So I start a job as a waiter today - any advice?

[Stranger_On_A_Train]

@fluiddruid

Flirt mildly with older folks of the opposite gender. They like that and will give you money.

With the exception of this piece of advice, pretty much everything offered is spot on. But the following item should be highlighted:

@Krokodil

Witty banter is surprisingly not a valued trait in waiters–not by customers, in particular. I, a wiseass 17-year-old during my first waiter gig, learned this the hard way.

I won’t downtip a server for attempting some banter unless he or she is being obnoxious about it, but I don’t need a running commentary (complementary or otherwise) on my selection of drink, the clothing that I’m wearing, what I’m reading, et cetera. If I’m sitting up at the bar that’s a different story–there’s a presumption of sociability, especially if the patron is sitting near the drinks station–but if I’m at a table reading my book or with a companion I’ll want to focus my attention on that. Unless you have something worthwhile to contribute (“The salmon really isn’t very good today,”) keep the commentary to a bare minimum. You’re there to take orders and serve food and drink; you should expect to be treated respectfully, but you’re not part of the dinner party. Now, there are some places that differ at this, where the server is encouraged to sit down while taking the order, make jokes, et cetera, and if that’s the culture at your establishment then that’s what you do; customers will expect it and it’s a part of the schtick. But if it’s a “classy, fairly expensive place” I’m guessing that this isn’t the case.

The notion of shadowing a more experienced waitron is an excellent one (and they should have you doing this in any case). Also remember to help your more experienced collegues out when you have time, rather than hanging around the serving line and bitching about customers. “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” is the first law of waiting, and it applies not only to the service staff but the cooks, bartender, busboys (especially them), and even the dishwasher. And (if you have one) communicate with the greeter or maitre de about how busy or not you are; if you can handle more tables, or need more, or whatever, she’s the one that’ll figure it out for you. And don’t bother the manager with something unless you have to (especially about staff problems that you should be able to work out for yourself), but don’t be reluctant about passing on a problem to them, either, particularly with regard to customer complaints. Everybody wants to talk to the manager when they get upset, and it’s his job to field these issues.

The best thing you can do is anticipate your guests’ needs; if an order gets screwed up, or something isn’t right (and it’ll happen), I’ll be completely forgiving if you’re at my elbow to rectify it ASAP, but if I have to wait five minutes or walk back to the serving line to get your attention, the tip rate is going way down. And do everything as efficiently as possible; don’t make a trip from or to the serving line without having something in your hands.

If you stick with this–and the first month or so is probably the hardest–you’ll get into a routine of asking the right questions at the right time, being prepared with water, napkins, extra silverware, et cetera, and it’ll become a pretty mindless routine that you can do almost asleep…which is good, becuase it’s a repetitive, boring job that requires fast action but not a lot of creative thinking.

@VCO3

But remember that you can absolutely shake down a customer for a tip if they’re shorting you. Don’t be rude, but be assertive and explain that you were not tipped and ask if there was a particular reason or if they weren’t satisfied, etc. I had a server friend who followed people into the parking lot - a table of 20 - when he was completely stiffed. It turned out that they had had an internal miscommunication over who was tipping, and he ended up getting something like a 30% tip in their embarrassment.

I’m going to call b.s. on this; it’s a nearly universal policy to tack on a standard tip to a large party (typically six or eight). Any server that follows me into the parking lot and tries to “shake me down” for tip is going to get zilch. It is, again, the manager’s job to field complaints about service.

Stranger

[Max_Torque]

@VCO3

But remember that you can absolutely shake down a customer for a tip if they’re shorting you. Don’t be rude, but be assertive and explain that you were not tipped and ask if there was a particular reason or if they weren’t satisfied, etc. I had a server friend who followed people into the parking lot - a table of 20 - when he was completely stiffed. It turned out that they had had an internal miscommunication over who was tipping, and he ended up getting something like a 30% tip in their embarrassment.

Here’s a better idea: before you even start, ask your manager if it’s okay for you to abandon your tables, sprint out into the parking lot, and interrogate customers about the size of your gratuity (yes, tipping is a gratuity, not a requirement) when you feel you deserved more than they left. I’m sure your manager will be glad to fill you in on what sort of behavior is expected of you.

[Rick]

@ASAKMOTSD

3. Get the order, bring the food, check back to make sure everything is OK, come back only to bring more drinks and ask if we want desert before you bring the check. Don’t hover & do not just drop the check in passing before asking if we wanted desert because (a) we do & (b) see my comments above about having to flag you down.

When you go to check back look at the table before you approach and ask how the food is. DO NOT ask how the food is 1 second after a bite of food has gone into my mouth. I can’t freakin answer you, my mouth if full of food. :rolleyes:
It makes much more sense, (and leads to a larger tip) if you wait until I am cutting my next piece of food and ask when my mouth is empty.
I am amazed at just how often servers get this simple thing 100% wrong.

[TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW]

@Stranger On A Train

I’m going to call b.s. on this; it’s a nearly universal policy to tack on a standard tip to a large party (typically six or eight). Any server that follows me into the parking lot and tries to “shake me down” for tip is going to get zilch. It is, again, the manager’s job to field complaints about service.

