History Main / NiceToTheWaiter

*** In yet another one, the villain's deception only works because his victims don't look too closely at the faces at the waiters serving them. G K Chesterton was slightly fond of this trope.

* In DanAbnett's {{Warhammer 40000}} novel ''The Brothers of the Snake'', when the [[RoyalBrats Princess Royal]] tries to object to a FlashedBadgeHijack of her car, a bodyguard points out that they are, after all, Space Marines. She hits him hard enough to knock him over. [[spoiler:The dying Inquisitor sees to it that the Marines are not harmed by her complaints to their Chapter Master.]]

* In CSLewis's ''[[{{Narnia}} Prince Caspian]]'', when Caspian is knocked unconscious in the forest and [[GoodSamaritan taken in by strangers]], his first request, on waking up, is that they look after his horse. (They tell him it ran off.)

** In JamesSwallow's ''The Flight of the Eisenstein'', other Death Guards, having [[GoodIsOldFashioned jeered at Garro]] for [[GoodOldWays following the old custom that preserved Kaleb's life]] as [[OldRetainer his equerry]] -- to Kaleb's face -- proceed to stop him in the corridors and heckle him until another Death Guard interrupts. He admits to this one that Garro uses him to feel out the morale; no one notices him as he moves about.\\

* {{House}}, while [[spoiler:'''''giving a eulogy at his father's funeral''''',]] professes his belief that the test of a man's character is how he treats those whom he has total power over. He notes his complete lack of surprise that all the military officers present are [[spoiler:his father]]'s rank or higher, and tells the audience that [[spoiler:his father]] failed the test, and that maybe if [[spoiler:he had been a better father, House would have been a better son.]]

** Most of the Bat Family are also like this, except for Damian, towards Alfred. Everyone tends to treat him like a friend doing them a favor whereas Damian keeps their relationship to master and servant, calling him Pennyworth and giving orders rather than making requests. He's not mean, he just keeps the relationship professional. Although 'not mean' is [[YourMileageMayVary somewhat subjective]] and by and large a result of his character mellowing somewhat, as earlier on in their relationship he could be something of a snotty {{Jerkass}} about it.

* [[JaneEyre Mr. Rochester]] is noted for being generous and non-demanding to his servants, albeit a bit different. [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Then Jane shows up...]]

** Most of the Bat Family are also like this, except for Damian, towards Alfred. Everyone tends to treat him like a friend doing them a favor whereas Damian keeps their relationship to master and servant, calling him Pennyworth and giving orders rather than making requests. He's not mean, he just keeps the relationship professional.

* On GhostWhisperer, Delia declines a second date with a guy who completely freaks out and berates a waiter for spilling something on Delia (far more than the poor guy deserves). The date was otherwise perfect, but she explains that her mother always told her never to date a man who was rude to waiters.

* On GhostWhiperer, Delia declines a second date with a guy who completely freaks out and berates a waiter for spilling something on Delia (far more than the poor guy deserves). The date was otherwise perfect, but she explains that her mother always told her never to date a man who was rude to waiters.

This trope probably sprung up out of sympathy. Writing isn't known as a particularly lucrative career except for a very few skilled/lucky people, and [[SturgeonsLaw this is for a good reason]], so until they get published a lot of writers have to work a "real" job--and depending on their education and skillset outside of writing, there might not be much else they can get hired for.

** This is especially obvious in one issue towards the end of the ''Murderer/Fugitive'' arc which covers Bruce reintegrating himself with his day-to-day life after an extended period away. He knows the names of every employee (even the mail boy who he reminds of Wayne Enterprises college programs) and every employee treats him as a genuinely liked, if eccentic and slightly dim, employer.
** Most of the Bat Family are also like this, except for Damian, towards Alfred. Everyone tends to treat him like a friend doing them a favour whereas Damian keeps their relationship to master and servant, calling him Pennyworth and giving orders rather than making requests. He's not mean, he just keeps the relationship professional.

** Another Cap example: there is a story told bit by bit to some [[HilaritySues accountants trying to tally up the damages after a superfight]] by the various Avengers involved in said superfight. Some Avengers are rude, some of them annoyed, some cavalier, Thor basically just hands over a bag of gold, and Cap - Cap hands over filled-out paperwork about the ticketed Quinjet (including the badge number of the officer who gave the ticket) and the voucher for taking something out of a prison. The accountants love him.
*** Another Cap one, from the begining of the ''Civil War'' arc. Cap breaks out of SHIELD's helicarrier by comandeering a jet fighter (including pilot) through the simple expediant of clinging on to the cockpit. Being Cap, he orders the pilot to set down in a not-in-use football stadium and takes the pilot for a burger.

