What does ¡jefe! mean?
Expression
mate — the way you hail a waiter
Calling the waiter jefe is normal, friendly and not remotely ironic: it acknowledges that the place is his. The alternatives are perdona, oye and, among older people, maestro. What is not said in Spain is a bare camarero, which sounds curt and faintly unpleasant — and clicking your fingers is unthinkable.
¡Jefe! ¿Nos cobras cuando puedas?
