While attending college, I worked as a server for several different restaurants. Little did I know, the food industry would become a precursor to my career in social services. It would serve me well in learning how to work with many different people and their personalities.
If you look up the job description for a server, you won’t find any mention of indentured servants or slaves. But for some unknown reason, many customers continue treating servers as if they were second class citizens.
After spending many years in the restaurant business, I can really appreciate a server who tries to provide a pleasant dining experience. Although I am no longer a server, it still disturbs me to see customers disrespect servers who are just doing their jobs.
It’s my belief that some people are rude when they dine out because they don’t have any restaurant etiquette. It’s possible that they may have never learned any. If not, here are some basic dining rules everyone should learn:
• If you don’t know the name of your server, just refer to them as Mister or Miss. After being a server for so many years, I considered changing my name to either Hey You or just Hey.
• When ordering, please try to be accurate when pronouncing menu items. Servers aren’t mind readers. If they misunderstand you, they may get your order wrong. For example, filet mignon is not pronounced “Fillet Mc-non.” Another one that disturbed me was when people told me they wanted a “quickie.” After a few seconds, I realized they wanted a Quiche entrée and not an actual “quickie.”
• When a server asks for your order, put your cell phone away. It’s rude when a server attempts to take your order and you ignore him or her. Not only is it rude to the server, it’s rude to your friends and family. There were countless times when I waited on people who spent their entire dining experience on the phone.
• If you don’t get your food immediately, it’s not always the server’s fault. Take a look around and you will see you are not the only customer in the restaurant…especially on the weekends or holidays.
• Servers aren’t babysitters and a restaurant isn’t a play place. Children can easily get burned if they bump into someone with hot food. For the safety of your child and the restaurant staff, children should remain seated at their table
Finally, tipping isn’t a city in China. Servers generally earn $2 or $3 per hour plus tips so they depend on your tips. After taxes, their paycheck barely covers a tank of gas. I usually start at 15% of the bill and work up to 20% if I receive superior service.
Before dining out, consider these suggestions and pass them onto your children because good manners and restaurant etiquette should start at home.
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