* In the biopic of ''Gandhi'', part of his philosophy regarding good will towards others, the titular pacifist is generous enough to help his servent carry the tea set himself.

* [[JaneEyre Mr. Rochester]] is noted for being generous and nondemanding to his servants, albeit a bit different. [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Then Jane shows up...]]

** And Kreacher doesn't get off scot-free either in ''[[{{HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix}} Order of the Phoenix]]''; even without Sirius' ill treatment, he despised the Weasleys, frequently called Hermione "Mudblood" even though she was the only one who treated him with actual respect, and barely tolerated Harry. [[spoiler: Of course, he grudgingly respects Harry after he inherits everything and starts treating him better than Sirius did.]] Sirius is the second type of NoHeroToHisValet--he ''is'' good, but when he's cooped up in a house he's hated all his life, with a servant who belittles everyone he cares about, giving in to his demons becomes more understandable.

* Subverted in ''SexAndTheCity'', when Samantha's client (Lucy Lui) says she judges people by how well they tip, because she used to wait tables for a living. Sam looks distinctly worried as Lucy pulls over the cheque, however then Lucy is very impressed that Sam tipped 20% and Sam wins the contract.

* A 2005 MTV show tested which of three college-age customers could remain at least civil with the waiter for fourteen minutes during which MTV would call the customer before he or she had started eating, have the server clear the table in his or her absence, have the plate brought back with bits of garbage stuck, and insist the customer pay full price anyway. This particular bit was notorious because the only one of the three who ''failed'' was a certain (then-unknown) [[LadyGaga Stefani Germanotta]].

* In GrahamMcNeill's {{Warhammer 40000}} HorusHeresy novel ''False God'', Maggard's vocal cords have been removed because it is unfitting for a bodyguard like him to speak in the presence of his mistress. Unsurprisingly, when Horus praises him highly after a fight, his loyalties are Horus's. When she sees that after that fight, the soldiers respect him more than her, she thinks it wrong and resolves to fix it. [[spoiler:Horus assassinates her, while Maggard is off assassinating another obstacle to Horus's plans.]]

** SylvieAndBruno chase after him to give him Bruno's cake -- and find he's their father.

* In Aaron Dembski-Bowden's {{Warhammer 40000}} NightLords novel ''Soul Hunter'', the Night Lord Talos finding his shuttle had been attacked, with one slave dying and another kidnapped, treats the slave's injuries, assuring him that what went wrong didn't matter, charges into a stronghold of his enemies to save the other from AttemptedRape, and gives the first lsave the best quality augmentics for his body parts injured beyond repair — better than many rich can get. It's not unsurprising the second slave, who had been used as a pawn her whole life before she was MadeASlave, becomes a loyal slave.

* In Australia, we tend to say please and thank you when at a restaurant, even fast food chains. We even thank bus drivers. I was actually surprised when I went over to America visiting friends and they would order meals by just saying "Steak, well done" or something. Of course, not all of them were like that, but I was asked a few times why I requested meals rather than ordered them.

* In Aaron Dembski-Bowden {{Warhammer 40000}} novel ''Soul Hunter'', the Night Lord Talos finding his shuttle had been attacked, with one slave dying and another kidnapped, treats the slave's injuries, assuring him that what went wrong didn't matter, charges into a stronghold of his enemies to save the other from AttemptedRape, and gives the first lsave the best quality augmentics for his body parts injured beyond repair — better than many rich can get. It's not unsurprising the second slave, who had been used as a pawn her whole life before she was MadeASlave, becomes a loyal slave.

* Subversion: Winston Churchill. He is generally agreed to be a great leader, but he was ''terrible'' to his secretarial staff. On the other hand, he was genuinely affectionate to his childhood nanny.

* In ''SexAndTheCity'', Samantha loses a contract when her client says she judges people by how well they tip, because she used to wait tables for a living. Serves her right (pun not intended).

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[[caption-width:330:[-We know she's [[SpoiledSweet not a]] SpoiledBrat because she talks ''to'' the help, not ''at'' the help.-] ]]

* In the ''{{Mortal Kombat}}'' movie, we get to see how much of a pompous ass [[FakeUltimateHero Johnny Cage]] is by his immediately mistaking [[TheHero Liu Kang]] for a busboy and rudely shoves his luggage onto him. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Liu responds by dropping it all into the harbor]].