That extra few bucks does make a big difference and it has made my night many times before. It’s especially nice when some one does this when you’re having one of those days where it seems like everyone is tipping horribly no matter how hard you try.
I also remember these people quite well. If they come in again but aren’t sat in my section, I’ll tell whichever server has them that they tip well. This normally (not always) ensures they will get better service. Most of my coworkers are more enthusiastic and will do a better job if they know they’re going to be better rewarded for it.
This also works in a negetive way too. If we know that some one habitually under tips, we’re not going to give our best service. There’s no sense in running your ass off for $5 on a $40 check.
I read an article in New Scientist where they say that servers generally dislike making seperate checks for the individuals in a group, but they really shouldn’t because the tips end up being bigger.
Do you hate making seperate checks? Would it make a difference if the tips were bigger?
The biggest disadvantage of separate checks are time. Swiping one credit card or making change for one check only takes a minute or two. Doing it ten times can take up to fifteen minutes. That’s a long time to wait and there’s a chance that someone is going to be annoyed by it.
Some computer systems also aren’t set up in a way that servers can easily separate checks. One place I worked required a manager’s card. Where I’m at now allows for me to easily do it, so I don’t mind as much.
I realize that people are more likely to tip better on small tabs then they are on big ones. The most ideal situation would be to have separate checks with each person saying “Keep the change”. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen often.
I always hated being told to make seperate checks… usually at the end of the meal. If you make it clear at the beginning it will be seperate checks it’s easier on the waitress. It also really depends on how the place sets up the computers. Often it’s really hard to seperate checks… when I waitressed you had to delete the old bill completely or take off everything except for one order, then you had to ring it all in again and make sure the cook knew it wasn’t a new order but was an old order that didn’t need to be remade. It was a real hassle. I personally didn’t notice any change in tipping habits (where I worked I was lucky to get out with 5 bucks a night, I live in Canada though so I was making minimum wage not the 2.13 like the States…)
If the place has it set up so it’s easy to seperate the checks, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Boston Pizza is good for check seperation, you can print off seperate checks without sending any new orders to the kitchen and you don’t have to delete anything, just open a new window and switch things from one check to the next. I never worked for BP’s but I watched them when they did that (used to go out every Thursday with a group of approx 20 people spread over numerous tables, the checks were always seperate for pretty much everyone and the waitress could make seperate checks with just a few touches on the screen)
I recall eating in a restaurant that broke out the whole check according to each individual’s order. It was really easy to split the check in that situation.
You can ring in orders by seat numbers. When you print up the check it shows each individual’s total, along with the total for the entire meal. It’s a nice feature, but you can’t really use it for more than two separate checks.
The amount of cooks working depends on the amount of business. During slow times we can have only one person cooking, busy times up to ten, each person taking on a different station.
One person is at the grill, one on sautee, one doing the friers, one making salads and desserts, two or three assembling, one expo and several back in prep.
I never really minded the brown bag wine customers. The place I worked was pretty casual / coastal feel with almost fine dining food (and prices) and a pretty good wine list. The basic rule was that the customer could bring in any wine that we did not sell, and we would serve it for a ‘corking fee’ of $5 that went to the store.
Fortunately, the customers that would bring in their own wine would usually order pretty expensive meals and tip pretty well. It certainly paid off to learn the proper wine presentation & servig techniques.
At the time (early/mid 90’s) if a customer brought in their own wine, legally once the bottle was opened the bottle could not leave the store unless it was empty (Georgia has some messed up liquor laws). So on several occasions, the customer would leave 1 or 2 glasses of very good wine, and we would save the bottle to drink after the shift. Nice bonus!!
UGH! Crackers! Kids plus crackers DO NOT mix! At the restaurant that I used to work, we had crackers that parents could get for kids. We had to clean/sweep under our own tables before they woudl be re-sat. Do you know how hard it is to clean cracker crumbs off of every surface, including table, chairs, floor, and wall? Please, I implore you, ask for bread next time! It may not be perfect, but it will be 100x easier for the server to clean up.
~TygerD.
(glad that she works at a restaurant without crackers and with bussers)
I’ve never worked in a place that served alcohol, but at the little barbecue place where I used to work there was a family who would bring their own 2-liter of soda. My god, how we all hated them! They bitched and whined about everything. You weren’t keeping enough ice in their glasses. The ceiling fan was blowing on them (they seated themselves right under the damn thing). Their onion rings were exactly the wrong shade of taupe. There were four pickle slices on their sandwich, when they specifically requested three. Their…well, you get the picture.
As for the bad shifts, Sundays are the freaking pits of hell, right here on Earth. It’s not the pace, as Sundays are really no busier than any other shift on the weekend; it’s the attitudes. A great many people have used up all their charity and compassion for the day at church, and now they’re down to plain old assholishness. Sundays that are holidays are even worse. Easter’s not so horrible, as most people who make a big deal of the day fix a big dinner at home. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, though, I’d rather be beaten over the head with a lead pipe than ever work those shifts again.
Along with the plea for not feed a baby crackers, please don’t let toddlers feed themselves rice. It gets ground into the carpet, especially when the highchairs are moved over them.
There have been several times though when I’ve had the parents who realized what a mess their child has made. I understand children, especially toddlers are still trying to master how to eat cleanly. These parents sometimes will gather together as much of the mess as they can. Somehow it seems to make cleaning up a lot more bearable when the parents acknowledge and apologize for it.
Along that note, hearing things like thank you, you’re welcome and please do mean a lot and they take very little effort to say.
It is VERY, VERY much noticed and appreciated, and has, more than once, put an extra skip in my step during nights that most people have been cheap tippers.
