Well, one of the most common things is time pressure. Servers often have to deal with customers who are in a hurry and expect their food to be served super fast. If there are any delays in the kitchen, the server gets the blame. Another common aspect is dealing with difficult children. When parents don't control their kids and the kids are running around or making a mess at the table, it makes the server's job really tough. And of course, there are those customers who seem to think the server is there just to take their abuse and don't show any basic respect.
Rude customers are very common. They can be rude in different ways like complaining non - stop or being disrespectful to the server's efforts. Another common element is mistakes in orders. Sometimes it's the kitchen's fault but the server has to face the angry customers.
Well, overcharging is another one. Some restaurants add extra charges without proper explanation. I know of a case where a customer was charged double for a dish that was not supposed to be that expensive. And when they questioned it, the staff was very uncooperative, trying to make the customer feel like it was their fault for not understanding the menu properly.
One common element is finding foreign objects in the food. It could be hair, like in my soup story, or pieces of plastic, which is really dangerous. Another is food that is not cooked properly, either undercooked or overcooked. And of course, food that is not fresh, like the smelly oysters I had.
One horror story is when a server had a customer who was extremely rude. The customer constantly complained about every little thing, from the temperature of the water to the color of the tablecloth. The server tried to be polite but the customer just kept berating them in front of other diners.
Bad attitude from the staff is a common one. Like when they act impatient or rude towards customers. Another is getting the order wrong, whether it's the food or drinks. And slow service is also very typical. It can make the whole dining experience really unpleasant.
Another common horror story is about overcharging. Some restaurants add extra charges that are not clear to the customer. A friend of mine was charged for a side dish that was supposed to be included with the main course, and they didn't notice until they got the bill.
Customers who don't tip. It's really frustrating for the workers who have served them well. They rely on tips to make a decent living.
Rudeness is a common one. Like when a host is short - tempered and snaps at customers for no good reason. Another is incompetence, such as getting the reservation details wrong. And then there's the case of the host showing favoritism. For example, seating regular customers in the best spots while making new customers wait for no good reason.
A common horror story is performance issues. For example, a query that was supposed to run in seconds took hours. This was due to bad indexing. Indexes were not created properly or were missing for important columns used in the WHERE clause of the query. Another is security breaches. If a SQL Server has weak authentication or improper user permissions, it can be easily hacked. Hackers can then steal sensitive data like customer information or financial records.
One of the common causes is lack of proper maintenance. Servers need regular updates, both in terms of software and hardware. If they don't get that, they can become vulnerable. Also, overloading the server with too much traffic or too many tasks at once can lead to crashes. It's like asking a person to do ten things at the same time - something is bound to go wrong.
I heard about a server who accidentally spilled water on a customer. The customer was really nice about it and joked, 'At least it's not hot coffee like in those lawsuit stories!' The server was so relieved and they ended up having a great conversation. It shows that a little humor can turn an awkward situation around.