Too Busy

The other day, I went to a California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. I was surprised to see that the restaurant was jammed and the only place I could sit was at the counter. So I went there, ordered, ate, read the New York Times, and listened to conversations around me (when I could make them out). As I was getting to the Op Ed page of the paper and halfway through my salad, I overheard something like the following.

The man to my right commented on how full the place was. “Yeh,” the waiter behind the counter replied, “but it does me no good. I just have to work harder and don’t get paid any more.”

I was a bit stunned and wanted to say/shout: “Hey, you have a job, dummy. And what should I think about your attitude when it comes to my tip?”