Thursday, 12 January 2012
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A Response: Secrets and Tips from a Food Service Worker.
I've been a server (started as a hostess and worked my way up!) for 6+ years and I was quite annoyed by the post I read of how this server went about her job. It gives people a bad impression of what food workers are like and, I'm sorry!, but its just not all true. I am someone from the same career and I think, and act, completely different from the previous poster.
1.) Silverware that is dropped on the floors is NEVER placed back on the table where I work. Not only is this unsanitary, but its DISGUSTING. I wouldn't want someone to do it to mine, so why would I do to it theirs? It takes a few seconds to take that dirty silverware to the dishpit and grab a new set. I suggest if you're placing dirty silverware on tables... you should stop. You deserve to get fired, in my opinion.
2.) If the restaurant has a "Kids Eat Free" menu, adults should not order off of it. While it is cheap, and I will judge you for ordering off the kids menu, if there is no age limit.. there are no rules saying you can't order off the kids menu. Some people just aren't big eaters. Just please be sure not to leave a weak tip because you ate of the kids menu. You still took up my time and my service. I have no problem serving those items to you though :)
3.) Don't blame the server for everything that goes wrong. Often, you are waiting for your food for so long because the kitchen cannot cook it fast enough--not because your server sucks. --- This one I agree with.4.) Unless I, personally, saw or ask if the pot of coffee was brewed within the past hour, I ALWAYS brew a new pot. We have two different pots. One for decaf and one for regular. I just simply bring my table a water and inform them I am brewing them a fresh pot. Coffee cost next to nothing and I am sure my manager would rather brew a new pot then upset my customer with old coffee. You can tell. Also, most customers will drink a whole pot of coffee to themselves (and I normally put the leftovers in my own to go cup, yum!) It is just lazy not to brew a new pot. It makes the customer happy, and it takes a few minutes at most. C'mon.
5.) During wedding receptions, it is not our fault the bar is closed at dinner. It is the brides or whoever planned the dinner. No, we are not allowed to get you drinks until it is opened again. Please stop asking, because nearly everyone has already asked us the same thing. ---- Agreed.
6.) You can complain to me about the food. I'll listen. If I went somewhere to eat (even if the food was free), and I was unhappy I would want someone to at least listen, even if they can't fix the problem. I will do my best to help fix the problem for you. I want you to enjoy your meal! That is, after all, why you came out.
7.) You should tip according not only to your total bill cost, but how long you sit there. For every hour you sit longer you should add at LEAST $2-3. You are taking up table space I could be flipping and making money :) You should NEVER leave a nickel. I make $2.35 an hour. It all goes to taxes. If you have the money to go out to eat, you should have the money to tip. If not, they have Mcdonalds for that. Enjoy your fries.
8.) If an employee is walking in front of you with a heavy tray, do not just stand there and stare at it or say "Oh that looks heavy". MOVE, so the employee can get it back to the kitchen. (This gets really bad at weddings when everyone is congregated around the bar.) --- The server could just say excuse me nicely and loudly and people move. Trust me. Being polite but firm works!9.) You can ask me for a steak knife... and the chef will never have to know! I will just go grab it, no questions asked. After all, steaks are thick! And honestly... if you're serving steak they shouldn't have to ask for one. Duh.
10.) At wedding receptions, we cannot stay and wait until you guys are finished partying. Please do not complain that we are taking all the dishes and glasses. Ask for a plastic if you really need a water or tea to drink. There are more than a hundred of you and the dishwashers don't want to be there all night. -- Our restaurant just tells people to leave when we're closed. I mean, the time's on there for a reason! If its an until, then you don't have a choice but to stay.
11.) My managers do not just hand out free meals because someone has a problem. They try to fix the problem, and certainly, if you eat it all... you're paying for it. If its something serious like a dead rat in your food (haha this never happens) you will get a free meal. Sorry though, if its just a hair, they're going to remake a new one for you.
Please don't be one of those people who think you can go in there and get a free meal. My managers (and myself) are the first to apologize, but if you're just complaining to complain.. we're going to call you out for it.