Again, I only heard the story second-hand, so I don’t know. But he was at a super-uppity place (the type that takes reservations months and months in advance), so that may have had something to do with it - we’re not talking about an Outback Steakhouse.

[sugar_and_spice]

@nevermore

I’ll second Zsofia’s comment: ALWAYS assume they’ll need change. Even if they gave you a 20 and the bill was $19.97, tell them, “I’ll be right back with your change.” Many customers will stop you at this point and say they don’t need it, but some won’t. Either way, it is IMPOSSIBLY rude to ask if they need it or not, and will likely result in a lower tip.

Also, if I leave two 20-dollar bills and the total is 19.97, then that means that my friend and I would like you to break the 2nd 20 so we can tip you! If I get back a 20 and 3 pennies, then I have to go up to the bartender and hold up the table. I’m sorry I forgot to say ‘can you break a 20 for us’, but I’m not particularly sorry that I don’t have a roll of ones in my purse. Within the US, and for anything more upscale that a hot-dog cart, I would expect the restaurant to be able to break one $20 bill per table for the purpose of leaving a tip.

vent not directed at OP, good luck w/ your new job!

[Argent_Towers]

Alright, just got back from my first day on the job. Wow, I really like this job. It is a totally relaxed atmosphere in a very nice restaurant. I’m allowed to eat for free any time I want (I had a pita sandwich with chunks of grilled lamb and tahini sauce) - that is some damn good food. The two other servers (girls) are cute as hell and extremely friendly and fun to work with. I learned how to take down the orders, calculate the final bills with tax and tip, basic stuff like refilling customers’ water and clearing their used plates. All the customers were very friendly (I didn’t do any actual waiting today, just refilling water and clearing plates, also served a few orders but didn’t take any. I “shadowed” the experienced waiters and think I got a pretty good idea of what to do.) Also, you’re allowed to play whatever music you want on the stereo. And finally, a crazy punk rocker guy that I used to be friends with in high school but hadn’t seen in years was just hired at the place. So far it seems like a great job.

[ivylass]

@VCO3

But remember that you can absolutely shake down a customer for a tip if they’re shorting you. Don’t be rude, but be assertive and explain that you were not tipped and ask if there was a particular reason or if they weren’t satisfied, etc. I had a server friend who followed people into the parking lot - a table of 20 - when he was completely stiffed. It turned out that they had had an internal miscommunication over who was tipping, and he ended up getting something like a 30% tip in their embarrassment.

I don’t know where you worked, but I’ve seen servers fired for this. You never ever chase down customers in the parking lot for tips.

Argent, the one thing that helped me relax was to tell the customers that I was new. No big deal, don’t wait for a screw up, a “Hi, my name is Argent, and it’s my first day/week.” Most folk were nice and a little bit more patient after that.

[monstro]

If a group stiffs you on your tip, tell the manager. He will flag down the customers.

This happened to me once. A group of friends and I went out to an upscale restaurant for senior prom and in all of our excitement, we forgot to pay the server. The manager followed us out into the parking lot and asked us what the deal was (and in such a way that we were majorly embarrassed).

[ivylass]

@monstro

If a group stiffs you on your tip, tell the manager. He will flag down the customers.

I had a manager tell me to get over it. I was in tears, they were a high maintenance table, and I had other servers picking up plates and looking under napkins to make sure the tip hadn’t accidentally been moved out of sight.

I wasn’t even on shift that night…there was a mix-up in the schedule, and I showed up thinking I was supposed to work and they didn’t have me in a station. So the manager gave me the 12-top so my night wouldn’t be a waste. Which, as it turns out, it was.

[Antinor01]

@ivylass

I don’t know where you worked, but I’ve seen servers fired for this. You never ever chase down customers in the parking lot for tips.

Argent, the one thing that helped me relax was to tell the customers that I was new. No big deal, don’t wait for a screw up, a “Hi, my name is Argent, and it’s my first day/week.” Most folk were nice and a little bit more patient after that.

The only time I’ve seen something similar and thought it was acceptable was when a server ran out to a customers car because they had left a $150.00 tip on their credit card slip. This was at a Red Lobster so that was way high. Turns out the guy had meant for it to be less, but gave the server extra for being honest.

[ivylass]

In that case it wasn’t chasing down for tips. It was chasing down for what could have been an error. To me, it’s similar to running out to the parking lot because the customer left their keys.

[Antinor01]

@ivylass

In that case it wasn’t chasing down for tips. It was chasing down for what could have been an error. To me, it’s similar to running out to the parking lot because the customer left their keys.

True. It was chasing down to return a tip since it was likely a mistake. That’s why I thought it was pretty cool of them.

[mnemosyne]

I’m willing to wait a bit for you to come and take my order, and I’ll even wait a short while for food if I can see the place is really busy, but do not make me wait for drinks! It is the first thing offered to a table, and having to sit there for 15 minutes without even something to sip on just starts the meal off badly.

