Long story short, after 9 months of applying for any job I could, from shoveling horseshit to repairing computers, I finally got hired. Unfortunately, I’ll be serving tables, and I have no experience doing so. I need to do everything I can to maximize my potential tips, since I’m going to be trying to support a family of 6 on this job.
So, what advice can you folks give aside from finding a better paying job, get a second job, ditch the family, etc. I’m doing the former 2, and the third isn’t an option.
Think about what you want from a server when you go out to eat. Then do that. Friendly service is always key for me. Even if the food isn’t great, I would still tip well if the service is good.
I once had a young man sing happy birthday to me in Irish. He got a good tip.
Depending on the type of restaurant, you can earn some seriously good money on tips. You’ll earn every penny. Invest in good shoes. Best of luck.
Don’t get in the way of your customers’ good experience. Part of dining out should not be “I don’t care how the food was, the server was rude.”
If the place is busy and you can’t greet a party right away, don’t blow them off. “I’m sorry, we’re very busy, but I’ll be with you in just a moment” is HUGE. It will make them feel valued.
Drop by every now and then to ask how things are. Don’t drop by 3 seconds after you served their food and then disappear forever.
For that matter, have eyes. Look around often to see if anyone is trying to get your attention. I had an experience last weekend where I tried to get my server’s attention, but his face was buried in something else. Your customers should not have to jump up and down on the table and wave their arms because they lack ketchup.
I guess the common theme here is pay attention to your customers. It’s all about being aware of them and their needs. I give great tips to servers who are aware.
The one major trait I see between restaurants with GREAT service and restaurants with just OK or downright bad service is that the servers in the great restaurants always have their eyes up. They are scanning the room, actively trying to make eye contact with customers. They are not looking at the floor, the food they’re carrying, or the kitchen. They are making an effort to be available when/if people need them.
That’s trite but true. People will react more positively to someone who seems to be taking some joy in what they’re doing. Back in the stone age when I was waiting tables I used to sing Sinatra while delivering food. Some would join in or comment but all enjoyed it. One frequent customer even took to calling me ‘Frank’. But they did tip well and I believe it was because I appeared to be enjoying what I was doing.
One of the best places I’ve been to had the manager on the floor at all times. He appeared to have only two jobs: Observe and direct. If my companion’s water glass got too empty, he’d notice and direct a server to refill it. If I ate the last bite of my bread, he’d notice and direct a server to ask me if I wanted more. The great thing about that place was that it was effortless to dine there. I hate having to work for my meal.
Know the menu. It might take some time to memorize, but it’ll help a lot when people ask “What are alternative your sides?” It doesn’t look too good if you can’t remember. Unfortunately, some people just seem to be the type to ask you endless questions about it. People can be picky and very dedicated to what sort of food they want.
Remember what coke products are and Pepsi products are. Little kids will ask for Sprite, and you’ll only have Pepsi products.
Develop your own system of abbreviations for drinks on your notepad. “Sweet tea” becomes “ST.” “Flounder” becomes “flo.” “Coleslaw” becomes “cs.” Etc.
Have a lot of patience with yourself, and be friendly with your cooks. Make sure you communicate your orders on time, and be sure you get to know the system of when you should put certain requests in; that was really tricky for me to learn.
Sometimes you just have to let the crummy customers go. There will be times when you’ve slaved your butt away all for a $2 tip because their spawn was a brat and ended up ruining the meal for the parents and everyone around them.
Look at your customers when you’re at the table. Look at the person speaking to you. Even if there’s a thing you can’t fix the customer will feel acknowledged.
Do you like to throw parties? Or be at parties? Serving is like being the host of a party for 8 hours, only they give you money for it. But it’s all about being attentive without being overbearing, making sure people are comfortable and have what they need and what they want, and that everyone there is having a least a moderately better time than you’re having, and you’re having a pretty good time.
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Make sure you know what swaps your boss will and won’t allow without an upcharge. Nothing pisses me off more, nothing, than finding I’ve been charged for the small salad because I asked if I could get it instead of the coleslaw, and the waiter didn’t let me know that would happen when I ordered. Yes, it might only be an extra buck, but there have been weeks where that’s the margin of my budget, so guess where that buck is coming from? Right…your tip.
Make sure your kitchen understands special requests, and try to handle by yourself as many of those as your set-up will allow. If you have a garnish tray with sliced tomatoes in it and your customer asks for extra tomatoes, just get them yourself. Don’t pester the cooks for two slices of tomatoes when you have tomatoes in front of you! If you get a reputation for taking some of the heat off the kitchen, the kitchen will take more heat from you when you most need it. Your orders will get moved up in line during busy times, which means your customers get fed sooner and your tips go up. Help them, and they’ll help you.