12.) Be sure to thank your server if he or she does a good job. It means a lot to them to know their work is appreciated. -Agreed. I save all my cute notes, they make me smile! :)
13.) I ask before I take any dishes from the table, unless the plates are completely empty (and even then I still ask most of the time) The formal way to show you are done with a meal is to put your fork upside down on your plate. If you do this, customers, please keep this in mind, that this is the signal to servers (especially fine dining) that you are finished with your meal.
14.) Your drinks are on the right side of your place setting. (A lot of people don't know this and ask for a new drink because they didn't know which one was theirs.) -- Agreed.15.) I don't dread kids. In fact, I like them. Because when you're nice to someone's kids... it helps your tip! I don't mind if you make a mess. I have a broom, dustpan, washcloth, and cleaner for this reason. I'm not lazy and I don't mind a bit cleaning up my tables. It is nicer if you don't leave a mess though. Please consider not letting your children throw the condiments everywhere, at least.
I truly hope I'm not the only server out there who still cares about their job. I take pride in what I do. Do you serve and are you up to the challenge of doing the right things in the business?
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- From: SpOnTaNeOuS_sPiTbAlL@xanga
- Name: Haley
- About Me: Life isn't fair, so what? Make Lemonade :)
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Comments (61)
This one is way better than the last one.. The one about dropping the utensils.. EW... When I worked in waitressing, I would just put it in the sink.. It doesn't take long to wash (I was also a dishwasher as well as waitress).. I didnt mind the extra one fork, or knife..
@bbanmen420@xanga - thanks! i know i was mortified when i read that. that's the other person laziness. not my own and i didn't appreciate being associated with them.
I'm so sick and tired of whiny and lazy servers. I work as a Sous Chef at a Country Club, we do LOTS of weddings and fine dining. Asking for a steak knife is not an insult. Pretty sure they meant steak sauce. Steak knives are meant to cut through the fibers of the meat. You can tenderize meat so a knife is unnecessary but in fine dining, it's about the natural quality of the meat so tenderizing is a no-no.
Always speak your mind about the food and the servers should always tell the chefs. How else are we suppose to know?
Also sometimes the food taking forever and the plate being scalding hot, isn't our fault. It's your servers. We make the food, they disappear doing...something else or take a smoke break. So it sits there, and sits there, and sits there. So if you can't touch your plate because it literally burns your hand (the plates should always be warm though, unless if it's salad) then it's been sitting underneath the heat lamp for too long. It's not the our fault. We made it and moved on, because however meany servers you see out there, divide that number by 3 and that's how many cooks you'll have making your food.
@Winter__Raven@xanga - i agree.
I had an issue with the last post too. I've been in food service for around four years and I've never had such a bad attitude about working and old coffee and utensils falling on the floor. Yes, customers can suck and so can the job but I knew that going into it. Your additions not only provided etiquette and manners the last post lacked but you to showed that serving is a frustration but that's only part of our day. Congrats on a successful post.
Great post! I agree more with your list than of the previous poster. I used to work in a quick service restaurant, and while most of our utensils were wrapped in plastic, I still had a hard time giving that wrapped utensil to a customer if it fell on the floor. And I wholeheartedly agree that one can be nice and friendly to customers, even when they are annoying to you by creating a mess. If these instances bother a server that much, perhaps they need to look for a new job. While I am glad to be working in a restaurant these days, looking back, it wasn't that bad. Most of my frustrations from those jobs actually came from coworkers, especially ones who were rude to everyone, and ones who didn't pull their weight. You are so right to encourage being polite. Being polite goes a long way in my book. I also agree that no matter what job you have, one should always take pride and do things right. It may make or break your chances on the next job you interview for. Not to mention, I believe pleasant and efficient servers deserve better tips than ones who aren't, at least that's how I base my tip on.
