It was a sunny and humble Sunday afternoon until
a group of five over-dressed girls (of not-quite-legal drinking age) bombarded
the doors of the restaurant. Everyone
stared at the Millennials because not only did they have the air of
self-entitlement but they were dressed as if they were headed out for a scandalous Saturday
night on the Vegas Strip.
Oh God. Please don’t let them seat in my
section.
As they entered, without even acknowledging
the hosts in any way (shocking), they
decided on where they wanted to sit and walked over to their chosen throne.
My section. Of course.
Once they sat, the host went over to them and
handed them their menus. Even though
they sat themselves (one of the most
annoying behaviors of guests at a restaurant of our caliber), I wasn’t busy
so therefore; I had no legitimate
excuse not to take them.
The host walked over to me and said, “They’re
ready to order.” Of course they are.
I walked over with a smile, professional as
always. “Hi ladies! How are you all doing today?” The apparent leader of the pack piped up,
“Umm, we’re ready to order. What are you
guys having...”
Soooo, you’re
not actually ready...
As they were discussing options (and knowing I had no choice but to stay at
their table as they figured it out) I could feel every single person in my
section staring at them. Between their
provocative clothing and their bossy attitudes, they were a sight hard to
miss. After a loud discussion and an
annoying amount of debate, they decided on a dazzling display of virgin drinks.
When I walked up to their table with their "mocktails," the leader bolted out again, “We’re ready to order.” I politely said, “Let me put your drinks
down first then I can take your order no problem.” The logical
next step of restaurant service, young one.
It’s hard for anyone to practice patience. But for the Millennials, I feel like it’s practically
impossible.
Once I took their orders, they immediately
got up and started taking pictures of each other, and of course, countless
selfies. I think they managed to snap photos of every single possible
combination of themselves as mathematically possible. After that process was completed, it became social media posting and scrolling hour… in complete silence.
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t hear a single peep out of those
young whippersnappers for practically the next hour. They were so consumed with posting updates
and pictures on Facebook and Instagram (and
probably other sites I don’t even know about cause I’m too old) they didn’t
even come up for air to say a single word
to each other their entire lunch. The next
(and only) time they spoke to each
other was when the check came and therefore needed to discuss how they were
going to split it.
The Millennial generation worries me. The Internet, along with social media, camera
phones and Wi-Fi, has completely warped the perspective of our young adults and of
what’s truly important in this world.
Obviously this topic is deep and pertinent
enough for an author to write a book about and/or to have a professor teach a
college course about. Most likely both have already happened.
And most likely every server in the world
witnesses this recent phenomenon on some level on a daily basis.
As I watched these dolled-up girls play with
their phones in silence, I couldn’t help but to shake my head in sadness. If these girls were 19 back when I was 19 in
the late 90’s when internet and cell phones were just beginning to surface (yikes I’m old), they would have actually
been enjoying each other’s company. They
would have been sharing stories with each other, talking about other friends, boys, their families and what interesting new places they might be traveling to. And
instead, it seemed they came out to lunch dressed up for their Facebook friends
and their Instagram followers, not for each other. And I know for a fact they didn’t learn a
single thing about each other’s lives the entire time they spent together at
lunch (except for who is more popular in
the social media world based on who got the most “likes” in regards to their newly
posted photos).
As servers, we are observers of people and of
society: all types and all ages. I take
it all in (the good, the bad, the selfies and everything in between) and digest it the best I can
in an effort to better myself and to spread my newfound observations to others to better society. Consequently,
that’s the purpose of this blog.
Whether you decide to call someone on the
phone you’ve only been speaking to via Facebook messages for the last two years
or whether you decide to put your phone down next time you’re at lunch with a
friend, I hope this post reminds you to connect with your friends and family in
the real live human world.
Now that you’re done reading this on your
smart phone or your iPad, at least text
someone about this post and spread the word about Serving (and saving) Humanity. ~ HK ~
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