Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad

I’m 32 years old. I understand rules and regulations, but I’m a little greene at dodging controversy and drama in Los Angeles.

I have found a survival job as a waiter at a very well established eatery in Beverly Hills, and for the first two weeks, except for some ongoing, hostile sexual harassment issues with co-workers which are now being investigated at the corporate level, things have been fine.

Most restaurants have a policy which forbids employees from eating food unless they pay for it, and even then, it must be consumed on a breaktime. Additionally, restaurants may have expensive items on the menu that are completely off limits to employees.

Last night, as I was counting my money before cashing out, the manager on duty brought me over one such menu item: a piece de resistance chocolate torte. He explained to me that it was ok for me to eat this, since I had a rough shift, so I didn’t ask any questions.

This morning when I reported for work, I had to sign a statement of disciplinary action because both an employee and a manager “saw me eating an off limits dessert last night.”

I know I'm new in town, but my gut tells me this is not the job for me. It has been very difficult for me to remain polite to almost everybody I encounter, and I don't ever recall facing so much opposition, and feeling so alone.

I know this sounds crude and a little discriminatory, but most of the people of Beverly Hills are ill-mannered and irrational. Most of them tip 10% or less, but it might just be that I’m a terrible waiter. On the other hand, I am threatened and cajoled by the clientele into giving them free stuff almost every day. Everyone claims to be neighbors with the owner and apparently, this entitles them to free food.

It galls me that undignified people will use bully tactics to get free food in a restaurant, so I finally stopped the charity yesterday, just in time to meet a 21 year old customer who threatened to sue me because she was "going into a diabetic coma and knows the owners." She didn't make any sense but she ended up getting free food by smashing her drink glass on the tile floor and throwing a very loud, very public temper tantrum that involved a manager, another couple at a nearby table, and eventually, and unarmed off-duty police officer. The real creepy part is that none of the participants or the spectators seemed to be humiliated by the scene, but I was.

I’m beginning to think this job is more trouble than it is worth. Especially since I'm not even making $50 each shift. Also, the self-same manager who had given me permission to eat the dessert last night is the one who wrote me up this morning, but something good came out of it when later on, that off duty police officer turned out to be an incredible lover.