No one talks about the hard life of working in hospitality in Spain

I first started working in hospitality, in Spain. Yes, Spain is known for its party life and late dining culture, ole ole 💃. However, have you thought about the people on the other side, how their lives are, how many hours of sleep they get, how much time they get to spend with their families?

Well, I’ll be honest, it’s not a great lifestyle to have, it’s unhealthy, bad schedules, sleep hours could be 3-5 minimum, or if we are lucky depending on the schedule, 8hours, like every other normal person .

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day? Forget about that, that’s just another working week. Nothing to be celebrated, deep loneliness, desperation for the week to end. While others are celebrating with their families, we have to serve them. Yes, I know what you are thinking, 🤔 I asked for this job! I signed the contract 📑. Yes, it’s true, but what about our lives? We have to work the schedules we get, we never get to choose this. So if it’s early in the morning for the breakfast shift, to later in the evening split schedule. Or if it’s the late night shift and again early in the morning for breakfast, so 5 hours of sleep, then having split schedule.

Do any other waiters/ waitresses find it annoying when customers move two three tables together, pick up any chairs they can find and move them around, but somehow never manage to put them back! Who has to make everything look perfect again? Us, the workers. (I officially have OCD for the order of the chairs and the cushions).

Or if a customer gives us a dirty tissue or napkin to throw away, why do we have to take that. Can you not throw that in a bin yourself? Leaving a snotty tissue on the table is just the same. Once, someone tried to hand me dog 🐕 poop to throw away in the restaurant bin. I kindly told them to throw it in a bin outside the establishment.

Some people live in their own bubbles 🫧 because they have never worked in hospitality, they have never known the true work of a waiter, therefore have no sympathy nor empathy.

When people raise their hand or say they are ready, and then you get to the table to take the order, and they still don’t have it clear and they are talking amongst themselves to see what to order to drink and to eat. As a waiter we have so many things to do, in a order, and as fast as possible. When a group of customers interrupts our thought process and speed, they cause us to delay everything.

Sometimes, customers expect their orders to be at the top of the list, and make us feel bad for the delay, when there were 10 other tickets before them .

Some customers don’t even bother to say hi, thank you, please and thank you. They make you feel invisible, as if you don’t exist.

However, you can get those customers who are so kind. They leave everything easy to reach so that clearing the table isn’t complicated or they help you. They treat you with respect and kindness. They appreciate your work and tell you. This makes every waiters day, and going to work better 🫶.

In conclusion…

Being a waiter is hard, but the customers are sometimes the hardest to deal with. I believe that waiters deserve more respect, better conditions and kindness. Please try to keep that in mind when visiting Spain, thank you 🙏