As a server, I tense up every time I get a black table.

Look, drown me in downvotes if you’d like. I know it’s not sensitive to everyone’s cultures and I know I’m going to come off pretty racist here. I want it to be known: I have no problem with black people or and people of color in my day to day life.

But when I get to work, I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I get a table of mostly black people. As a white man I can’t imagine what POC go through every day in this world. But they are the absolute worst customers to serve, almost all the time. I feel like I have to be overly hospitable or they will think I’m giving them worse service. I have had POC ask me ‘so what, we don’t get waters?’ because I was busy and did not get a chance to drop waters yet. Black people normally have outrageous requests for every minuscule detail they can think of. Many people of color, I feel, test just how much they can get out of me before I have to say something, then making me look like a racist to anyone else around. Most POC are very rude, and while I understand you have to adapt and survive any way you can, it’s very disrespect to talk to me out of line simply because I am supposed to be serving you and have to be kind to keep my job. And, historically, black people are worse tippers overall, tips I rely on to pay my bills and feed my family.

I treat every customer with the same respect. But I too often have lines crossed and my patience tested by tables with people of color.