I began working at a very early age in a Shoney’s in Hoover, Alabama. I started waiting tables because I was raised in a southern family where my mother only had two expectations of her two daughters. She taught us that we only needed to know two things in life to survive: waiting tables and taking care of men.
So, at fourteen, she put me to work, waiting tables. It is hard work and long hours. But I loved it and it paid great money. I did so well in fact, that I saw it as the only thing that I could ever be good at. Plus, my mother convinced my sister and I that we could never go to college. First because it was two expensive and secondly, we just were not smart enough. 99% of the money a server makes is in cash from tips, especially if you develop relationships with regular customers. .
After high school, I went to work for Cracker Barrel in Nashville. The majority of our customer base was from the music business. After about four years of waiting tables, I developed a problem with my wrist and it required surgery. I was living alone at the time with no alternative financial resources. I was unable to use my wrist for almost a month. I went from making around $500 a week in cash to $70 a week for disability. I was not only hurt but in bad shape financially.
By the time I was able to go back to work, I had barely enough money to eat much less pay my bills. Plus, I could only work part time as I was still in a cast. The last table on my first day back, were some of my regulars. I was happy to see familiar faces. When they asked where I had been, I described my injury and that I was only working part time while I healed. They wished me good luck and finished their meal. What happened next was unbelievable. After they left, I went to clear the table and found that they left a $200 tip. I could not believe it. I went to the back and cried with relief.
Of all of the times that I needed help, this was my most desperate. They did not know that they literally changed my life that day. I would not have had the money to survive that week without the generosity of two strangers. That tip taught me that if strangers could believe in me, why couldn’t I believe in myself? With that, my outlook changed. And I have never forgotten what they did for me that day.
After many changes in my life, I left the restaurant business and went to college earning my Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees. I worked very hard over the years and have been very successful as an HR Director for two large organizations. After moving to a new city recently , my partner and I found a neighborhood cafe that we fell in love with. We go there at least once per week and we aways have the same server; a very nice, young college student. She is so in tune with our needs, by the time we sit at our favorite table, she already has our drinks. The food and service is outstanding and we absolutely love her. When we found out that she would be leaving the next day for college and may not be back, we were devastated. After she explained her situation, it became clear what I needed to do.
Life has been very good to me over the years. I am more successful than I ever thought possible. So, it was time for me to pay it forward. I left Amanda, our beloved server, a $100 tip. I hope that it has the same influence on her as it did on me. I never forget where I came from, my family influences, my experiences and the people that believed in me and those that didn’t.