Have you ever snapped your fingers at a waitress? Ever ordered something that wasn’t on the menu? Have you ever neglected to leave a tip?

After watching Dish, it’s likely you’ll cease these poor restaurant-guest behaviours and begin to see your servers in a whole new light.

Director Maya Gallus explores the many roles waitresses play in this 2010 documentary.

Interviewing servers from a wide range of restaurants, including truck stop diners, Montreal’s version of Hooters, Japanese maid cafes and top notch Parisian restaurants, Gallus shows how the demands of waitressing vary throughout the different levels of the industry.

As one might guess from the full title of the film, Dish focuses on gender issues within the serving industry and how waitresses deal with sexist expectations from both clientele and employers.

Regardless of sex, a server must always be playing a role - that is, if they want to earn tips.

In Canada and the U.S., female servers most often fill the role of companion, girlfriend, wife or fantasy woman for their male guests, and this is a role those in the film have learned to understand and embrace.

While it may appear that many female servers are being submissive to the patriarchal demands of society, the documentary suggests that these women are in control of both the guest’s experience and their own. As one female interviewee puts it, “I’m not fighting a feminist fight. I’m making a living.”

One of the highlights of the film is how Gallus explores the cultural differences of serving. In France, waiting tables is not merely “just a job” but a respected profession, most often occupied by males.

In contrast, to most Canadian and American servers who live off their tips and often don’t even make close to minimum wage hourly, French servers enjoy fair wages, benefits and can receive pay raises.

The documentary, interlaced with clips of old-fashioned waitress training videos, provides a behind-the-scenes look at waitressing and will give those who have never worked in a restaurant a taste of what their servers deal with on a daily basis.

However, the film will likely appeal most to those who have worked in the industry, since they will most appreciate the catharsis of ranting to other servers about their tables and the camaraderie that develops because of it.

Above all, Dish makes one thing abundantly clear: a server’s role extends way beyond serving food.