I decided I wanted to move up in the service industry- from video store clerk to waitress. I sent out about forty letters to every restraunt in town asking if they’d hire me even though I had no restraunt experience whatsoever. Oddly, it worked.
So now I am a waitress. I went in today to get a copy of the menu and get a feel for the job. I go in on Wednesday to actually start waiting tables.
I work at a very small, fairly fancy Italian restraunt. The chef is insane, and prone to yelling and firing on the spot. The clientel is fairly ritzy. The place is small (11 tables), very loud (gangster rap at full blast is a favorite) and the general feel is very high-energy and somewhat insane.
I’ve never waited tables in my life.
So, what are the things I need to know? Any secrets? I really want to do a good job at this, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can.
Learn the menu inside and out. Take it home and memorize it. Be familiar with the wine list, too (that’s harder).
Smile.
Learn to multitask. When things get busy you’re going to have people asking you for things from all directions. You have to keep track of it all in your head.
Be available, but don’t hover. You should always visit a table within two or three minutes of serving the meal. That way, if something is wrong you can take care of it right away.
Smile.
Keep moving. If you find that all your tables have everything they need, do a few laps around the dining room in case someone needs you. But remember not to hover.
Be good friends with the other servers and the busboys. When it’s busy, an attentive busboy is the difference between making decent money and making great money. Don’t forget to give him a few bucks at the end of the night. He earned it.
Smile.
Don’t forget to ask if they want dessert. Be prepared to describe just how good the tiramisu is.
When you serve soda or water, hold the glasses towards the bottom. Nobody wants your fingers where their mouth is going to be.
Practice carrying the serving tray by loading one up with menus and walking around with it. Splay your fingers out for balance and use your forearm to help bear the weight. You need to be good enough that you can carry it in one hand and manipulate the little tray-holding-thingies with the other.
Always ask before you refill someone’s coffee or tea. Some people are particular about their sugar and cream.
And most important of all, don’t be afraid to blame it on the kitchen.
The best thing you can do is practice being pleasant but not intrusively friendly. Banish the phrase “you guys” from your work vocabulary.
Aside from those things, to be really good you should become truly familiar with everything on the menu, so that when someone asks if an item contains beef broth, for instance, or whether it’s been cooked with olive or some other kind of oil, you’ll know off the top of your head. If you don’t know the answer to a customer’s question, be willing to go find out. Check on your tables just after the customers are seated, after they’ve had a reasonable time to look at the menu, a few minutes after you serve their food, and again mid-meal. Be as unobtrusive as possible, but be sure to look over your tables frequently so that you’ll know if anyone is trying to get your attention. Keep a close eye on beverage levels and be sure to have the check ready for anyone who’ll be ready to go soon.
Always be kind to the cook(s) and busboys. Go out of your way to be considerate to them, because they can make your working life easy or hard. Ask what the insane chef’s preferences are for things like how you write your orders and follow them to the letter. Once you’re their friend, insane chefs can be the most fun.
After putting myself through college waiting tables, that’s the best advice I can give you - treat your station as one big table. If the guy at 31 needs ice water, take a pitcher and fill up all the ice waters in your section.
Other handy tips:
If a family has children, bring extra napkins, don’t wait for them to ask.
Write everything down.
Come prepared. Bring extra pens for people to sign credit cards, carry a little calculator.
Comfortable shoes.
When pouring drinks, put the glass on your tray and pour.
Keep your tray as clean as possible.
Never carry a coffee pot on a tray, always safely by the handle.
Do not scoop ice with a glass. Trust me, nothing worse than having to empty and scrub the ice bin during the dinner rush.
Do as much side work as possible as early as possible. Doing work after your tables have gone for 2.13 an hour is the pits.
I’ll second the 5 minute check back on food.
Combine as many trips as possible. If you need napkins for 44, bring the to-go box for 43, the check for 42 and extra sour cream for 41 all in one trip. Run your section, don’t let your section run you!
Always have something in your hands when coming from kitchen to DR, or vice-versa. There’s always something to carry.
I’ve never been a waitress (waiter) but I bet I would make a damn good one. I have visions of Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce. Someday I’d own a chain of Fatburgers.
Your chef is insane. Ok, they all are Make friends with the people that are actually cooking and preparing the bulk of the food. They will save your a$$ when it needs to be saved.
