Sunday

It's a Sunday and I'm here an hour earlier than I should be. Someone called in sicd, leaving us short staffed, and of course it's the first busy Sunday like... Ever.
I get a table who is immediately angry with me. They had a 20 minute wait they were not anticipating and it seems to have left a bad taste in their mouth. I get them immediately after I get a table of 13. The table of 13 people must have also been waiting quite some time. They've only been sitting for a minute when one woman snaps at me that they've "been hungry for quite some time now and are ready to order".
The woman at my angry table repeats this line almost verbatim. And her you g daughter seems embarrassed by her mothers behavior.
I'm flying around the restaurant, and nothing I do appeases these people. Every grievance they have has a very logical explanation to it:
They waited to be seated- the restaurant was full.
Their food took a bit to come out: other people ordered first
It seems as though everyone felt entitled today. I gave perfect service to angry table, as well as a complimentary desert to appease their unwarranted anger and they still left scowling and only tipped 10%.
The table of 13 leaves a comment card that says "waited 20 minutes to sit. Server took too long to take our order.
Sometimes I wish I could write comment cards about the customers. Things like "you almost made me cry today" or "I'm a person" or "I had nothing to do with the fact that you had to wait for a table" or maybe "my paychecks literally say $0.00, do yours?"
While lamenting over the entitlement of my customers I wonder if maybe I'm being a bit entitled myself. I'm angry because they don't know how hard I'm working, also because I have another huge table treating me poorly, also because I'm here early and will be late, also because we're short staffed. But here's no way they know any of those things. Maybe I dont know how late they are for something else, how hungry they were before this. Whatever. Maybe none of us are treating each other like people.
As the day goes by the wait for a table is lessened then removed all together and the mood of the patrons seems to increase in exact matching increments.