When you are sitting at a restaurant, you most likely are thinking about a couple of things, and your server is likely not one. Customers have no idea how it feels to be a waiter or waitress, unless of course they are one as well. One of the greatest, and most difficult, job to have while in your 20's has got to be being a server. It is fun, most of the time, and you get to meet some incredible people. It is a great life experience, and at the end of the night, the money is also a positive. As a server, most of the time people do complain, usually to their co-workers, but you still love being a server. There isn't necessarily a Server Handbook, but if there was one, I am almost positive these are some of the things that would be in it:
1. Patience is key. 
Not everything happens nice and easy as a server. Your customers food doesn't always come out correctly, the customers may act like they are your only table, and some days are just entirely off. As a server, you have to have patience, not only with the customers, but also with yourself.
2. The customer isn't always right, but they don't need to know that.
Sure, most people are aware of the saying, the customer is always right, but as a server you know this isn't true. Whether or not the customer is correct, as a server, it is your responsibility to fix the problem.
3. Wearing white shoes to work is never smart.
I made the mistake of wearing my white converse at the restaurant I work at. Moral of the story: my converse are no longer white. White shoes in a restaurant setting are not a good plan. Drinks spill and things get dropped, and I can assure you that your white shoes will not remain white.
4. Attitude affects tips.
As a server your primary source of income comes from the tips you make. With that being said, if you have a better attitude with your customers, you will likely walk away, at the end, of the night with more money.
5. Not every shift will be a good shift.
Not everyday is a good day in this world, and that is the same thing in serving. Not every single shift can be an A+ shift.
6. Side work is too easy not to do.
At the time, doing side work might seem like the worst thing in the world. It's tedious and can just be annoying, but it's something we all, as servers, have to do. When you come in for a shift and the previous server did their side work, it makes your shift that much more smooth. What goes around comes around.
7. Parking isn't always easy.
I work at a restaurant in a city, and parking is quite the pain. Driving in may be convenient, but parking sure isn't. The restaurant doesn't offer parking for employees so its either fight for a meter, or find a not so cheap parking garage. As for other restaurants that do have a parking lot, most employees have specifics has to do's and don'ts for parking.
8. Taking the blame saves time. 
Whether it was your fault or not, you are likely to get blamed as a server. So regardless of the situation, the easiest thing to do is clarify it, fix it, and apologize for it. You may be the only person that knows you weren't in the wrong, but in order to save time, it may be easier to just take the L.
9. Customers like to use receipts to send messages.
If you've ever been a server you've likely gotten some type of note on a receipt. Whether it be a phone number, "Great Service!', or some kind of scoul from a customer, you've seen it all. It doesn't necessarily make a difference during your shift, but hey, that customer seems to think it might.
10. Never leave your phone charger visible to the public eye.
All of a sudden customers see your phone plugged in, and they think that it's a free for all. Sorry but it isn't your servers job to make sure you have enough battery to take a snap chat of your dinner. Helpful tip: Charge your phone before you go out, and save your battery.
11. Smile.
No matter what kind of day you're having, as a server, you must always smile. Customers love to know that they are being helped by somebody that appears happy. In the service industry, a show of the pearly whites can go a long way.
