Campers, I said it was coming...

As aforementioned in my previous post, campers is a little nickname given to the guests that remain seated at a table well beyond the course of their meal. There are two types of campers: the early bird and the endless squatters. The first, the early bird is a guest that arrives well before the rest of the party staking claim to the table with a fan of menus and one iced tea. Sometimes the early birds wait so long that another party could have dined and the table cleaned before the others showed. The latter, the endless squatters, are the ones I mentioned before that tend to overstay their welcome so to speak. They are those that have declined further service and requested the check, yet they settle in for what may be a visit with an old friend, intense conversation, arrangements over the sale of a home, a pitch for life insurance, I’ve seen them all. One of my coworkers once asked me if I could please take some marshmallows and a Coleman lantern to table 37, “Cuz they’re camping out in my section,” he said in a southern Georgia twang that could make the ABC’s hilarious. I probably would have rolled in the floor with laughter had I not been standing over dirty dishwater. All that being said, there are ways for a camper to remedy their overstay. As a matter of fact, I have a perfect example. I once waited on two ladies that were meeting for one to treat the other to a birthday lunch. These ladies happen to fall into both categories of campers. The birthday girl arrived 25 minutes before her friend joined her. They required very little attention as it was mostly a social visit but every time I visited the table the one lady, let's see, we'll call her Lady 1, would sing my praises. She would say I was just precious, that I couldn't be a day over 18, that I was a "hoot" and even one time she proclaimed that I was perfect. I don't think anyone has ever said that about me before. So at this point I'm thinking maybe she's a little delusional but none the less, still my new favorite customer. Anyway these ladies did two, well really, three things that made me glad to have them at my table for their three hour visit. First, they were a joy to be around. They were exceptionally polite and listened attentively when I spoke, which may seem small but believe me it happens only sporadically in a server’s day. Secondly, they acknowledged that they were taking up my table and let me know they were gracious for my hospitality. Servers are so often not acknowledged and sometimes even outright ignored that a small thanks like this is graciously appreciated in return. And last, they paid rent. They gave me a $17.00 tip on a $49.00 check. I hope they come and camp out in my section at least once a week. I think I can be a “hoot” that often.