Hello general public, I'm glad you clicked on the article! Because we're going to have a little talk about restaurant manner! I know this is one of everyone's favorite discussions. I work at a local restaurant as a hostess and I've worked there for just about two years, since my sophomore year. I have gained a crazy amount of respect for anybody who works in the food industry because it is hard work. It's long hours, long periods of being on your feet, demanding requests, and if you work where I do, a lot of pressure to make the boss happy. Obviously not everyone in the world has worked in a restaurant, if that were the case I wouldn't have to write this article because you would already understand the difficulties that come with the job. Instead, people don't understand and, by default, end up making my job 10x worse because of their rude comments, impatience, disrespect. Here is a list of things that might help your understanding of the restaurant business and the way things work! Being aware of these things will help ease your impatience and gain respect for the people who work very hard to please you.
1. No host/ hostess wants to put you on a wait.
As a hostess I hear this over and over, muttered under their breath or screaming it in my face, "There are empty tables why do we have to wait?" Wow wee! There are empty tables! I must be blind or stupid because I'm working in a restaurant obviously! Um... no. I see the empty tables and there are a million reasons why you are not being seated. I could have just sat that waiter and they need a couple minutes to get to their first table. That table might be reserved, the table might only be for sitting a party that is bigger than the amount of people you have. The list goes on and on. I can promise you I don't want to have a staring contest with you in the waiting room just for my entertainment. You're put on a wait for a reason.
2. Waiters/ waitresses only get paid $2.50 an hour.
If you have decided to go out to eat then you have already committed to participating in the act of tipping. For some people this is a foreign concept. Waiters and waitresses rely on you to pay them. Almost all the time they don't even get a paycheck because it is all taxed out. Waiters everywhere have families they need to support, rent to pay, and groceries to buy. I like the rule of $2 for every $10 it's easy to remember and always fair.
3. If you are sat by a hostess you shouldn't move yourself.
This is for sure one if the strangest things that I have seen. After I sit a table they're proceed to get up out of their seats and sit somewhere else. This is not good for lots of reasons. There are sections for every waiter/ waitress in a restaurant and if you move out of a section you are depriving them of money that they would have made. Or you could ruin the fair rotation that we have between the waiters, and you're making another waiter more busy because you transferred into their section when they weren't ready. I know that you want to be more comfortable, but it's best to ask the hostess or your waiter first, so that everyone is on the same page.
4. It takes time to make food.
When you're about to complain about how long it takes to get your food, remember that in order for your food to taste good and look pretty, it takes a little bit of time. This isn't McDonald's.
5. We all have a lot more jobs than you think
People ask me all the time, "How hard can your job be? You sit people." Um no, I do a lot more than that. Almost all host/ hostess take takeout orders which requires them to learn the menu, learn the computer system and understand how the kitchen works. We have to roll silverware and help buss tables. Sometimes we have to run deliveries or just do odd jobs. This can effect the quality of our main job and slow things down, and that is normally why people in restaurants look stressed. There is a lot going on at once.
6. We are human
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten apologies after a customer has yelled at me because they "were hungry", and that's totally understandable. I have never taken a customer yelling at me personally because I know for the most part they are just irritated, but what they don't know is that I am irritated too, but I hide it and respect who I'm working for and with. There will always be mistakes made and it takes time to fix it, but we all do things like this. I can guarantee that any mistake that is made your waiter or hostess makes them feel bad, but they would feel a lot worse if you aren't able to compromise and understand. Nothing runs perfectly, but it can still run a lot smoother with a core operation.
