Read Your Guests

The other night we got slammed and the kitchen was running behind. I had this couple who had a some appetizers and salad and were waiting for their main course to arrive.

My other table got their food and I was running food all around in that area to different tables. I saw them start to have that look on their face like when is mine arriving? I head back to the kitchen and I see it on the pass waiting for the steak to be put on the plate. Asking how long it will be I went back to the table and said to them it will be a couple of minutes.

Now here is the deal if you say it is going to be arriving in a couple of minutes it better arrive in a couple of minutes. Any longer and the guests really begins to wonder what the heck happened.

I go back to the kitchen and it is still not ready. I give a heads up to the kitchen manager and he checks the time and sees it is running way late. Knowing it may take a couple of minutes more he heads to the table to speak with the guest.

The guest is fine and the meal arrives shortly thereafter. It was a great thing the manager did by going over there to speak with the guest. He said thanks for letting him know and we put out a potential fire by letting the guest know that we were sorry for the delay and it will be out shortly.

Here is the deal and that is when you are waiting a longer than usual time for something and you feel the guest starting to lose it by changes in their facial expression or a total lack of silence at the table let your supervisor know. Chances are they are peeved off.

Don't try to remedy the situation by yourself. If you have done all you could and you see the guests' face going sour tell someone. By someone who is higher up going to the table not only will things get smoothed out but they will know that you the waiter are doing your job by showing you care enough to have someone come over and explain the problem.

A waiter who puts out fires before they go full out is on top of his section and communicating all the time. This is providing excellent service!

What Every Waiter Should Do In Order To Make More Money

I know the title sounds like if everyone does this their chances of garnering a bigger tip will occur 100% of the time and I admit that would be a tad pretentious , but I am convinced that your success ratio will improve greatly if you did this one thing.

What I have noticed from viewing waiters that make more money from those who don't is that they speak a bit louder when they are greeting the guest than most others. Now I am not saying that they are shouting or you can hear them all over the restaurant but when they go up to the guest and say hello and mention the features , there is that sound of enthusiasm coming from their voice mixed with the positive expectation that their meal is going to be fantastic with him or her serving them.

I have even noticed with myself that my really great nights come from those times when I went into work knowing that what I had to offer was the very best decision a restaurant goer could have made that evening. The pitch of my voice was perfect and my rambling off of the features was akin to listening to someone read a poetic masterpiece. My enthusiasm and conviction at the outset laid the foundation for a truly positive dining experience for the guest.

Think about when you received outstanding service and tipped accordingly the last time and it probably had a lot to do with not just the service and food , but the sound of your waiter's voice that had you expecting something great was going to take place right from the beginning.

So remember when you start your next shift in the restaurant make sure the guest can hear a strong , direct , air of conviction in your voice and you may make more money and hear far less complaints. Be consciously aware of your voice projection when at a table and note if there is a difference when you are up or when you are down in your take home pay.

I know I am trying all the time to speak a bit stronger and affirmative. More than I would in casual conversation.

Hope this helps you make more money out there!

The First 15 Seconds

This post is going to be rather short as in 10 minutes I have to go somewhere.

So to get to the point quickly the first thing about going up to your new table is to put them at ease.

What I do is stop and look at all of them in the eye and smile and say good evening or welcome and ask them how they are all doin? Then I may add what a great day out , eh? I am trying to set up a positive beginning to their experience and open their mind to any suggestion I may have later.

Then I shut up and wait for the answer. From this initial greeting and their response I know what kind of mood they are in , and who will be the asshole of the table if there is one. Also someone may pipe up and say it's his or her birthday then right away you know what they are getting for dessert. You know , that special dessert for someone's birthday that is usually on the house.

If no one answers and the couple is glaring at one another or if they answer and it looks like they are grumpier than heck then you know this table you have to be careful of. They will complain of anything so they can agree on something before leaving. You have to watch and pay special attention until they leave.

You may also get that give us some time which is fine so I do.

I never start off by introducing myself and doing the talking cause that is just being rude. It is all about them and what their feelings and mood are in when they arrive. I never bring up features without listening to them first.

All this in the first 15-20 seconds between the time I greet them and their answer. Then I decide how to proceed from that.

Tomorrow is on how I do the features.

What Is It With Smoking?

Last night it got busy and if I smoked I guess I could relate better but when it is busy why is it someone has to ask me if I can watch their table while they have a quick smoke? Is it such a need to smoke at a given time rather than wait later , like after work maybe?

Besides how in the world can you enjoy a smoke when all you are going to do is run inside and give some service that is needed or overdue by the time you finish the smoke. Like the other people have time to watch your table for you when they are managing their own section.

Just a thought I guess.....

My Train Of Thought Before I Start A Shift

Here is what I have been doing for a long time before I start a shift in order that I get an edge in my mind and psyched up.

I think everyday I show up at my job my performance this evening is going to be my last. I know it is crazy but last night is history. It is what I do tonight that counts. No one I am serving tonight was here last night so whom I serve tonight and how well I do it will determine what money I make and my future employment.

I think as well that it might be that guest's first time in our restaurant. Maybe they had some bad news today and need to take their minds off things and enjoy a meal. Honestly , I have no idea. Maybe that guest was abused , a recovering alcoholic , was robbed , bankrupt , on drug rehab , or anything else like that. It is amazing when you talk to anyone , they know someone who is , or knows someone who knows someone else who is having some difficulties.

Another thing I think about doing when serving others is no matter what they ask me to get them I get it as quick as I can. It is all about the service. I am a freakin' robot. I just get it. On the ship I got a lot of practice waiting on tables for 6 plus months in a row everyday. One hundred per cent of the guests filled out comment cards. No room for error. If someone wanted something I got it. That was the golden rule of service.

I worked for a guy one time who asked everyone how they defined luxury. His correct answer was "service."That is what we do as servers and bartenders , supervisors and managers , we give as good service as possible.

Not every night will be perfect but leave your thoughts at the door and when you start your shift just think this is your chance to make someone's night and work like you need the job. Our job is only as secure as the night we have this evening. If it is not our best then there is tomorrow. A new beginning to improve on the previous night.

We owe it to ourselves and our guests to try to work and serve even better than the night before. Just work with that thought in mind before your shift and you will have focus and that edge you need to have a great night.