@MiriamBeth@xanga - thank you! every job has its goods and bads. i love my job. take the bad with the good! :)
@babybug329@xanga - I love the job. I just happen to work in a very drama-free environment with a lot of great people. I did get lucky as far as jobs go because every thing is smooth and awesome (there's a couple people who aren't up to par... but it couldn't be perfect haha.) Previous serving jobs were stressful at times and full of drama. It is different from place to place. All I know is no matter where I've worked, I've worked hard and I followed rules and common sense (not putting dirty silverware on tables!). I am glad you agree with me! If there were more people like us who cared and took pride in every job we had, the world we be an all around better place! Unfortunately, this isn't the case. We can only hope one day people will grasp the concept that if you make an effort to enjoy your job, it stops being work and becomes much more fun. & yes, as a server, people with better attitudes get better tips! :)
Great post! The last post had me thinking twice about my future waitress, but at least someone proves there is still good ones around!
I understand most of these points but I don't agree with number 7 at all and number 2 sounds contradictory when I read it.
Good post otherwise.
This post is SO much better than the other one! As someone who also works in food service - I agree!
@Hinase@xanga - i was talking about two different menus in number 2. my job doesnt have a kids eat free menu. i was reiterating the first posters point and then going on to talk about our kids menu. which isnt free. haha. if you don't agree with number 7 please don't ever sit in my section. i don't give good service to people who don't deserve it! :)
@NeedsMore_ButterYall@xanga - waitressing is fun. and it is worth the tips in most places. i would recommend it to anyone who's a student like i am and even for a part time job for adults on the weekends :)
@written_conversations@xanga - thank youuu!! :) i knew i wasn't the only one who thought that other poster was nuts lol
@Hinase@xanga - i was talking about two different menus in number 2. my job doesnt have a kids eat free menu. i was reiterating the first posters point and then going on to talk about our kids menu. which isnt free. haha. if you don't agree with number 7 please don't ever sit in my section. i don't give good service to people who don't deserve it! :)
@NeedsMore_ButterYall@xanga - waitressing is fun. and it is worth the tips in most places. i would recommend it to anyone who's a student like i am and even for a part time job for adults on the weekends :)
@written_conversations@xanga - thank youuu!! :) i knew i wasn't the only one who thought that other poster was nuts lol
In response to #11- I work in a delivery/carryout restaurant and we can add notes under customers phone numbers if they're chronic complainers. That way we can protect our business from losing money by giving them free food/discounts all the time just because we can never seem to please them.
@Love_never_fails@lovelyish - lol! that is so funny! yeah when we have regulars we can get the idea of who's going to have "issues." we once had a guy pull out his beard hairs and put them on his food and we just told him... look. No one that works here has hair like that much less would it come out just on top of your food like that. We have no problem telling people they're full of poo.
@SpOnTaNeOuS_sPiTbAlL@xanga - That's how I got confused. I didn't know what was your opinion and what was the original one. Believe me, I do tip but I don't when the service is bad. I just generally don't believe the whole "if you can't afford to tip, you shouldn't go out" kind of thing or even about tipping based on time either. I find that silly, unless the restaurant itself has a time limit, as I too, worked in food services myself and have known people that do and still do.
This is no where near fine dinning (McDonalds). But if you are on a break, don't sit in the dining room with customers and start chewing and spitting tabacco. I told the manager. He was not there the next time I went there.
I agree. My mom works in food service. And now I'm picky while eating out (ex. Fresh food. Standing around in plain sight. Cold/reheated food. ). So I tip according to this. Plus my step mom is one of those "keep my glass full and you'll love you tip" person. Yes she makes exceptions for busy restaurants. Main point. I agree@SpOnTaNeOuS_sPiTbAlL@xanga - You rock! ;) and I would give you and extra tip just for being you!
@Ashley_Foodblog@xanga - it gets busy at times, of course. but i agree. when a server has a few tables those glasses need to be full!
@xllxo0o_0_Kara_0_o0oxllx@xanga - thank you so much!! :) i would tip you as well!
This was all great until the "enjoy your fries" part and then it suddenly became just as bitchy as the last one.
