Want to Become a Restaurant VIP? Bring Holiday Gifts.

"Within hours of opening, the wheels started coming off the wagon. The kitchen couldn't handle the volume of hundreds of guests being seated all at once. Aggrieved parties stormed out in the middle of their meals after waiting 45 minutes in between courses. Babies cried. Managers were summoned. Most guests left feeling cheated - like we'd ruined their holiday. I suspect that none of them realized (or cared), but they had also ruined mine."

"Looking back, what I remember most about that day - aside from flambeeing about 30 orders of bourbon-spiked gravy table-side over a 12-hour shift with no breaks - was how cruel some guests could be. One woman admonished me for causing her children to go hungry, her Cartier bracelet jingling as she angrily waved her hand in my face. Some people took pity on us, but the majority were outright nasty, seemingly unable to recognize that, even if the experience was disappointing, the staff were still forfeiting their own holiday plans to provide them a space to celebrate with their loved ones."

"Restaurant workers carry a heavy burden this time of year. They're expected to work extra hours, and guests are much harder to please. If you've developed close relationships with staff at your favorite restaurant, consider doing something special for them in the coming months. A nice bottle of wine is always appreciated, but there are plenty of other ways to acknowledge someone who's taken special care of you in a restaurant all year round."

A midtown Manhattan restaurant ran continuous Thanksgiving service from noon to 8 p.m., offering a $195 turkey feast. The kitchen became overwhelmed as hundreds of guests were seated at once, causing long delays between courses, customers leaving mid-meal, and managers being summoned. Servers worked 12-hour shifts with no breaks, flambeeing numerous orders while enduring rude and sometimes cruel guest behavior. Many guests failed to recognize that staff had forfeited their own holiday plans. Patrons can show appreciation to hospitality workers through gifts and thoughtful gestures such as wine, spa days, or other acts of thanks.

Read at Eater