Am sitting in a ramen franchise restaurant, drinking a cheap sake and enjoying the absolute indifference the host welcomes every customer. She is paid minimum wage and giving minimum effort to every ‘irashaimase’ and ‘arigato gozaimasu’. I love it. Nay, I think I’m in love.
by riamuriamu
47 comments
Ima take a wild guess and say you’re feelin a little giggly and tipsy posting this one. But enjoy. It’s the little things in life!!
Fun way to find out you are a bit of a masochist.
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I mean, I think if you’re making minimum wage, which is pretty shitty, a shitty attitude is all you’re getting paid to have…
I find the cho genki super polite service a little creepy when you think about what they’re getting paid for all that effort. I mean…damn
I’m always polite and friendly to service staff because they don’t get paid enough to deal with my bullshit.
Service here is much better and more active than Europe. I’m guessing you’re American as servers harass you there
Man, I’ve been in countries where the service was genuinely, seriously utterly trash. There the owner and/or employees gave a filthy look to every customer who walked in before ignoring them for as long as possible, only to then *finally* drag themselves over with an attitude of complete loathing and disgust. Japan is like service paradise by comparison.
Cool story
It takes every ounce of will not to say irashaimase back every time I hear it, especially in supermarkets.
Somebody has had a bit too much cheap sake I guess
And best of all, no tips expected or required for service, shitty or otherwise. I’m right there with ya, pal!
The mistake is in the ramen. Udon is vastly superior. You will be much happier if you immediately relocate to Kagawa and eat it for lunch (or even better breakfast) every day. Most of the udonya are self service, so you can enjoy even more indifference.
Have a good friday lad, cheers 🍻
Japanese companies treat their employees like chattel. They haven’t moved with the times at all since the days of serfdom. For a while it worked when they offered some semblance of progression and opportunity but now that’s been stripped bare by the “reforms” of Koizumi 20 years ago, JP bosses are left bereft of any idea of how to handle employees nowadays. Gambatte!
rashamaseee
I’m always impressed at how service workers remain enthusiastic with every new customer that enters the store or leaves the store. I don’t know how they’re able to do it all day.
This is peak Japan Life.
Go to the states where they do the same thing and expect 20% tip
She needs to take Irasshaimase lessons from Larry David.
Pretty weird but I feel kinda relaxed when the minimum wage worker is chilling and won’t overdo 接客
I went to a restaurant with a (well-behaved) group about 10 years ago and we asked the waitress if she’d take a group picture of us. She just said “Nope. Busy.” Then stood doing nothing in a different section. I wasn’t even angry. Just impressed.
In general, though, minimum wage workers in Japan are overzealous about their jobs compared to American fast food workers.
I find it so depressing if I’m being honest
I actually prefer rude/plainly give zero fucks staff here in Japan. It’s refreshing.
Kinda like how really nice staff in the west are a nice change from the “don’t want to be there” standard fare.
Meh, I work table service at a big restaurant starting with M and I chat with everyone. A lot of the regulars know my name now. I basically try to make sure everyone leaves with a positive feeling and having had a laugh or two.
(I live in a small city though, not a sprawling metropolis rules may vary)
Agreed!
Good one
Obviously it’s all fake but I’ll take it any day of the week instead of the over-the-top “service” in the USA (and some other places) where they won’t fucking leave you alone:
– “Hey guys my name is [insert name] I’ll be you server, if you need anything let me know”.
food is served, just a few moments before you’ve even had time to digest your first bite:
– “Hey guys how’s the food? Can I get you any more drinks? Any sides? Did I tell you that my name is [insert name] and that I’ll be your server? Enjoy your food, wowzers!”
Fuck offffffffffffffffffffffffff leave me aloooooooooooone
I feel a headache coming into your life from around tomorrow morning.
Yeah but I hate having to constantly ask for water refills
I love the contrast. Like generally service is amazing so when people are rude it’s hilarious and fun. Like when I go to the local doctor they are just like “どう？” and one of the nurses scolded me for not holding pressure on my arm long enough after a blood draw.
My most famous example of this is my driving instructor scolding me through every single lesson because she knew I could understand her 😂. Honestly it makes me feel accepted and loved.
Happens in every country lmao. In London the “indifference” is much more noticeable imo
Getting the ‘minimum effort’ treatment while slurping ramen is almost like a rite of passage in Japan. Cheers to the beautifully indifferent ‘irashaimase’!
Its funny because that’s still more respectful/welcoming than most places in the US in that price range (cheap franchise type places). And them mf will expect a 20% tip on top of it. Love Japan
Aren’t all ramen-yas supposed to be indifferent to customers? I thought that that was a law or at least a cultural necessity.
I went to the UK and went to Starbucks and the guy who was the only one taking orders was standing with his back to the shop chatting to someone out the back. After a couple of minutes I called out to get some service and he noticed he had custom. “Watcha ‘avin mate?”
i HATE when i am told *irasshaimase* when i enter a kombini
and *arigatougozaimashita* when i am leaving
Same I don’t wanna be waited on. Gimme my food and I’ll pay on the way out. Perfect meal.
Funny how I’m reading this 8 minutes before doing the exact same thing as that lady for the exact same price with the exact same ammount of zero fucks
I enjoy the realness I hate the bs fake politeness
You’re not alone its the topic amongst Japanese online too. Young people are terminally disinterested and disrespectful.
How do I buy my host a drink lol
Lmao love this post cos sometimes is like that I think people should do. Lol
But the idea is that this varies pretty much from place to place. Recently me and a friend found a place in Fukuoka that boy… I’m not gonna tell the place cos I’m afraid if people go there it’ll make it super crowded and brake the waitresses smiles lol, whenever I want to be well treated and talk a lot, I just go there.
But, at the other hand, there’s a 段々麺屋 that everyone is always mad for some reason and I LOVE it lol.
Some people are better at faking it than others.
I, too, visit 三宝亭
Me too, I’ve absolutely had the exact same thought.
If good service means I get asked “how’s everything going with you so far?” while I’m chewing my food and need to quickly swallow to answer the question, and then at the end feel guilty if I don’t pay the portion of the server’s wage that the employers refuse to pay because of greed, then I’ll go on a whim and say I don’t care much for good service.
i dread the day when i have to go back home, where i get basically the same energy, but they expect a tip for interrupting my dinner with a deadpan “is your food ok?”a few times.
went to an indian place on friday and while the food was good, the constant talk, the “sorry, SIR/thank you, SIR/ whatever SIR” was making me uncomfortable. going back for the food tho