Working in the food industry has opened my eyes to so many things that have changed my dining experience forever. Whenever I go out to eat with friends and family, I feel it is my duty to my fellow servers, hostesses, and servers' assistants to dine with regard to the services that they provide. Here are some of the things that, in my experience, I wish our customers knew when they come to dine at our restaurant.
1. Reservations are important.
So, please do not get mad if you don't have one and we can't seat you. We want as many people to want to come to our restaurant as possible, and we want you to have an amazing experience, but we can't guarantee a spot at 7:30 on Saturday night without you calling ahead to let us know that you are coming. Different restaurants have different policies towards reservations, but for the ones that have the option, just go ahead and make one. It makes the lives of the hostesses, servers, and managers a lot easier.
2. The wait times are completely made up.
When I started working at my current job, I figured that there would be some calculated wait time that we told customers who came in when we were busy. This is just not the case. We actually look at the tables who have been there the longest and guess when they are going to give up. Please just be patient with us. (We usually add 5-10 minutes just in case.)
3. Switching tables when the restaurant is busy sometimes messes up the whole system that we have going on in the background.
At least for my restaurant, reservations are logged into a computer system and sat at a particular table that is open for the desired time slot. When it gets busy, all the reservations fit together like a puzzle; therefore, when a puzzle piece is moved, the entire puzzle must be rearranged. Unless you truly will have a lesser experience at the table that your reservation is assigned to, just know the implications of moving to another table.
4. Please do not leave anything on your chair/on the floor/etc.
As someone who goes behind you and cleans your mess, one of my biggest pet peeves is when I have a perfectly clean, reset table and I spot a dirty napkin on the floor. I have to go fast to keep up with all of the people finishing their meals, and I really hate to make an extra trip to the kitchen to get rid of the single napkin you could've left on the table.
5. Let me pick up your plates when you are finished eating.
Everyone hates when a server comes by and picks up a plate that they are not finished with. I do too, but let me reveal to you why we do it. It's called pre-bussing, when a server or a server's assistant will swing by your table and collect as much of the mess as possible before you leave. This is so that the layover time between parties is shorter and the people after you do not have to wait as long. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are actually finished before taking it, and that is a promise.
6. We do EVERYTHING in our power to make sure that you have a great experience at our restaurant.
If there is even the slightest inconvenience, we want to hear about it. Many a meal has been paid for by the restaurant to satisfy irritated customers. We pour through Yelp reviews in an effort to minimize damage and to see what we need to improve upon. It really is a service and one that all restaurants try to do well.
There are some restaurants out there with service that can sometimes just be awful because of poor management, servers who are not motivated, or just being understaffed. Understanding the inner workings of the industry, however, has opened my eyes to the many people and operations that keep a restaurant going. A little bit of appreciation goes in the life of a server who has worked for seven hours and is just hungry and tired. Knowing these things makes the dining experience more enjoyable for everyone on both sides of the meal.
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