When you realize you have screwed up putting an order in (and it will happen), having a good relationship with the cooks will pull you out of the fire.
i’ve never been a waiter, but everybody that i’ve talked to about the work has stories about the customers from hell. they claim that what you brought them isn’t what they ordered, they make lewd remarks (count on it if you are a young woman), they get drunk, they want something for nothing (“i didn’t like that entree, how 'bout a free dessert?”), they light up cigars in the no-smoking area etc., etc. some people just get a perverse thrill out of ordering “the help” around. my suggestion would be that you decide in advance not to get upset about anything or argue with anybody (not an easy decision to make in the middle of a confrontation). if you made a mistake, apologize and fix it; for anything else, WALK AWAY AND GET THE MANAGER.
the other suggestion i would make is that in the next couple days you go out to lunch and dinner during busy times at some different restaurants (order cheap if you want), not as a typical social experience but as case studies. go alone or take an observant friend and just watch how they do things. think of it as a classroom. take note of the things that make you feel good as a customer and the things that irritate you. look at how a waiter juggles his/her tables when one group is eager to order and another wants the check right away and somebody else wants to send something back to the kitchen and somebody else wants to know when he’s getting his food (“i’ve been waiting for HOURS!”) and somebody else wants a description of every dessert (“do you think that would be fattening?”) and another table has turned their toddler loose in the main aisle and a high school soccer team is getting off their bus at the front door. imagine how you would deal with each issue you see in front of you.
Practice smiling sweetly and speaking calmly and professionally while entertaining visions of blood, fire, mayhem, and agonizing death in your head. I’m sure you’ve dealt with some right bastards at the video store, but there’s something about restaurants that tends to produce a heretofore unreached level of right bastardness in some customers.
Watch out for tables that want to run you to death–the ones where you drop something off, and they ask for something else, then when you drop that off, they need something else, and when you drop that off, they need something else. Ask if anybody needs anything, and if they say yes, ask if they need anything else. Suggest drink refills while you’re there. If anybody wants anything, go fetch what they want, drop it off, ask one last time if anybody wants anything. If they do, drop it off and get the hell out of Dodge. Do NOT ask again if they need anything, because I’ll guarantee you the answer will be yes that time, and the time after that, and the time after that, and so on.
And yes, be on extremely good terms with the kitchen staff, the bussers, and the hostesses. Any and all of these people can either have your back or screw you royally, and it’s a lot better for you when they’ve got your back.
Remember to ask specific questions about what people need, unless you are trying to disengage from the table. Basically, try to anticipate guest needs and ask them if they need it before they realize they need it. It makes you look cool ,and saves you the multiple trip nightmare.
I second(or third, or whatever) the be nice to everyone in the back of the house you work with, and I’d even throw in the hosts for good measure. Basically, be nice to everyone, and your life will go smoothly. Get involved in as little drama at work as possible. You won’t be able to avoid it all, but steer clear of the humdingers. Every restaurant I’ve worked at has been some form of dysfunctional family. Remember to keep the fun in that.
You will be working with the public, remember some people are NEVER satisfied, so don’t let it get you down.
Here is what I think makes a good server:
When you stop by the table, actually stop, don’t go rushing by. Stop at the table, ask if everything is OK, ask if they need anything else. Make sure you glance at each person at the table after you ask, then, even if everyone says they don’t need anything, stand there for 3 more seconds, just to make sure.
Oh yeah, one other thing, don’t make people beg for their check, deliver it on time.
Try and get a feel for someone who wants to get out quickly and one that wants to linger. Rushing a lingerer makes them unhappy. Slow service for someone wanting a quick meal makes them unhappy. I’ve had waitstaff recognize that when I have two preschoolers with me, we need everything served quick (and water glasses half full, and extra napkins) - and waitstaff who seem to think I’ll linger for four hours over cocktails with two toddlers in tow. The ones that help me with my kids get a bigger tip. Likewise, when out with my husband when a sitter has the kids and we are lingering over cocktails and four courses, a waiter who rushes us through the meal to turn the table will not get a large tip.
And yes, keep in mind that some people are never satisfied. Some people will make you work like a dog and stiff you on the tip. Don’t take it out on the next table (and don’t assume they will halfway through their meal either - it tends to become a self fulfilling prophecy).
Seconds on “you guys” – it’s my biggest peeve, especially in a nice place.
Another no-no: “Are you still working on that?” The correct phrase is “May I take your plate?”
