The Ultimate Waiter Rundown
Poor service and rude waiters does throw off guests from returning to a restaurant. It may be done through a direct or indirect action and it’s not good because at the end of the day, the restaurant’s business status relies on how good their overall rating is to the public eye. Guests would always be willing to spend money for food, beverage and service. They all are prospects to be returning guests and patron of your establishment. Given that they are impressed with the food and most importantly, the value they receive from what they pay for. The food servers, the waiters, are the restaurant’s front line personnel who have the biggest responsibilities in giving guests the quality service they deserve. If you are in restaurant industry, you might have wondered about the things that will make guests like your service and ultimately earn more tips. Here are the basic yet important points you have to consider in achieving your goal.
Above and beyond the call of duty (ABCD).
Giving value to guests is as important as the food and drinks that the restaurant offers. I know it’s a bit hard but doing more effort and going the extra mile does yield positive results. If the guest asks for a glass of water, for example, you may want to offer a little extra like offering a lemon along with it. If their needs are met and they feel that they are taken well cared of, this alone makes a big difference. If they pay with credit card, you might want to have a glance at the guest’s name and write the card holder’s name together with a “thank you” on the receipt upon giving it to them. This shows a personal touch that they can’t help but appreciate it. That little extra already makes you different among the rest and they would be more willing to give you a tip because they feel you deserve it.
Dress properly
If you happen to work in a fine dining restaurant, dress as if you are going in a grand ball where VIPs are the main guests. Do this even the manager does not give credits to you for wearing it. You are doing this for the guests and I am sure that they would love to be served by a properly dressed and neat waiter. You are serving food and a clean appearance does make you more likely to be fit to handle the special food that they ordered. It also shows that you meant business in keeping up with the restaurant standards.
Be a social person
Being social with the guests is given. Having good relationship with your peer should also be considered to have a healthy atmosphere in both the locker room and the dining area. Any dispute with your colleague especially during working hours is not good. No matter how discrete it’s done, guests will certainly notice it and it’s not a good thing. It’s hard to be perfect towards everybody but it’s better not to have anybody going against you. If that person is still a pain in the neck after a peaceful discussion, have the management be notified. Most restaurants do have regulations to keep these problems at bay. Having friends is better than having foes because our job itself might be at stake here.
Memorize it
Landing a job in the restaurant industry does require you to know the technical details from the names of the utensils to the type of wine to be best suitable for the guest’s dish. There are many approaches to be familiar with all the necessary details and skills on how to do things appropriately. This should be taken seriously because not all the time the “once size fits all” mentality does not apply with the food industry. A precise and well versed appropriate action has to be done with each problem. It should be made sure that the silverware, glassware and all minor details should be at the right place. A wine should never be served in a water goblet. I can’t enumerate all the examples but I’m sure you get the idea. Be familiar with everything on how they function, where it supposed to be place and when it’ll be needed.
Having all the important knowledge and skill of being a waiter isn’t done in a day. You may have some problems and some lapses with your service but its all part of improving. All top level managers came from the very position you are in right now and it’s better to know these basic things because once promoted and be given a bigger responsibility, you will always go back to the skills you’ve learned and mistakes you have done in the past to make better service in keeping guests happy and satisfied.
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