Ok then why do waiters always make it SO FUCKING HARD TO LEAVE?! Most of the time, I wind up waiting for the check to show up, often I have to flag someone down to get it.

And then, the most ridiculous part of the whole ritual; they drop off the check and then leave! Imagine if that happened anywhere else. Go through the grocery aisle, get all your stuff scanned, and then the person working the checkout just walks away for 5+ minutes.

And then, when they finally show up and take the check with your card, they leave for another 5+ minutes. What is taking so long?! It is 2026, how do you not have a functional POS system??

Places that let you pay with your phone and leave when you’re ready are the best. Even ones that have the waiter come to the table with a pad you can pay on are good. I just hate the black booklets, such a horrible, inefficient way to pay.

“I chose a job where I work a 6 hour shift and expect to get 20% or more of whatever you’re arbitrarily paying because I carried over three plates and a couple drinks. For some reason, I get paid more if you ordered the $60 Steak and Lobster instead of the $18 hamburger and fries. I will actively fight against the removal of tips in exchange for a normal hourly wage, because I make way more from tips than what I’d make as a person who walks across a room carrying a plate”.