ShadiRoxan-
What restaurant do you work at? I work at the newly opened Carrabba’s in Johnson City. And I’m DEFINITELY agreeing on the Sunday being bad and Friday and Saturday nights being good. I’ve noticed that those nights in the Smoking section are the best, as more people that sit in smoking tend to get drinks too, as they’re near the bar. Opinions?
FairyChatMom-
We are people too. I like to talk to my tables. It takes some of the “robotness” that Shadi has mentioned out of it. If it’s obvious that they don’t want to talk back, I get the drift and leave them in peace. Be polite though. I usually don’t pay as much attention to people who are downright hateful, as most of them don’t tip well anyways. IMO, if you’re going to get a max of $3 for a $40 ticket, why bother with going the extra mile for them, vs. the table that will talk to you and possibly leave $10 for a $40 ticket. Also, some restaurants require the servers to sit with the table to take their order. I think Outback does. Some people do it to be more personable rather than to “lord over” the table.
I actually only have about a week and a half of serving left (hopefully for good). I’m graduating college and moving out of state.
Right now I’m at a locally owned place called Tradewinds. It’s got a pretty nice selection and the prices are a little above most casual dining places. (meals can be as high as $20 a plate, but average around $15)
Smoking is a great section to be in on a busy night. It’s located in the bar area and people are more likely to drink. Smoking tables can be a gamble though. You can’t turn your tables as fast and there tends to be a higher proportion of lower class people.
These are the people I hate waiting on the most. They don’t know how to behave in public. Their conversations tend to be loud and crude. They run you like crazy and leave very little money to compensate.
As for chatting with my tables, I know who likes to and who doesn’t. Talking actually helps a tip out a lot. Your table will realize that you’re a person so it makes it harder to leave a small tip. It might not effect the tip that much, but it can add an extra dollar or two.
I once waited on a couple who were probably in their mid forties. After their meal ended and the wife paid with a credit card, she got up to use the bathroom. I began a conversation with the husband, talking about my school and how I was graduating this December. Since my major is political science, we got into a debate over politics (nothing drastic, just exchanging view points.) We carried on for a few minutes until his wife returned. As they were gathering their stuff I saw him take out an extra dollar and slip it into the book.
The craziest (and most surreal) thing that I ever had happen to me as a server, was when the Minister Louis Farrakhan’s entourage descended on our Restaurant. I worked in the Hotel’s restaurant. I was waiting on a deuce, when one of the “uniformed” Nation of Islam brethren started picking tiny specks of Red Bell Pepper from his Cream of Brocolli/Cheddar soup. He called me over and asked what it was- “Red Bell Pepper.”, I explained. He gave me an angry look and said, “I don’t believe you, I think it is bacon.!” I assured him there were no pork products in the cheddar broccoli, as I had done prior to him ordering. The only meat based product therein was chicken stock. He started to get really animated and ANGRY! I knew I had to diffuse the situation, but my manager wasn’t anywhere to be found, so this white devil invited him to the kitchen to talk to the sous chef. That seemed to calm him down, It was really amazing how polite and respectful he was to our black chef, after nearly popping a vein in anger with me, only minutes before. I really think he thought I’d dropped a handful of Bacon Bits into his soup as a desecration or something…
The sickest (and funniest thing) I ever saw as a server was when a disgruntled line cook called me over in the bathroom and said “Watch!”. He dropped his pants and took a pounded veal cutlet out of his underwear, He then proceeded to wipe his balls and ass thoroughly with the veal. He said he was preparing his special recipe Veal Marsala for our manager… “The secret’s in the seaoning!” I watched the manager enjoy this meal with gusto.
There’s the conflict. And since I don’t know how to say this without it coming out offensive, please bear with me.
I know servers are people, too. My youngest sister has been a server/bartender for 20 years. I’ve watched her work. She seems to have a knack for knowing which diners like to chat and which want to be left alone. Unfortunately, not everyone has that power of reading others.
I like people. I like talking to different folks about different things. But when I go out with my husband, I want to talk to him, not the server. I’ve had some servers go on and on about some facet of their lives - and once they finally left, hubby and I would be: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Honestly, I’m not a snob, but you’re there to do your job (that’s a generic you) and I’m there to have an evening out and I don’t want to spend any of the evening listening to your monolog. Do your job, do it well, and I tip well. But if you think I’m going to tip better because you’re being “friendly” - well, you’ll be disappointed. Be professional and I’m more inclined to reward that. Maybe I’m in the minority, but that’s how I feel about dining out.
Except for Janice. When we go for breakfast at a little local joint, we love getting in Janice’s section. She’s a hoot, and we’ve been going there for almost 20 years, so she’s almost like family… And breakfast out isn’t the same as dinner out.
Does anyone know about serving from the right?
I worked a catering gig last night (for @80, and among the attendees were Robert Shapiro, Julie Hagerty, Bud Yorkin, and Joanne Worley), and my party supervisor mentioned it during our meeting. We may start to do this. For those who don’t know, when serving, it is customary to serve from the left, and clear from the right.
I like to talk to my tables. It takes some of the “robotness” that Shadi has mentioned out of it. If it’s obvious that they don’t want to talk back, I get the drift and leave them in peace. Be polite though. I usually don’t pay as much attention to people who are downright hateful, as most of them don’t tip well anyways. IMO, if you’re going to get a max of $3 for a $40 ticket, why bother with going the extra mile for them, vs. the table that will talk to you and possibly leave $10 for a $40 ticket. Also, some restaurants require the servers to sit with the table to take their order. I think Outback does. Some people do it to be more personable rather than to “lord over” the table.