Hi - With the upcoming Easter and Mother's Day celebrations in the not too far off future, I wanted to give you a little insiders perspective of dining out.
I, by no means, am not an expert in this subject - however, I DO work in the restaurant industry.
These tips not only apply to Easter and Mother's Day, but any time you might be dining out at a restaurant vs. a fast food place.
* If you have more than 4 people in your party - please make a reservation. In my restaurant, we mostly have round tables. Many times we do not have two empty tables close together to push together. You cannot fit 10 people around a table designed for 6.
* We do have a few "high tops" (tables that sit higher than others with higher chairs) - again, they are designed for 8 people, not 12. If we know in advance that you are coming, we can "reserve" tables and make arrangements to accommodate your size group.
* If you see the parking lot is full (ours holds 250+) and you are driving around to find a spot to park, that means we are very busy and it will take your order a little longer to get to your table. Please be patient. Again, remember, we are NOT a fast food place. It takes at least 20 minutes for your chicken to cook, 30 minutes for your steak. When you have a large party it takes a bit for ALL the dinners to be ready to come to your table at the same time.
* If you leave a message on the answering machine for reservations, please let us know that Grandma has difficulty walking and we will seat you closer to the front of the restaurant. If we "reserve" a table for you and are busy when you come in, it might be very difficult to squeeze you in another spot. If we know your needs in advance, we can allow and plan for it.
* (Not to offend anyone with this tip, just stating the facts.) Please do not let your young children run all around the restaurant - jumping on furniture, running, yelling, picking up things, etc. It's not our job to watch your children. It's never too young to teach children about using "indoor" voices and manners when dining out. Packing a little "dining out" bag to bring with you with quiet activities to keep the children occupied while waiting for your meal would be a good idea. (I work in an upscale Country Club and we don't have coloring pages or crayons.)
Case in point - just this past weekend we had a family of 10 come in. There were five young (under 6) children. They were so loud and running around that no other guests wanted to sit in the same area as this family. Unfortunately, this (the spot this family was sitting in) is one of our most popular places to dine in, in our restaurant. Six of our tables in this section sat empty while this family dined for 1-1/2 hrs. Sorry to say, we were glad when they left!
Topic continued in Part 2 ........................
Continuing on with this post . . . .
* Please be mindful of the hours of operation of the restaurant you are dining at. If they close at 9 p.m. and you are still lingering around at 11:30 p.m. (and you got there at 7:00 p.m.) - it's time to leave. Not only are you keeping staff around until you leave - they also have cleaning up to do once you leave. It's one thing if you are eating or drinking, but if you're just sitting there talking - go to someones house.
* If you go to a buffet - make reservations if you have a group of 5 or more. Again, it's hard to combine tables when there are none available. Upstairs in our banquet hall we have round tables that seat 8. When you have a party of 11 and all want to sit together at one table - it's not going to happen. It is what it is - you're going to have to split up between two tables.
* When you are seated by the Hostess, please don't switch tables without checking with us first. The seat you move to may already be "reserved" on our books. Plus, when you switch seats you might also be switching servers.
* Servers have "sections" that they cover. If you have a friend/relative that works at the restaurant and want to be seated in their section, please let us know BEFORE we seat you. We'll be happy to accommodate you, if we can.
* Please remember Servers are paid less than minimum wage and rely on the "tips" they make serving you. (I'm not a Server - just speaking on their behalf.) If you have a problem with your service or meal, please let us know and we will try to rectify the situation. If you don't tell us, we don't know.
* If you need something at your table and you can't find your Server, by all means, ask any of the staff or other Servers walking past for assistance. Don't just get up and leave in a huff because you haven't said anything to anyone.
* If part of your meal is cold when it gets to your table (that should be hot), please let us know and don't just eat it and complain about it all the way out the front door to the other people in your group. If we are unaware of the problem, we can't fix it.
Okay - these are just some tips I've learned while working in the restaurant business. The objective is for our guests to be comfortable, fed in a reasonable amount of time, enjoy their dining experience and leave happy. :D
If we work together - guests vs. staff - it makes it an enjoyable experience for everyone. ;D
Happy dining out! Don't forget . . . make your Easter and Mother's Day reservations NOW!
