Tossing in the Tray

As this quarter comes to a close, and the summer rush of hours of work begins there were a few things that I thought would be appropriate to concluded with.

There are several things that happen within the walls of a restaurant that a guest never sees or does not really understand.

We as servers really do work to make sure that your dining experience is nothing less than great, and just like most people, we treat you the way we would like to be treated.

Although there are exceptions to this rule, on both sides of the coin, our job is to provide a service and create a positive end result. As we work toward this final result and as you are leaving your next restaurant here are some things to keep in mind that are often overlooked.

1. A good tip is 20%.
When a server receives a 20% + tip it makes their day. When we go out of our way for you, it means A-lot to have that reflected in our tip. When tipping 10% on good service, it can honestly hurt feelings and make a server question what went wrong.

2. Our minimum wage is $3.50/hour
A servers income is based heavily on tips. With a $3.50/hour pay rate a server relies on the tips that they make to supplement their income. As most servers rely on their job as their only form of income, that $3.50 is hard to stretch when tip percentages are low.

3. Restaurant relationships are hard to compare.
When working in a restaurant, with tight quarters, on the same shifts, as the same people, and dealing with the same issues both work and often personal related, relationships tend to form. These employees become your ‘work family.’ We learn to love each other despite our faults and get each other out of some tough situations both on the job and in our free time.

4. No-one is out to ruin your meal.
Please believe me when I say, if we had time on our day to calculate plans on how to sabotage a meal, we would not be waiting tables. When a server says that they are sorry they usually mean it despite their tone. Have you ever laughed because you knew that if you didn’t you might cry because you are having an unbelievable rotten day? We have those too. We do not mean to seem insincere or like we don’t care and we really do want everything to go well with your meal. It makes our life easier when things go well, and more times than not, if your food is taking longer than we think it should, we are back in the kitchen reminding the cooks how long they have had the ticket and questioning your meals whereabouts. Trust me, a smiling face makes for a positive place.

5. We do not actually spit in food.
Despite movies, rumors, and old-time myths, servers and cooks do not actually spit in food. First of all this is gross. Second, there is no way we would risk our jobs, or future jobs because of a special request that may take an extra five minutes. Yeah, we may get annoyed, you do too, but there is no exchange of saliva that would make your stomach turn. I have never worked in a place where a server, cook, or other staff employee would follow through on this act of revenge. Honestly, when we get it right for you, you are more likely to return, and your order will become second nature to us. Thus begins the process of turning the once viewed ‘ms./mr. particular’ into a regular guest.

I look forward to seeing any of you in or around the restaurants that I am employed at. For now, I am tossing in the tray, at least as I finish up with the end of my spring quarter and get situated in my summer schedule.

With the influx of guests, new employees, and interesting situations, I guarantee that I will be back to divulge even more into the glorious world of serving at a restaurant.

Thank-you, and have a great day.