We've all got a mental checklist of things that servers can do to improve or ruin their tip. The New York Times blog You're The Boss has created a two-part list (the second half will run next week) of "100 things a restaurant staffer should never do."
The first 50 suggestions all seek to put the needs of the guest first, to keep the restaurant running smoothly and to avoid value judgments.
The list feels a bit like Miss Manners for restaurateurs -- a formal and slightly outmoded advice guide that still has some relevance and truth. It includes suggestions such as: plates should not be removed before everyone is done; the specials should be announced clearly; and personal recommendations should be held back, particularly if there's a special on lobster. These might fly in a white-coat steak house but would seem out of place in a fast-casual spot.
Offering professional advice for a restaurant staff isn't wrong, but it does involve trying to stifle some creativity -- it's essentially saying that people come
for the food, not a server's personality. But the list can't be dismissed
entirely because nobody wants a wobbly table (#5) or to wait to be
seated until the entire party has arrived #(3).
It would be more valuable and realistic to have flexible rules based on the establishment. If you're required to sing for birthdays, odds are it's fine to introduce yourself by name to the table and you don't have to worry about wine presentation. But if you work at a place with an expediter, busser and sommelier, you have to think about the image you're projecting as a server.
Either way, this is the kind of list that will make you want to slap the author or shake his hand. What's it going to be servers and diners? Do we need more formality in dining establishments or should we all just relax and enjoy the service so long as the tableware is clean and the food comes out hot?
[Image via Flickr: howard n2got]
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"46. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal."
I was once treated like a piece of crap by a waiter at the local Capital Grille when I was dining with 5 other business associates. I took the time the following morning to drop a note in their comments section online, and before lunch, I had heard from the restaurant manager, the regional manager, and the corporate guy in charge of training front of house staff. They offered me a free lunch...they would drive it to me, if necessary. I said it wasn't. They wound up sending me a very generous gift card in the mail instead.
I hope that guy learned his lesson. Just because some of us at the table were drinking beer instead of wine, and he could tell that the wine drinkers were paying the bill at the end of the night does NOT mean that the beer drinkers get treated like trash. Asshole.
I like that list. Having been a server in a diner before, I can say that sometimes, how we deal with a table isn't exactly up to us (I had to introduce myself, make meal suggestions, and remove plates as soon as I saw they were empty, per management). But I think a lot of those suggestions are valid and should be taken under advisement by servers everywhere.
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