Bucky
<<* Please remember Servers are paid less than minimum wage and rely on the "tips" they make serving you. (I'm not a Server - just speaking on their behalf.) If you have a problem with your service or meal, please let us know and we will try to rectify the situation. If you don't tell us, we don't know.
>>
I worked in the food biz for aout 12 yrs. I know of a few people that do not leave a tip because they "can't afford to.." WELL, if you can not afford the TIP, then you can not afford the meal!" MOST servers make about $2.13 an hour and depend on tips to pay their bills. :)
Bucky and Cat,
May I say, "Amen, Amen and did I mention "Amen"? ;D
I was a server and manager for about 15 years. Thanks for passing this along, Bucky. And so many things that people who have never worked in a restaurant don't know, or just seem to have no idea about. Restaurant jobs are "hard work", it is not for the faint of heart.
Cat, exactly right. If someone says they "can't afford to" with tipping, then they should go somewhere else (like Wendy's). I don't know anyone who could live on $2.13 an hour.
Thanks for enlightening some people!
When I got to restaurant that has tipping, I ALWAYS leave a good tip. I know how hard waitresses work and all the c*** they have to put up with. They are the "front lines" so if anything is wrong - it gets taken out on them first.
I have two friends that never tip that well and have no idea about "working your tail off" for a living.
Only once did I leave a bad tip and I was with a party of 5 that had the watriess from H***. Two coffees, a tea and two sodas arriving at diff times (15 minutes) - that part should not be that difficult! You can imagine the dinner went downhill from there and we never went back.
(*) I can add two more: Don't give your babies wet crackers to toss on the carpet. It is very hard to get them out of the carpet. You basically have to let them dry and them vacuum, In the meantime they look like heck!
(*) Also plllllleeeaassee don't talk about Aunt Harriet's gall badder surgery at the dinner table. ::)
I love it!!!! And don't talk on your cell phone when I am trying to take your order!!!! (from my former server days, I can't hang anymore :)
Pisces: YES! ;D ;D
Melinda, my ex DH was a manager and was rude if someone wasn't doing the "best" job at serving food. He would get so mad at me ebcause I would say things like, "Well, maybe their parent passed away recently..." or "Maybe their BF broke up with her today..?" LOL He hated that. I like to give everyone the BOTD!
Just a reminder . . . IF you haven't already made your Mother's Day reservations (if you are dining out) you better get 'er TODAY!! It might already be too late. Mother's Day is one of the busiest days in the restaurant industry.
Also, if you have made reservations - please keep in mind there might be other reservations AFTER you - so don't camp out at the restaurant for hours and hours. (Sorry, don't mean to be snippy . . . but, people do stay an awfully long time at their tables.)
Happy Mother's Day everyone. ;D
All I want for Mother's Day is to sleep once I get home from work . . . as I will be working that day so my fellow Mother's can dine out. I'll celebrate my own Mother's Day another day.
Bucky
Bucky,
Very well said! We still need Miss Manners for what you'd think would be common sense. Ever since my waitress days I have said it is a job that everyone should have to do as part of their education.
My daughter's time in serving opened our eyes.
We have witnessed a couple experiences of seeing a server get emotionally abused in stead of tipped. My husband once walked across a restaurant to reward someone elses server, that was embarrassed and humiliated.
Bucky, I am embarrassed to confess, my husband and I have never dined out any where that requires reservations.
We have had the thrill off holding buzzers, that call us to dine NEXT. :)
kimbo
Ah Bucky,
Great advice.
I think too many people expect a McDonald's environment in every restaurant.
Kids running amok, service on demand, horrible manners, no tipping.
I always tip at LEAST 20%. Always. Sometimes more.
And if we're just getting a tiny order at a place like Waffle House (if you haven't been to a Waffle House you haven't lived), I give at least $5. Even if the bill is just $10.
There are two reasons we do this: 1) we can afford it, 2) the money means a GREAT DEAL MORE to the wait staff than it does to us.
Generally the wait staff have a much lower income, often are struggling students or single parents. To me $5 is no big deal. But it represents much more to some one else.
When I heard that idea, that an amount of money can mean very different things to different people, I became more generous.
Yeah, I know lots of wealthy people who want to hold on to every dime.
And we're far from wealthy. But when we order we just figure 20% into what the meal is going to cost.
Now we know the tricks of eating out!
Scan the bottom and the back of the menu for the reasonably priced items!