If there has been some sort of crisis in the kitchen or some other reason for service being very slow or inconsistent, please let me know. I may decide to stay anyways if I know I’ll enjoy the food/atmosphere, but if I’m in a hurry (lunch service, going to a movie, whatever), I might choose to go elsewhere, but at least I’ll have enough respect for you to consider coming back to your restaurant!

Depending on your kitchen set up, you might want to take the time to talk to the cooks/chefs to get an idea of the details of the menu, but also what kind of timing certain food items might need (so you can tell the couple-in-a-hurry that X item usually takes a bit longer to serve). Learn the basic ingredients to most of your menu, so that vegetarians or people with other dietary restrictions don’t end up ordering something they can’t eat. Always be willing to tell a customer that you will go ask the chef to clear up a dietary concern, rather than just guessing about the answer.

And I agree with whoever first said “wear comfortable shoes!”

[ITR_champion]

Get to know every detail about every single item that is served in the restaurant. Once in a while, you’ll get a customer who wants to be very particular about something: 2% milk vs skim, sugar vs splenda, what brand of ketchup, etc… It’s a major plus if you know the answer immediately, rather than having to run and ask for it.

If there are noisy children, offer them something to do. Even if your restaurant doesn’t offer prepared activities, you can probably still find some blank paper and colored pencils. Parents will really appreciate it.

If you get a family that’s in the middle of a fight, there’s nothing you can do to make them happier. Just take their order as fast as possible, plunk the food down, and concentrate on your other tables.

If you do something embarrassing, such as dropping a plate of food or spilling a water on someone, do not overreact, look shocked, or run away. Just apologize quickly and be as good-humored about it as you can. Most customers are very understanding in those situations.

[StuffLikeThatThere]

During my tenure as a waitress I found that most people will forgive you almost anything if you are polite, apologize sincerely for mistakes, and keep their drinks full.

Be good to the cooks. You don’t have to kiss their feet, but treat them with respect. If the cooks hate you, you may as well quit your job immediately. Nothing will ever go well for you again.

Above all, use time/motion efficiency. If you have picked up a check from another table and are headed to the cash register, and I am sitting there, on your way, with an empty glass or a dirty plate, for the love of God pick it up as you pass by. Don’t make a separate trip for every single thing from every single table. Efficiency: it will save your poor little feet from being worn to nubs, and save your customers from wondering why you’ve passed by six times and neglected to refill their water glasses. It’s a beautiful thing.

[Rigamarole]

@StuffLikeThatThere

During my tenure as a waitress I found that most people will forgive you almost anything if you are polite, apologize sincerely for mistakes, and keep their drinks full.

Yep, amen to that. I once spilled a drink on a table twice and they still gave me a decent tip. I even joked with them about it when they were leaving “It’s been a pleasure spilling drinks around you tonight”. I was pretty embarrassed about that one. (Although in this case not too much liquid got on the actual guests - I’ve spilled them directly on a guest as well. Still got a tip, though not quite as much of one )

[nevermore]

I’ve always been told by my managers that it’s 100% unacceptable to ask a table about a low or nonexistent tip. It might have been a mistake, who knows, but I wouldn’t normally consider it worth humiliating the guest.

Depending on your manager and the size of the bill, though, you can bring it up to the manager and often they’ll approach the table diplomatically for you. This is usually only done for very large parties/bills, for which the 3-4% tip-out is significant enough that it’d seriously diminish your earnings for the night.

edit: ooh! I remembered another piece of advice. If you’re really busy and it’s going to be a minute or two before you can make it over to a new table, WALK BY THE TABLE AND TELL THEM SO. (If possible, get someone who’s not as busy-- even a hostess-- to grab them water & bread or whatever free munchies you serve.) Nothing pisses people off more than sitting there unacknowledged.

[Rick]

@nevermore

edit: ooh! I remembered another piece of advice. If you’re really busy and it’s going to be a minute or two before you can make it over to a new table, WALK BY THE TABLE AND TELL THEM SO. (If possible, get someone who’s not as busy-- even a hostess-- to grab them water & bread or whatever free munchies you serve.) Nothing pisses people off more than sitting there unacknowledged.

I would like to echo this. I have had servers stop by my table with their hands full of dishes to take a drink order so that I did not sit there for an extended time. This shows me they care that I don’t sit there for ever and ever.

[Shoeless]

@Zsofia

Don’t you dare ask me if I need change. You just bring the change. You even say “I’ll be right back with your change!”, if you like, and then I can say “I don’t need any change” or just leave, but you don’t ask me if I’m tipping you. Waiters these days have no manners!

I know the OP is about waiting tables, but I had a pizza delivery guy pull this on me a while back and I was astounded. The pizza was about $12 or $13 and I handed the guy a $20, and then after I stood there for several seconds without going back inside and closing the door, he looked at me and said “Do you want change?” Yeah, like I’m going to tip you seven bucks for delivering a pizza. :rolleyes:

As for the OP, as a few others have said, I like a server who is attentive but doesn’t treat me like I’m one of their best buds. That “Hey, how ya doin’, whattya you guys have?” kind of stuff really annoys me.

[Jelymag]

Be super-polite to everyone, but do it in a way so that you do not become an interference in their meal.