When you come back to check on us, please don’t just start talking over our conversation. That’s just intrusive and rude.
I read once that the best servers learn the art of “silent service” – taking care of the table without even making their presence known. I agree about asking before refilling coffee, but water can be refilled without comment.
Well, my pet peeve in restaurants is having to wait twenty minutes after I eat to pay the bill. Don’t take 10 minutes to get the bill to the customer after the meal. And after you do and they get out their credit card, don’t take another 10 minutes before you go back and ring it up. Granted, some people want to sit and chat while digesting their meal, but some have theaters to get to or places to go.
I guess this really falls under the rubrick of just keep an eye on your tables and make sure that the customer isn’t frantically trying to flag down a member of the waitstaff.
“The place is small (11 tables), very loud (gangster rap at full blast is a favorite) and the general feel is very high-energy and somewhat insane.”
First order of business - turn down the volume. A “very high energy” and “somewhat insane” atmosphere isn’t my idea of a good place to eat a meal, but that could just be me. Atmosphere can make up for some other shortcomings, but a bad atmosphere is going to keep customers from coming back. This may be beyond your control.
Nothing personal, but I don’t care what your name is ("Hi, I’m X, and I’ll be your waitress tonight…). Particularly in a small place, I’ll be able to find you if I need you and I don’t need to know your name. Here’s what I DO care about: You know the menu inside and out and can answer questions about the food. You anticipate what I’m going to need and bring it to the table before I have to ask. You’re available, but don’t hang over me. As someone earlier pointed out - you should be practically invisible after I place my order. That doesn’t mean that you’re not there - it means I don’t notice that you’re there. I tip very well for good service. If the service sucks, I’m not going to tip you a dime and I’m going to let the manager know why.
I was a chef in a restaurant for a number of years. As was pointed out, the kitchen can either make your life heaven or hell (and they know it). Cultivate a good realtionship with them and you’ll be the better for it. You do this by getting the food out of the kitchen, letting them know if something isn’t right so they can make it right, and GETTING THE FOOD OUT OF THE KITCHEN (again).
Oh man, I second that! I managed to do it once, and we had a HUGE ice bin. I was not the most popular server that night…
Oh, and if no one has mentioned it, make friends with the kitchen. And memorize that menu! If the chef is insane in the good way, he’ll be more than happy to answer your questions about his creations.
Take Reader99’s suggestion. Go out to a restaurant that is similar to the one you’re going to work at (although how many Italian Gangsta Rap restaurants can there be?), and watch how the pros do it.
You will develop the instincts for timing and service that the rest of us who have done it have. But it won’t happen immediately. Don’t beat yourself up for rookie mistakes. We all made them. Don’t be afraid to tell customers that you’re new. Most people are okay with the answer “I’m not sure, but I can find out for you.”
Good luck and have fun. We look forward to your inevitable Pit Thread about your customers!
I don’t know how computerized the kitchen is, or how well you know the prep cooks, but you’re going to get special requests that the computer can’t handle. You’re going to get some really weird ones, like “can I just have a basket of rolls and instead of my potatoes?” or “Can you bring out a bowl of lemon wedges for my applesauce?” or “It’s not on the menu, but I was hoping I could get a grilled cheese with a slice of tomato in.” The answer is always “yes.” Figure out how to charge them for it later, or simply don’t charge.
As for actually accomplishing these insane little side missions, all above posts are correct: make friends with the cooks and the rest of the staff. It will be tough to keep switching back and forth, but don’t give the cooks your customer face – we know the difference between friendly and waitress-friendly. Feel free to vent about your customers to the cooks. Learn when to send the order to the cooks, and when to wait a few minutes (Parents with two screaming kids, mom ordered a salad but nobody else asked for appetizers? Send the order NOW. Four older ladies, each has ordered a bowl of soup before the meal? Wait about five minutes).
Figure out how long your order is going to take to prepare and be ready to pick it up when it’s ready – a steak can go from rare to medium rare (or even to medium) if left under the heat lamps too long. As a steak cook I learned to pull certain waitresses’ steaks early because I knew that even when we called three times, they still wouldn’t come back for their food. Don’t be that waitress. And if the cooks give you shit (“Oh, it’s even sven! How was your vacation?” “Hey, does anyone recognize that girl? She looks familiar…” “Everyone say HI to even sven!” etc. etc. ad infinitum) smile and take it. We only make fun of the waitresses we like, or the really hot ones who we want to like us.
