youqueen.comA phrase repeated by every waitress at every table is - 'Careful the plates are very hot'. So the first thing the customer does... touch the plate. Whether it's out of curiosity or stupidity it's going to happen. This is one thing that the customer can't blame you for. You have told them it's hot, they can see you're using a tea towel. Unless it's ice cream, they prefer their meal on a hot plate. Carrying 3 hot plates precariously through a group of people, manipulating your way around tables and eventually reaching your destination is a talent for any waitress. If the phrase - 'Excuse me' doesn't work, a hot plate in the lap soon will. It's a fine line between delivering hot food with ease and barging past people because the plate is so hot it's burning through the tea towel. The term 'Asbestos fingers' is used commonly, but a hot plate is a hot plate. No matter how many of your fingers have lost all feeling over the years.