Ask your waiter what are the best dishes that the cook prepares.
Go for lunch not dinner. The lunch menu is often better, lighter, and more fun than the dinner menu!
If possible, find the menu for a new restaurant on line before you go, so you can familiarize yourself with the prices and items available.
Restaurant.com has instant on line coupons for many restaurants. We use them constantly, AND we tip on the total price, not what we have to pay after the coupon is deducted.
We also get coupons through Groupon and Twongo, and other discount services that send us emails about specials. And we buy the 'coupon book' for the area. One use pays for the book, many times. And there will be sporting events and drycleaners discounts as well as restaurants.
We make reservations through The Open Table, on line when possible for special occasions.
Great topic Bucky.
Hugs
Elaine
Cat,
That's very nice you give people the BOTD. I guess I tend to do that, too. ;)
Bless you, Elaine. You seem to have it all together about this :)
kimbo, we had the thrill of holding a buzzer last night. My MIL wanted to go out with my husband and I. It was busy, but much better than today would have been!
Bucky,
I hope you are resting from the big Mother's Day shift today! I've worked many Mother's Days in restaurants and they were a bit of a dreaded occasion; right behind New Year's Eve. ;D :D ;)
What a day yesterday!!! :o ::) :o ::)
Here's a lesson for everyone to learn from several incidents that happened at our restaurant yesterday on Mother's Day.
We were having a Mother's Day Buffet (we always have a buffet on Sundays - but, on Mother's Day a more elaborate spread). We had three seatings - 10:00, 12 Noon, and 2:00 p.m. Things were moving along smoothly at our 10:00 seating. Only two "no show" reservations. One a party of six, another a party of 10.
We're getting ready for the 12 noon seating and a gentlemen comes to the Hostess station and gives his name. No reservation on our books. He tried it under several other names - no luck with them either. Now, keep in mind his "reservation" is for 24 people!! He goes back downstairs. Then, a lady comes upstairs and in no uncertain terms tells us - "we got a confirmation for our reservation!". There are several people who answer the phones at our business, so it "could" be possible that someone took it and it just wasn't put into the books.
Our 12 noon seating was booked solid - no empty tables left. So, here we have over 250 people to seat and also deal with this other group of 24 that is furious about the situation.
Then, in the mean time - one of the "no shows" from 10:00 shows up at 12 noon! I mention that their reservation was for 10:00 and they adamantly say, "there is no way we would have booked a 10:00 reservation!". (Right lady, we just pull times out of thin air!! ::)). Plus, they had 13 in their party, not 10!! . . . . (OK, this is where we insert the icon with the person pulling their hair out!!!)
Our other Hostess goes downstairs to try and smooth over the situation with the group of 24 and find one of the Managers. I'm left upstairs to deal with the growing mass of people showing up for their reservations and trying to get them sat and figure out what to do with the "new" group of 13 that keeps coming to the stand to tell me they are "still" waiting.
It is decided that the group of 24 will be sat downstairs in the restaurant and they will have to come upstairs to go through the buffet. Take it, or leave it. We had one server that was suppose to take another private group downstairs within an hour, take care of these people.
After much running around, we had to bring up two more tables upstairs to the banquet hall to accommodate the "no show - late show" people of 13. Yes, it took about 15-20 minutes to pull it all together . . . under the circumstances . . . take it, or leave it! They grumbled and complained the whole time.
During the day we also had at least two other groups who had more people come to the brunch than were on the reservations. Not good when you have assigned seats to specific tables with a set head count.
Please understand . . . . when you make a reservation for XX of people, IF you end up having more people coming - let us know ahead of time. It just causes everyone more grief as we try to squeeze people in (when you're already squeezed to the max).
Here's the clincher . . . . our "confirmation reservation of 24 people"? Well, they DID make reservations. They made their Mother's Day brunch reservations on-line (which we don't do - they never told us they made it "on-line"). They ended up making their reservation at a golf course resort with the same town name as ours, only in MICHIGAN - we're in Illinois!!!!! :o :o These two golf courses are not related in the least bit.
Lesson learned here . . . when making reservations for a high volume day - Easter, Mother's Day, New Years Eve, etc. make the reservation over the phone, talking to a "real" person and don't just leave a message on the answering machine or via the internet - especially, when you have a large group coming.
