Because of my research on waiters, I frequently hear waiter horror stories, and often it is the waiter telling the tale of abuse. Making light of an isolated incident helps to diffuse the tension between waiters and guests, but the problem in reality is acute. I believe the problem in this country lies in a distinction between service and servitude. There is a remarkable difference. Service is next to godliness.
Service requires respect, attention, devotion.
Servers give aid or assistance, cooperatively, to someone in need, such as a guest. Servitude is completely at the other end of the spectrum, when the ego is under the thralldom of another against the will. Servitude is more akin to slavery or bondage. While components of my theory may have implications for service domains other than hospitality, my work concentrates on the restaurant industry, waiters in particular. Waiters are the quintessential service workers and understanding their role in society helps to provide for a framework to look at service work in general.