A landlady from Calw, Baden-Württemberg, asks guests to be nicer to their waitress – and in doing so triggers a debate. Dozens of Focus online users responded to our call and are now reporting on their experiences in gastronomy, as guests or as employees.
“Please be nice to our waitress”: the landlady of the “Krabba-Nescht” restaurant recently caused a stir with this request. She posted a picture of herself next to the sign with the caption on Facebook. “Waiters are still harder to get than guests,” it continues. Shortly before, a waitress at the Calw restaurant in Baden-Württemberg had apparently burst into tears because a guest had treated her so unkindly.
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
The landlady’s campaign was well received. Thousands of users commented on the post. Many reported similar experiences with nasty guests and rated it positively that the landlady stands behind her staff. However, critical voices were also mixed in with the approval. Some users wrote that the lack of staff is by no means due to the guests, but to the poor pay and the lousy working conditions in the catering industry.
More on the gastronomy debate: Controversial reactions – the waitress bursts into tears after a guest statement – the landlady reacts
Focus online has asked its users – dozens have reported. They report on their experiences in gastronomy and take a position on the question: Are the guests the problem or is the lack of staff due to the working conditions?
“In my opinion, dealing with waiters
Also read: Facebook post caused a stir – landlady tells what makes her particularly stunned in the restaurant
User Klaus J. also agrees with the opinion of the landlady from Calw. He has been working in the catering industry for over 30 years and can only confirm the report about unfriendly guests. Many guests are always in a hurry and simply don’t take the time to enjoy themselves. He writes: “But the crowning glory is that if the guests are not satisfied, they send a negative review.”
Focus online user Margarete Kanteluk-Wesen can also confirm these experiences. The 36-year-old has been working at reception in a four-star hotel for three years. Just this year, like the waitress in Calw, she was treated so rudely by a guest that she burst into tears. She also sees a difference to the time before Corona: “It’s true, the guests have become more impatient.”
Also read: Ex-waitress about gastro horror – “When I couldn’t wait out injured, my boss said: Shame on you!”
Jennifer Förster writes: “I work in a large conference hotel and have had more and more problems like this every week since Corona.” Guests would say things like “I’m not interested that you have too few staff” or “why should I wear a mask here, You have nothing to say to me, I am a paying guest”. No one should be surprised why hardly anyone likes to work in the catering and hotel industry anymore. “I’m the head of the service department myself and have often stood in the kitchen crying since Corona because you have to put up with everything without comment,” writes Förster.
But there are also different opinions among the user answers. Adelheid Imhof, for example, does not see the problem with the guests, but with the “massive lack of staff”. There is hardly any other profession with worse working conditions than that of gastronomy. She lists: 13 to 14 hour days, seven days a week and holiday work without a pay increase. The list could continue indefinitely. “Under these circumstances, who would want to work in gastronomy,” Imhof asks in conclusion. Mandy Golling-Hölzer shares this opinion. She writes: “You have to invest more money to get better staff.”
