Teenagers, Not Pariahs

Have you ever noticed the dirty looks and eye-rolls that groups of teenagers entering a restaurant tend to receive from servers? All of us teenagers are "known for" being rude, obnoxious, immature, and, of course, poor tippers. That's why waitresses cringe as we walk in, take forever to bring out our food and drinks, and treat us like we're a waste of their time. What they don't realize is that teenagers who act that way are actually the exception, not the rule. Teenagers at restaurants should be treated the same way that other customers are.

Why is it that opinions are so easily formed based on just a few bad experiences? Negative stereotypes that are created by teenagers who don't know how to act at restaurants aren't fair to those of us who are actually considerate of other diners and our servers. The stereotype is only perpetuated when server gives teenagers poor service based on that stereotype. I remember one time in particular that I was a victim of this hateful stereotype. While at Denny's with a small group of friends, our waitress treated us like a bunch of unwanted pests. She acted bored and irritated while taking our orders and was impatient when it took us longer than a minute to decide on what food to order. She never even refilled our drinks and only revisited the table after delivering our food when she gave us the bill. We received this treatment even though we had been nothing but polite to our waitress before she made her dislike for us clear. Poor service can cause customers to act rude and obnoxious, as it did in this instance. We felt no obligation to show our waitress the courtesy that she neglected to show us- it's a sort of automatic reaction to being treated like we're worthless and unwanted. Of course that doesn't mean there aren't people who act that way no matter what; but, once again, that's the exception, not the rule.

Why should this matter to anyone who isn't a teenager? Would a change in the treatment of teenage diners even affect anyone else? Yes, it would:

• Waiters/waitresses would earn more money. Giving all customers the good service they deserve would result in receiving fair tips from all of their customers. They are entirely missing out on a large source of potential tips by automatically neglecting teenage customers. Those of us who are aware of proper tipping etiquette would gladly act upon that knowledge if we were given a reason to.
• Restaurants would earn more profit. The effects of customer service experience are greater than you may think. Once someone receives poor customer service at a restaurant, why would they go back? It's pretty unlikely that they would, or they would at least visit much less frequently. On the other hand, receiving good service would most likely result in more frequent visits. Teenagers are no exception to this way of thinking. It's reasonable to believe that we would continue to eat at a restaurant where we receive the same quality of service as other customers. So, better treatment of teenagers would ultimately lead to a restaurant having more customers and earning more money.
• All diners would get to eat in a more pleasant environment. If bad service can cause customers to act in a way that disturbs other diners, then good service can cause customers to be more courteous and respectful of their fellow diners. Wouldn't eating at a restaurant where everyone seems happy and is content to act appropriately be preferable to eating somewhere where obnoxious teenagers are practically screaming every time they talk and are just being a general nuisance?

If teenagers were treated with the same respect and courtesy as older customers, servers would see that our stereotypes aren't always true. Bad behavior is a reaction to bad service, but bad service is also a reaction to previous bad behavior. So what will it take to change this vicious circle of negativity?

Somebody needs to just step up and be the bigger person. Act upon what you know is the right thing to do, the right way to treat people. Stop simply reacting to stereotypes and the negative attitudes they create. Both groups are guilty of doing the latter, so creating a change requires effort from both groups.

With this in mind, here is my challenge for the next time you go out to eat or are working at a restaurant:

• Teenage customers- be polite to your waitress, don't disturb your fellow customers, and leave a proper tip regardless of service quality. Prove to your server that teenagers are capable of behaving appropriately at restaurants, it may help them to give better service to future teenage customers.
• Servers- don't assume that a group of teenagers is going to be annoying and not tip you, treat them with the same courtesy you give to other customers. If you treat them like equal customers, then they'll act like your other customers.

Poor customer service can result in uncourteous behavior and poor tipping regardless of the customer's age, so teenagers shouldn't be singled out as the only unwanted customers at restaurants. Just like other age groups are capable of being bad customers, teenagers are capable of being good ones. In order to move forward and create a better experience for diners, restaurants, and restaurant staff we need to simply forget the negative stereotypes. If every customer is shown equal respect, then they will show that same respect in return. Mutual respect is the key to creating a better restaurant environment, so give teenagers a chance to prove that they don't deserve to be treated like pariahs.