1. You yell 'Corner' in public
Servers are constantly running from point A to B to C to D. In order to avoid running into people running in or out of the kitchen, we yell safety words such as, 'Corner' and 'Coming Out.' Yelling these words every time we turn a corner causes it to become ingrained in our being. If you've ever been out in public, turned a corner, and yelled, 'Corner!' you might just be a server.
2. You have impeccable patience
"Oh, your brocolli is cooked to your perfection? Let me take it back for you for the third time!" Not every table is sunshine and rainbows. Occasionally you get that awful table full of people who make you want to pull your hair out. If they're not asking for their one millionth service, they're blaming you for something you have no control over. Dealing with such tables teaches you how to bite your tongue when all you want to do is yell.
3. You're a great team player
Catering to numerous tables at once is no walk in the park. Especially when three people need refills, two asked for more dressing, four want dessert, and one table asked for the check fifteen minutes ago. Every once in a while servers get in a bind and must ask for help from another server. We help our fellow servers out without hesitation, knowing that we'll be in a bind soon enough and have to ask for help.
4. Your weekend starts Monday night
Friday nights for most consist of fun-filled events or some downtime. For servers, it's a whole other story. Because most people love to go out on Friday or Saturday nights, that's when the best money can be made. Since we work weekends, we begin our weekends during the week.
5. You lose pens like bobby pins
Pens are crucial to enabling any night to run smoothly. We use pens to write down orders, keep track of tips, and to give to patrons when they are paying their bill. With all the running around servers do, pens are lost easily. And if we don't lose our own pens, chances are a guest walked out with them. Servers start their shifts off with 10 pens and are lucky if they can finish the night with one left in their pocket.
6. Your people skills are on point
Being a server, you've met all walks of life. But more importantly, you've learned how to interact with all walks of life. One of the most exciting things about serving is that you never quite know who will be seated next in your section. It could be a church group, a group of elders who just came from bingo, or a bunch of teenagers who just took their last final. Moreover, you don't know what they're going through. Regardless of who sits in your section, it is your job to ensure they have an enjoyable dining experience. Interacting with the guest is a huge component of the dining experience. Being able to interact with a diverse array of people is one of the most important skills you learn on the job.
7. Your smile is glued to your face
One easy way to seem approachable to guests and increase your tips is to deliver service with a smile. Smiling non-stop may seem easy at first, but at the end of an eight hour shift your face feels as though it's ready to fall off.
8. You can communicate with a brick wall
Trying to explain to the customer that the buy one get one free promotion ended (Three. Weeks. Ago.) is like trying to explain rocket science. Many guests believe that you are to blame for the food prices and the ending of different promotions. Any attempts to explain other options to them are futile.
9. You take the good with the bad
Of course there are many long, thankless shifts, but there is always a silver lining. One of the best lessons you've learned while waitressing is to appreciate the good when it happens. There seems to be far more nasty customers out there than good, but there is the occasional, genuinely nice guest who can turn your whole night around.
10. Dealing with rudeness is second nature
Many patrons enter the restaurant believing they are entitled to everything. Of course, they are paying for their food, but that should not give them the excuse to be rude to wait staff. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks this way. So you're forced to deal with people who don't know how to say please or thank you, and every once in a while you'll deal with a customer who refuses to pay or tip you because they didn't like how their meal was cooked.
11. You wouldn't trade your experience for the world
Regardless of who you are, everyone should wait tables once in their life. Not only does it enable you to meet all kinds of people, but it truly humbles you. The lessons you learn from serving stick with you far past closing time. Your coworkers have become your family, seeing as you spend more time with them than your actual family.
