Great article for all of you in the hospitality industry, “Offering Crushed Pepper Before Tasting the Entrée; The Decline of Restaurant Service Etiquette”
It begins with the greeting, “Hello, guys, my name is XYZ, and I’ll be your server tonight”. Firstly, the lovely lady sitting across from me is not a male. I can think of many terms of endearment for her, but guy is not one of them, and we hear this term throughout the meal – “would you guys like something from the bar?”, “would you guys like anything else?”, etc. The greeting is friendly certainly, but far too familiar and casual. I do not want to be a friend, a pal or a buddy. I am paying for this dining experience; I am your esteemed customer/guest, not one of the Gang!
So Ah doan’ rekon “y’all”‘d be much better’n “you guys”?
This is what you get from letting decorum and formality slip incrementally. Another example is the difference in the attire of passengers on flights from the dawn of the jet-age to now: from tres chic to tank-tops and flit-flots.
signed:
Helena Handbasket