Tips for Servers

****DISCLAIMER***** EXTREME PROFANITY IN THE YOUTUBE VIDEO*******

Here's some advice for all my server friends out there...

1) SMILE.Nothing is more awkward and depressing than a server coming to the table acting unfriendly. Even if it is a fake smile, SMILE. I was out to eat last week in Omaha, and our server was so impolite. She didn't smile once, and she didn't make eye contact at all. It made me feel like I was inconveniencing her by dining out. Also, I wanted dessert, but she didn't offer it, she just dropped our ticket without a thank you, or a grin. Smiling in everyday life is important, but a smile is part of your uniform when you are serving.

2) Say your name. Say it clearly, say it a couple times, use it in a story you are telling, write it on the back of the ticket when you drop it, just make sure you get it out there. Just like servers remember good tippers, customers remember good servers. If you want repeat customers, say your name. Also, it helps eliminate customers that get your attention in a rude manner.

3) Check your baggage at the door. This is important in any job, but especially in serving. Sorry you had a bad day, it happens, but serving is one of the professions where you can not let your day affect you dinner rush. No customers care how bad your day was. No customers care how you feel. Sorry, it is a harsh reality, but a reality no less. One thing that helps me to leave the drama at home, is to leave my cell phone at home, or at least in my car. Pay attention to your job, and it will go by faster. Use the restaurant as a release from the rest of the world. Keep your hands busy, and your mind will rarely have time to catch up. If you must must must show emotion at work, keep it in the kitchen or serving station. Let it build up and boil as much as you can, then go back into the kitchen and string as many four-letter words together as possible.



Won't solve anything, but will offer some temporary release. Something else that helps is throwing something as hard as you can with your opposite hand (Thanks T.K.) I am right-handed, so when I am about to explode, I grab a towel and throw it as hard as I can into the hamper with my left hand. I feel better because I look and feel like a moron, but I don't feel like killing the lady at table 13 anymore =)

4) Be honest. If you don't know if the Alfredo has garlic, be honest. "Ma'am I am not positive on that, but I will go check with the cook and be right back." Then....you go check with the cook and come right back. This is common sense folks, but it is commonly overlooked. Some servers want to look like they know everything (trust me, I'm one of those servers.) But if you tell this customer that there isn't garlic in the sauce, and there is, BOOM! Allergic reaction, lawsuit, unemployment. It takes a few seconds to clarify. This can all be prevented by knowing your menu, though, and asking questions for yourself before a customer ever has to ask.


5) (If you are a customer, please stop reading now) Servers...here is a tip to make more tips. UPSELL!!! UPSELL!!!! UPSELL!!!! UPSELL!!!!
"I'll have a vodka tonic please," "OK Sir, would you like Absolut, Grey Goose, or Ketel One?"
DO NOT SELL WELL. If a customer hears their options, they are more likely to pick one, rather than just resorting to well drinks. This increases your bill one dollar at a time, but it is important. Always suggest soups and salads, and always bring out the dessert tray or describe it in succulent terms. The more money people spend, the more they tip (typically.) In this tough economy, servers must get customers to spend as much as they can. Know your booze so that you can list the various types of top-shelf vodkas, bourbons, scotches, and rums. Also, know your wines and beers. Don't just sound knowledgeable, be knowledgeable.