@Winter__Raven@xanga - I completely agree. I work in a kitchen as well, and it really bothers me that most things get blamed on the kitchen, whether it be the food was late or there was a hair in the food. Half the time food is late because A) the server forgot to ring it in or B) the restaurant got super busy making it an overload in the kitchen, or sometimes the kitchen makes a mistake and has to start over A hair in the food gets to me the most, we wear hair nets, and the food doesn't go to the table straight from our hands, it passes by many people with loose flowing hair before it hits the table..
everything else in this post I agree with :)
I have unfortunately dropped utensils after the washer left and couldn't get them washed. I felt so horrible, I asked God for forgiveness. I make sure I to put the silverware on a sturdy table and roll them up in napkins there. (I don't work for a restaurant though)
@SpOnTaNeOuS_sPiTbAlL@xanga - Yeah, I used to be a waitress and I would NEVER do that ever.. Also, whats with the steak knife thing?.. How is that an insult, I swear steak knifes are meant for... well.. steak...lol..
I worked as a waitress in a retirement community. All I have to say is, remember you aren't my only customer! I would seriously have people banging their cups on the tables for more coffee when they could see I had two full trays and was heading to another table - even when the cup-bangers weren't in my section, they still hounded me. Chill out. I WILL get to you.
M
So much better then the original post. I also worked as a server and I totally disagreed and was feeling like the OP of that post was lazy.
This post was on point. Good For You!
"12.) Be sure to thank your server if he or she does a
good job. It means a lot to them to know their work is appreciated.
-Agreed. I save all my cute notes, they make me smile! :)"
I actually bought a HUGE box of duck key chains and for really great service I'd leave my cash tip along with a note in the key ring. It became such a thing in my city that I was featured in the news paper, it was kinda funny.
The ONLY thing I disagree with is the tipping thing, but my views are def. not common and I am OK with that.
#2: Why would you judge me for ordering off the kids' menu? Did it ever occur to you that I might be trying to watch my portion control because the majority of restaurants make every meal an entire day's worth of calories? I don't ever order off the kid's menu because it's cheap (and I often offer to pay extra because I am an adult, ordering off the kid's menu); I just want to be healthier. How rude of you to judge me for that. It's not your job to judge me; it's your job to serve my food with a good attitude.
I don't tip based on the bill, but to tell me that I still "took up" your "time and service" to bring me a kid's meal as your plead to get a tip is pretty weak, in my opinion. I'll tip what I want to tip. I don't stiff servers who do their job well, but I do get annoyed when servers think they're entitled to the tip. No, you're not. You CHOSE to work at a restuarant, which is not my problem. I'm polite to my servers simply because they're human, but I find it absurd that you feel you DESERVE a tip for your time and service. Serving me is your JOB. I absolutely do NOT feel obligated to tip you for doing YOUR JOB.
#7: Again, don't tell me what to tip. It's not my fault you chose to be a waitress. You KNEW what kind of hourly wage you were getting into when you chose to work there. If you're that concerned with making money, perhaps you should get a job that has salary pay or a higher pay/hour wage.
I can definitely agree that I should tip a larger amount when/if I stay at the table longer. If I'm there to catch up with girlfriends and gab, you bet I'll leave you a hefty tip because I understand that's probably what you would've been making, had I moved so you could flip the table two or three times.
But again, I don't tip based on the total of my bill (unless I ordered a bunch of drinks). It takes you NO more effort to bring me a steak than it does to bring me a salad. And your restaurant makes up for the extra cost (from salad to steak) by jacking up the price on the meal. I'm paying for what I get already. I won't adjust your tip just because you brought me a higher-priced item. Sorry.
I tip if and only if I feel that my server went above and beyond expectations. I view it as bonus points on a student's grade: you don't get them for doing what you're SUPPOSED to do. Why would I tip you for simply doing your job?
I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this -- I believe there was already a blog post dedicated entirely to tipping a while back -- but I had to say it. Your high and mighty attitude that tells me I "have" to tip you x amount is annoying.