soo urgent, you need a manager right now, but I can be made to wait for you. This is simply a power trip by people who have no power.
Also, the people who wear a bluetooth headset like its a friggin’ earring- are you really that important? Does someone need to get in touch with you at all times? Do you feel cool? I’m really trying to understand, because I just don’t get it. I’ve had bluetooth headsets, and I’ve used them in the car, or when I’m having a really long conversation and my arm gets a cramp from holding the damned phone to my ear, but I sure don’t wear the thing like a fashion statement. Again, a powerless power trip.
Lastly, the 2-people-both-talking-to-someone-not-here- what the hell is the point of going to lunch or dinner with a person, to whom you are not going to say one word? I have witnessed guests come in and dine together and not say one word to each other, but have multiple conversations with God-knows-who-else over, you guessed it, a cell phone. Put the damn thing down and enjoy each other’s company; hopefully, that’s why you went to eat together in the first place.
Whenever I have a table and the person is on their cell phone, I’ll simply make an effort to walk up to the table and start introducing myself before stopping, gesturing politely to the cell phone and softly adding, “Oh I’ll come back.” People will usually hang up right away (even going as far as waving me to stay and saying goodbye that very second) because, while they don’t have a problem with making you wait for THEM, they’ll usually have a problem with them having to wait for you. Which isn’t exactly true, because you’re waiting for them to get off their d*** cell phone.
This is why I typically go outside when I need to make/take a phone call. Because it’s rude to everybody around you, including the server, to talk at the table as if whoever’s on the phone is more important than the company around you.
Ah, takes me back to Sex and the City…
Samantha’s at lunch at a nice restaurant alone, talking on the phone for some work purpose. The waiter tells her there is a no cell phone policy. She complies and says something to the effect of “I understand my noise may be annoying/distracting to the other patrons, but what are you doing about THAT noise?” Pointing at a loud child playing with spaghetti, completely covered in it, while his mom coos at him about how he has such a great appetite or something. The waiter responds “That’s a child. I can’t do anything about that.” Then she confronts the mom/child and the kid throws the spaghetti on her.
Anyway, I work at a very child-friendly restaurant so we don’t get a lot of people sitting alone on their phones (plus I rarely work lunches anymore), so I don’t have the phone problem as much (if someone’s on the phone, I just talk to the rest of the table and someone else either knows what they want or complain at them to turn it off so they can order lol), I take more issue with the annoying kids. And I love kids in general, I was a nanny all throughout college. But terribly behaved, loud, whiney kids… kids like the one who dropped an entire glass shake on me which then shattered all over my feet, kids who spill drinks, who whine about the sprinkling of cheese on their pasta and the parents give into their whineyness. Those kids are more annoying than a customer on his cell phone, to me at least!
Here’s an idea. When I go out to eat, whether for a quick sanity saving lunch or a relaxing dinner, I don’t want to here your cellphone. More to the point, I don’t want to hear your conversation at 150 decibels so that even the kitchen knows what is happening in your life and how you beat somebody down. If you must keep your cel phone on at a restaurant, turn it tovibrate and go outside to take calls. The rest of us, staff and customers alike, would appreciate the consideration.