Tips for Servers on making the most out of ($) their night.
Tips for servers on making the most out of an evening at work.
1. Remember to put on your game face. Smile even if you feel like crying. Customers notice if your tense, frustrated, angry, sad or _insert emotion here_. They notice and resent it, they can't help but take it personally, and it affects their dining experience. So many negative reviews start out with a comment on the servers negative attitude. A smile and positive attitude can make the difference between a bad situation and a resolved situation. Not only is it in your best interest ($) it's also part of your job to be pleasant- so just do it.
2. Make sure your customers feel special. They are paying your salary after all without their tips you make minimum wage. Some people want to be left alone for the most part, others want to be catered to, some want formality some want to be treated like just plain folks; learn to read what they want and deliver accordingly. Whether it is silent and stealthy, or friendly and chatty give it to 'em. This is how you build up a regular clientele, good for the restaurant and very good for you.
3. Know the menu! It is really important to know the menu, the wine list and the drink specials if you have them. People will ask you constantly "what’s good?" or "does your restaurant have any specialties?" be prepared to answer. It's part of your job! Whatever you do don't answer these questions with a dumb look and silence. The answer "everything is good!" is only a slight improvement. Be prepared to suggest one thing from every category (seafood, pasta, poultry, beef, etc.) and make sure you don't suggest only the most expensive items. Suggesting a few items at different price points maintains your credibility with the customer. Be a professional offering expert advice in your field, not a server-monkey grubbing for a big tip. You should genuinely know what's good (or at least popular) at your establishment, so an honest recommendation should not tax you too much. If you have drink specials tell the diners about them when you tell them about the other specials, an aperitif is a good up-sell. Be prepared to make wine suggestions as well as food, learn enough about wine and how it's paired with food to do this confidently. It is also a good idea to pay attention to what is popular, and what is popular among those who would not normally drink wine, this will help you make suggestions. The more knowledgeable and professional you seem the more likely they are to tip you accordingly.
4. Do not rush them out the door. Nothing ruins a nice meal like feeling bullied to hurry up and get out. Make sure they are done with each course and the table is clear before the next course is presented. This is not just for fine dining, every server should make sure and do this even in a more casual atmosphere, even though it can be difficult to get the timing right during a busy shift. Never ever offer the check before seeing if they want anything else. People always feel rushed if the bill arrives and they haven't been asked if they would like dessert or coffee- even if they didn't want it. Perfect timing may not be possible but it is something to shoot for.
5. Do not socialize with other staff-members on the floor. This is one we are all guilty of at one time or another. A sense of camaraderie and closeness develops with people you work with day in day out in a stressful environment. It's tempting to chat and goof around with friends. You need to resist the urge to have fun and keep your game face on whenever you are where customers can see you. Keep socializing during business hours to a minimum and do what chatting you must in the kitchen/prep area. As soon as those doors are locked goof around to your hearts content, go out for a couple of beers together. It's even ok to really tie one on as a group every now and then. One of the few perks of a service job is going a little crazy with your buddies from work judgment free (I'd strongly suggest keeping your clothes on though). Just remember when the customers are present it is highly unprofessional to look like your having too much fun.
6. The customer is not always right. They usually are and you do usually have to kiss their a$$es up one side and down the other, but not always. You are not required to take any kind of abuse. This means verbal abuse too. Nobody has the right to shout at you, use obscenities at you, or make serious personal insults. They can criticize the food, the service, the decor, the time it took to get their salad, and the establishment as a whole but not you personally. If they shout, curse or start calling you names get a manager. If they touch you in a in an inappropriate manner get a manager. If their behavior becomes a disruption to other diners get a manager. Your manager is the boss and makes the big bucks for a reason, it's his/her job to take care of these problems, not yours. My first manager taught me this, if yours doesn't have the chops to handle a sticky situation or expects you take abuse- get a new job. Remember you are a server not a slave.
7. Say your sorry, and look like you mean it. When things go wrong and they will, remember you’re human, the host is human and boy oh boy the chef is human. So when human error occurs apologize gracefully and then offer them compensation in some form. Too often on a busy night a harried stressed out server will jump right into “would you like a free dessert?” If you got busy and forgot about them tell them you’re sorry, if the kitchen is moving at glacial speeds that night apologize. If you go on autopilot and just give the prerecorded customer complaint answer it shows. They will think you don’t take their complaint seriously and you don’t respect them. No one wants to be made to feel cheap, and that is exactly how your skipping a simple apology makes them feel. It is also nice to have your boss go by and apologize if he has time and you feel comfortable asking. If the situation is unsalvageable see if you can’t tap out, have another server go up and say “I’m so sorry you had a problem with “___” I‘ll be taking care of you now.” They will think they got an upgrade and you got a reprimand, that will go a long way to smoothing them down.
8. Maintain a good relationship with the rest of the staff. If you don’t you will come to regret (sooner rather than later. If you fight with the host/hostess they may “miss” you in rotation a few times. If you fight with the busboys your section will always be the last to get cleaned and you’ll miss a lot of tables. If you fight with the kitchen you’ll find your meals suddenly take longer than everyone else’s resulting in lower tips and grumpy diners. If you fight with the other servers they won’t step into help when you get swamped. If you have a contentious relationship with management suddenly your schedule sucks. I had a coworker once who was constantly yelling at the chef, and could not figure out why the chef could never get his food out in a timely manner. It’s hard to keep your temper sometimes, just remember if you piss people off they will always find a way to get back at you.
9. Always try and give everyone you wait on your very best service. This is a sensitive topic, and it needs to be addressed. There are lot of servers who believe certain types of people just don’t tip well. Cultural differences aside this just isn’t true in my experience. Try and keep an open mind, do your best and see what happens, you may be pleasantly surprised. You definitely won’t be getting a good tip if you don’t give a table proper attention or have a bad attitude
10. When you up-sell do so tactfully. Don’t act like a money grubbing server-monkey. Don’t ever make your customers feel like their just walking dollar signs in your mind. You want them to believe you actually care whether or not they have good time. It’s really best if you do actually care, but faking it is better than nothing. For example when you offer them dessert make sure and mention which desserts are large enough to share if they would prefer. Or tell them which wines by the glass are available as well as those by the bottle. Never make someone feel like if they can’t afford an expensive bottle of wine or they are just ordering entrees they aren’t worth your time.
Bon Apetit