And . . . verify the name and address of the place you are going to!!!!
Bet the place in Michigan weren't happy campers as they had a reservation for 24 that were "no shows"!!!
Later, the lady from this group of 24 did come upstairs and apologize for THEIR mistake. That was nice that she did - but, the damage of the whole ordeal and all the running around we had to do to accommodate them really put a damper on the whole day.
The group of "no show - late show" 13. Well, they didn't even look at us when they left. At that point - I didn't care. They caused us a lot of running around too. (Believe me, we're gonna watch for that name to come up again!!)
By the time I got home last night, I couldn't care less it was Mother's Day. :(
Bucky
Oh Bucky
This is precisely why I would never be in the food business.
Coming between people and their food, and their moods and idiocy.
AND nights and holidays???
No way.
But I'm so glad people do it and do it well.
:-)
Hugs
Sorry for your very bad day.
And I just thought being told that I was hostessing the mother's day celebration for our family (as the grandmother) was bad enough!
"Oh, we'll do a cookout at your house!"
Sigh.
Hugs
Elaine
Sorry Bucky,
Glad you survived it.
And I Hope you go out and celebrate with your men, really soon.
You deserve it!
Hugs , kimbo
Hi Bucky
What a day! Thanks so much for letting us know. I was raised to be courteous: my parents always told us to bear in mind the dreadful pay many people get and what's asked of them. Both my boys worked as waiters in a 5 star hotel when they were students. They learned a lot, not all of it to the credit of their rich customers. As well as a fair/generous tip, remember to make eye contact with your serving staff and maybe even spare a smile or kind word. You'll definitely stand out from the crowd!
I hope next weekend is a little quieter for you!
Take care - Chickpea
I totally agree, MOST wait staff is an undiscovered undervalued treasure. I have had a few unfortunate experiences with rudeness, the most recent of which was the waitress who asked VERY LOUDLY as I was using the debit machine why I wasn't including a tip! I was sorely tempted to go back to the table and retrieve the $5 I had left there, but I know that particular restaurant pools tips and didn't want to slight the other, much nicer, people who work there. I've seen her at this place for years, just never had any contact with her, but it seems others have stopped going there because of her! I can't understand why they keep her.
What really annoyed me most was the fact that I was dining alone and had made an effort to chat with her, and she responded with one word "yeah/nope" answers.
I dine out once a month at most, I actually save up for it, and I try to make it delightful adventure......just wasn't meant to be that day.
Quote from: Linda196 on May 10, 2011, 12:08:12 PM
I've seen her at this place for years, just never had any contact with her, but it seems others have stopped going there because of her! I can't understand why they keep her./quote]
I don't know why they keep her either (maybe, she's related to the owners?!).
Not everyone is cut out to be a server. A lot of places have a high turnover of staff. On occasion, you will find a person who has worked at the same restaurant for eons. They're the good ones. They're the ones people ask to sit in their section, and they tip them well - because they do their job, and do it well.
Linda - how 'bout a road-trip? You could come to "my" restaurant - we'll treat you like a queen. ;D
Bucky
Tipping is not compulsory in Australia - we are charged more for the meals to cover decent wages for the staff.
It can be very confusing for the first time Aussie traveller, we never know when to tip, how much to tip.
Yes some customs are barbaric here in the USA, decent wages should be paid to some of the hardest working people on the planet, and not be dependent on whether the customer has had a bad day or not! Too bad we can't pay politicians only if they balance the budget or CEOs only if the company is profitable AND has decent working conditions. Can you tell I have had a bad week?
hikernees,
Even on a GOOD day, I agree with you.
Quote from: Linda196 on May 10, 2011, 12:08:12 PM
I totally agree, MOST wait staff is an undiscovered undervalued treasure. I have had a few unfortunate experiences with rudeness, the most recent of which was the waitress who asked VERY LOUDLY as I was using the debit machine why I wasn't including a tip! I was sorely tempted to go back to the table and retrieve the $5 I had left there, but I know that particular restaurant pools tips and didn't want to slight the other, much nicer, people who work there. I've seen her at this place for years, just never had any contact with her, but it seems others have stopped going there because of her! I can't understand why they keep her.
This type of server would have been fired on the spot in every restaurant I ever worked in! A few people are unbelievably rude, no matter what their job.