If something has gone wrong and things will be delayed or all messed up, please just let your customers know. You can hide less than you think you can. Keeping customers in the dark just makes them anxious, and anxious people like to keep their money, not spend it. You don’t need to go into the sordid details, but “I’m sorry, there’s going to be an unexpected delay from the kitchen. Can I get you a cup of soup while you wait?” (Or whatever little freebie you can manage, given your set-up and boss’ allowance.) If the delay is ridiculous, just offer to cancel the order and give them a coupon or something for next time. Don’t wait for them to get huffy and leave. If you cut them loose after 10 minutes past your normal wait, they may leave perturbed but impressed with how it was handled and willing to come back another time and give it another shot. Huffy people who have gone through a thought process of how evil and incompetent you are and decided to leave tend not to come back. Better to maintain control over the situation with the customer, even if there’s no control over whatever disaster is screwing up your night.
Try really hard to notice the difference between patrons who are coming in to eat, chat, visit, and socialize, and people who want to get served, eat their food, get their bill, and GTF away. Please treat these sets of people differently!
Nothing bothers me more as a diner than having servers misread those situations.
If we’re socializing, unless the restaurant is truly packed, with a wait-line out the door, there’s no reason to give us the bills and start clearing the table. That’s interpreted as you hustling us out the door - aka - you don’t want us there. Not a good message. Leave us alone, and we’ll make sure you get tipped well for the time we spent in your section.
Conversely, if we’re in a hurry, we need to order, eat, and then go. We might be on a scheduled lunch or dinner break, I may have an appointment to get to - whatever. Just don’t ignore us! If the food is done and then there’s a 5 minutes wait (it has been longer) before the bill arrives, I’m liable to take my frustrations out on your tip.
The only other really important things are to 1) remember the upcharges and always mention them, and 2) don’t ever let a patron’s drink go empty unless they tell you it’s ok. (quick note - if you go easy on the ice, the drinks will be more full of DRINK and they’ll last longer.)
Just make sure the table has condiments, check on them once after their food is served to ensure it’s ok. And always make sure their drinks are filled up.
Do this, and you should do well.
Also, people that drink water aren’t necessarily cheap or bad tippers. They just prefer water over sugar ladened drinks or booze.
I can tell you right now that waiting tables taught me the most fundamental tasks of what I do now.
-“treat all your customers as one big table”
Triage. Be efficient. Always know that the one who has been waiting longest and the one who is most difficult are likely where your attention should go first/“best”, but whenever possible, one sweep of the tables, one trip to the bar, one trip to the kitchen, etc makes you more organized and more productive.
-“constantly have a Rolodex of tasks in your head and be prepared to flip to the next card at any time”
Be in the moment knowing what’s up next. Adapt. Don’t get frustrated. Just because you are in the kitchen waiting, doesn’t mean your food is ready. Don’t wait–go compensate and adjust and come back.
-“while appeasing your manager may seem like a good idea, know who really matters; it’s the people who could make or break your service”
Whining about a “bad section” won’t ever get you as far as helping your busboy, jumping in to wash dishes, being patient with the bartender or complimenting the line cook. I promise. Know that helping and appreciating others will come back to you in the form of good customer service.
-“don’t ever be afraid to admit your weaknesses or failures”
I once worked somewhere that had an outside, upstairs patio. My first night solo, I was assigned that section. Even though I knew the menu and timing of food and such, I never considered the stair factor. Totally threw me. I was in the weeds in minutes and felt horrible. My manager said “you aren’t a bad server. You’re a good server who made a bad decision to not ask for help.” I still think about that. I also know that telling customers I messed up or forgot something made me human; trying to cover it up made me a jackass who didn’t get a tip.
I put these in quotes because they are things that I generalize, even today.
Great advice above. The other thing I’ve learned from many years in hospitality and customer service: never underestimate the power of a sincere apology. When you or someone in your organization screws up, apologize to the person/people you’ve inconvenienced, and then offer whatever reparations you can. Don’t make excuses. It’s not the customers’ concern that you’re shorthanded, your fellow waitress whose order you picked up by accident doesn’t care that you didn’t sleep last night, and the cook doesn’t care what caused you to drop that full tray. “I’m so sorry,” followed by an immediate offer to help fix the problem (apologize to the waitress’ table, refill the cook’s water pitcher, offer a discount or comp to the customer) will achieve surprisingly good results. I think people are disarmed by a mea culpa that doesn’t include a “but.”
Oh, another thing - I’ve never waited tables, but I’ve been told by people who have that it’s the ultimate “work smarter, not harder” job. In other words, never go around with an empty hand - you can carry a drink for one table and whisk another table’s plate away at the same time and it saves you a trip. Think about efficiency all the time.
