Day in and day out, heated debates are also generated on social networks around the profession of hospitality. Controversies over job offers with conditions that are outrageous, reviews of businesses and responses from the establishment that go viral… And also protest messages from the waiters themselves.
The most recent comes from the hand of Abraham Galera Cano, better known on social networks as @abrigaca (265 thousand followers on Instagram and 770 thousand on TikTok). This waiter has shared a video on his profile where he intends to demand that customers get used to paying for what they consume. Although his intention was to give visibility to this reality and how it influences the business, the message has not been so well received by users.
In his video, Abraham speaks on behalf of waiters and hoteliers addressing customers, claiming that “we want you to normalize one thing, which is paying for what you consume.” “You come to the cashier to pay for things or we bring the bills to your table and you are surprised because we charge you for things that you have ordered and consumed: ‘oh, they charged me for the aioli, what rats’, ‘oh, they charged me 10 cents more for coffee ice,’” he states.
“You have to understand that all these things don’t come for free to us,” emphasizes the waiter, adding that “there are things that if you ask for them you have to pay for them and you don’t have to go and mess around at the bar later.”
“Everything has to be charged, because the main business of the bar is to generate money, if I wanted to give you things I would invite you to my house to eat,” he concludes. Although the video exceeds 7,000 likes, a debate marked by indignation has been generated in the comments section.
Some users agree with @abrigaca’s message, pointing out that “it seems logical to me that what he says is less about ice,” or “I understand the point, but I am also one of those who thinks that it is always good to be clear about what things they would be charged.” Another person points out: “10 cents for ice is fine, apart from the ice itself, it is another glass to clean… you should always charge.”
But what predominates are comments expressing their point of view opposite to that of the waiter. One user states, regarding charging for ice: “I have not known anything meaner.” Others appeal to examples such as: “Because of that rule of three, I don’t drink sugar with my coffee with milk, are you going to give me a discount?” or “When I order a Coca-Cola, ice is included in the price. Why does iced coffee have a supplement?”
Likewise, others highlight that they are often charged for things they have not ordered, such as bread, even if they have not consumed it. And so the debate continues, in which both parties defend their interests.
