“Can I have a free refill of my soda? And another? Again please?” (Talk about high maintenance and annoying.)
“Can we have separate cheques for our party of forty?” (Every server’s worst nightmare.)
My personal favorite is, “Thanks dear, you were great, your tip is on the table,” as I quickly run over to collect my 4 percent tip and then force myself to consume a cold beverage before my blood boils over with indignation.
The above are personal anecdotes that, regrettably, I may never be able to fully expunge from my memory. They come from many years of work in the service industry while financing my university education. So, where am I going with this and what does this trip down memory lane have to do with the Hell’s Angels?
In case you haven’t heard, the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang is having a convention this weekend (Jan. 11, 12 and 13) and will be staying at the Holiday Inn on King Street. The purpose of the visit is to celebrate the gang’s expansion into Ontario. Consequently, Metro Police have engaged in their own campaign of fear-mongering and urged bar and restaurant owners not to serve any individual wearing the Hell’s Angel’s “colours.”
Now, bikers have long been known to engage in conspicuous consumption, particularly where alcohol is involved. Is this not every bar or restaurant proprietor’s dream? In response to Metro Police’s warning, the Angels have issued a press release to bars and restaurants promising their patronage and cordial conduct in any establishment that welcomes them. Even Mayor Mel deems it foolhardy to discriminate against individuals based on their attire.
As far as this issue is concerned, Metro Police need a wake up call. Most Toronto bartenders and servers do not work to make friends. They work to make money. Furthermore, despite morally objectionable, illicit or licentious behaviour engaged in by certain Hell’s Angels members, they have money to spend and are known to tip very well. (I can personally attest to this, as I have over seven years’ experience and have slung drinks for a biker or two.)
Ask any experienced server in the city which group evokes more fear: a bus full of American senior citizens or this weekend’s gathering of the Hell’s Angels? I have yet to meet a biker who has asked for a separate cheque or five consecutive free refills of their Diet Coke.
