boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/one-hundred-things-restaurant-staffers-should-never-do-part-one/?src=tp
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Bruce Buschel Start-Up Chronicle Herewith is a modest list of dos and don'ts for servers at the seafood restaurant I am building. Veteran waiters, moonlighting actresses, libertarians and baristas will no doubt protest some or most of what follows. They will claim it homogenizes them or stifles their true nature. And yet, if 100 different actors play Hamlet, hitting all the same marks, reciting all the same lines, cannot each one bring something unique to that role? The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right. Do not inject your personal favorites when explaining the specials. Handle wine glasses by their stems and silverware by the handles. Never say "I don't know" to any question without following with, "I'll find out." If someone requests more sauce or gravy or cheese, bring a side dish of same. Do not take an empty plate from one guest while others are still eating the same course. Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong. That might mean sending someone else to the table or offering a taste or two. If someone likes a wine, steam the label off the bottle and give it to the guest with the bill. Never assume people want their white wine in an ice bucket. For red wine, ask if the guests want to pour their own or prefer the waiter to pour. Do not put your hands all over the spout of a wine bottle while removing the cork. Never let the wine bottle touch the glass into which you are pouring. Never remove a plate full of food without asking what went wrong. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers. Do not drink alcohol on the job, even if invited by the guests. Never say, "Good choice," implying that other choices are bad. Do not discuss your own eating habits, be you vegan or lactose intolerant or diabetic. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. Do not gossip about co-workers or guests within earshot of guests. Do not ask what someone is eating or drinking when they ask for more;
Link I don't know-I was a bartender here in NYC from 1978 to 1993, and I wouldn't protest a single one of these. They are all perfectly logical and appropriate to me, and I would have been happy to work at, and be happy to be a patron at, any establishment that followed these rules.
Link This makes me a bit nostalgic for the days I waited and bused tables. Incidentally, Bruce, you seem like the kind of diner whose food would get spit in. I'm not your slave and if I want to complement somebody I will, and when I've got 8 other tables I'll take your order when you're ready, I don't see why I have to stand around waiting for a lull in your conversation.
Link I completely agree with comment #1 and would add that single diners should not be led to the worst table. That has been my experience - being seated closet to the bathroom or bus area.
It doesn't necessarily invite a tone of sarcasm or insincerity. In fact, your use of "Herewith" at the beginning of this article annoys me a lot more than "No Problem," as "herewith" seems arrogant or supercilious.
Link When picking up the check, PLEASE do not ask "Do you need change?" Bring the change, or say "I'll be right back with your change," and let the customer decide the rest from there.
Link Amen to #3 - Any restaurant that won't seat guests is not to be taken seriously. Also, I get not saying "dude," but why is it wrong to say "lady" (what about "gentleman")?
Link I completely agree with almost everything here, EXCEPT #31. Every once in a while, I'm not hungry, or I feel sick, or whatever, and I HATE the feeling that I have to explain my eating habits to a waiter.
"No problem" almost always sounds awful and the personal favorites always make me laugh. The author should let the reader know how to address a single woman and a group of women. And as for dude- I had one visit to a doctor who repeatedly called me "dude". I stopped him, told him I wasn't a dude, and walked out.
Link I'm from the south, and both "sir" and "ma'am" are (or were - I've been in NYC for 30 years) standard fare. For those women who prefer not be called ma'am, what would you prefer instead? I ask because most men are comfortable with sir (when used politely) and I would feel as though I were slighting someone female by using nothing at all. Oh, and yes - please don't tell us your name, or ask how we're doing. We don't care what your name is, and we don't expect you to care how we're doing.
And some bartenders might dispute #24, arguing that it is appropriate to refill a neat scotch into the same glass. Spare me such advice as, "The Sauternes would go very nicely with that foie gras."
With respect to #17, people are starting to get so used to "fast bussing" that they are starting to think service is bad when they have an empty plate in front of them. Being a polite dinning companion includes timing the completion of your meal to match your companion.
Link What about a list of things diners should never do? As a former server, I can give you one-hundred of those and then some. Servers are generally far better behaved than some of the customers we have to deal with.
Link These are actually good rules for the guests too-never touch the server, never curse, never ask for the server's favorites, etc. It is easy to forget that a compliment to one person, when in a group, often means others feel left out. If we all thought about the over all experience our interactions create, we would be much better off.
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" Ask your self if your grandmother should lend ALL her money to ABC Company and live off the interest. That may get you closer to how the bank looks at the loan."
Blogrunner About the Authors w50 Image Jay Goltz Thinking Entrepreneur Jay Goltz, who employs more than 100 people at his five Chicago businesses, helps small business owners analyze their problems.
Bio w50 Image Bruce Buschel The Start-Up Chronicle Bruce Buschel -- an author, magazine writer, co-creator of an Off Broadway musical, and director/producer of jazz films -- writes about his latest venture: building and starting a seafood restaurant.
Bio w50 Image Scott A Shane Do the Math Scott A Shane, a professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western, writes about the economy from a small business perspective.
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