I believe everyone should have to work in a restaurant Friday night.
As a student who has supported himself through college by working in the restaurant business I have good nights and hellish nights.
A night can turn sour over one table, even one guest, repeating the same issues in the business.
Here are the five golden rules that will make your night pleasant, while helping out your server.
It’s called karma, Billy. You do bad things, bad things happen to you.
Golden Rule No. 1: The closer you visit a restaurant to its closing hours, the less fulfilling your service will be. An hour before close isn’t the issue, but 15 to 10 minutes before close is.
“Night owls” would be a proper term for this type of guest. For some reason, more than likely a legitimate one, these people like to eat between the hours of 9:30 and 11 p.m. and usually frequent the targeted restaurant five minutes before close.
A restaurant should operate like a bar. There should be a bouncer walking around giving out to-go boxes and swiping credit cards at the witching hour.
It is boggling when a guest decides to hang out after hours thinking the DJ is going to pop out the wait station any minute and start the secret after hour party.
That’s when I would like to see the bouncer Bubba come up from behind and say, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Golden Rule No. 2: Never refer to your server by “boy,” “honey,” “son” or “sweetheart.” Not only are we not your offspring or significant other, I feel all servers deserve a “sir” or “ma’am.” A little respect might get a little better service.
Golden Rule No. 3: For any reason, under any circumstance, never say, “We’re kind of in a hurry, can you try and get that out fast?”
Sorry, but you and the other five tables we’re serving want the same thing. When you tell the other guests you want your food ahead of them and they’re OK with it, then sure, servers will make sure your food is digested before that 8 p.m. movie you’re trying to catch.
Golden Rule No. 4: Doing sprints and laps is not how servers enjoy their night. It helps servers out to tell them everything you need all at once, not requiring eight separate trips ack and forth from the wait station. Most servers have taken enough trips to receive frequent flyer miles. This also holds up the other guests.
Golden Rule No. 5: It’s best to know what you want to order, or else your server will leave you behind like the rapture. This holds up everyone, as harsh as it sounds.
Most servers won’t mind helping out a guest, but timing is everything in the business.
This would account for the new Applebee’s sampler with mini-burgers, poppers and who knows what else. This might also explain the Kentucky Fried Chicken famous bowls as well.
It may be American of us that we can’t decide on a meal. Do we really need all our indecisiveness on one plate or in a slop bowl?
Following these five rules will make everyone’s weekend restaurant experience.
I realize that not all servers are cut out for the job, and I too have suffered awful service. But customers also have to do their part.
—-Contact Adam Pfleider [email protected]