I get it — I spent nearly 20 years working in the service industry in this town, so I understand that some customers can be genuinely difficult and straight-up idiotic. But that experience is exactly why I know that dealing with a tough customer never gives anyone the green light to turn around and gossip about them in front of other paying guests.
I've noticed a steady decline in customer service across multiple industries here, and I doubt I'm alone in that observation. I have real empathy for workers who are overworked and underpaid — that's a legitimate problem. But kindness is free. It costs you absolutely nothing, and it changes everything about the environment you create.
If you feel the need to vent, save it for the break room or after your shift, in a private setting with people you trust. I suspect some workers feel comfortable speaking freely around me because I treat them well and tip appropriately — but that comfort shouldn't translate into assuming I want to hear others being talked about. Unless that person is a genuine safety concern to you or others, those conversations have no place on the floor.
I'm not asking you to go above and beyond your job description — that's between you and your employer. I'm simply asking this: With everything going on in the world right now, those of us who interact with the public every day have a rare opportunity. You can be a small but real voice of kindness. That matters more than most people realize.