If You Give Me That Look Again I Want Another Waiter

I have this 9 top tonight. The guys are all drinking and there is this one asshole who thinks he is something else.

Anyway before the meal started I asked if it was all on one bill and they say yeah. Okay that is a good start. Then there is this one guy who orders appys for the table. Then some people ordered salads. That is fine. Except I guess it was his honey saying there is hardly any dressing on her caesar so I get her some more on the side. Then when I start clearing the guy next to , I will call him asshole , says he didn't have much dressing either. Then asshole who has had too much to drink already says what is going on here? That is two salads already!

Then his honey next to him says her white wine isn't cold enough so I put it on ice. When I come back asshole says that is 3 times now something is wrong. What the fuck is going on? Can you tell me he ask. I just look at him. You know anything I say I will be wrong cause this guy has already had one beer too much already. I just stare at him.

He ask me again this time saying if I look at him the same way he is going to ask for another waiter. So he ask me the same thing. I don't say anything and give him the WTF stare back.
He says ok then!

Nothing happens and the meal moves forward. I do a quality check and ask how the meal is and he pipes up , better than the service! The rest of the group I sense is embarassed. Some want to leave cause of this rude asshole but I tell them it is all on one bill. Once I heard that at the beginning I did not bother going by seat number. Let the bastards pay one bill. I wasn't going to start sorting the drinks out.

I had a supervisor go over and talk with them and he mentioned afterwards that guy was a real prick. I say he sure was. He gave them a discount on the $600 something bill. They had a $200 gift card and paid the rest with cash. Gave me $60 for a tip. Quite crap really for the abuse but it could have been a lot worse.

I wish he had asked me something sarcastic like how long have I been waiting on tables. But just as well cause I have served in places this asshole couldn't afford to eat in. He wouldn't be allowed in anyway.

Quiz Answers

1. Hops give the beer it's bitter taste and of course flavour.

2. Rotundifolia is native to the United States.

3. Spill rail is the section of the bar that is recessed and upon which cocktails are prepared.

4. Gewurztraminer is a grape variety associated with low acidity.

5. Wheat allergies are referred to as a gluten allergy.

Thanks for playing.

May I Suggest English as a Second Language

So I get this family of 4. It is kind of busy and I am waiting what seems like an eternity to listen to what they have to order.

They order for the kids , then the guy orders the feature with the sun-dried tomato cream sauce and then we come to her. Lady arshole!

She begins by pointing at the part of the menu that says how the steaks are cooked. So I say do you want a steak then? The guy says yeah she will have a sirloin. Fine I say how would you like it cooked and she looks over at her husband and he says well done like mine. Alright then a steak cooked well done. The husband agrees and the wife who I don't think has any idea what a steak is just grins.

The steaks come out and she calls me over and says where is my sauce? Okay I thought you just wanted the steak your husband said , not the feature. So I run back to the kitchen and order the sauce on the side. She gets it and then hardly touches it. I want to kick the guy in the head cause he ordered the meal for her without mentioning the feature.

Listen lady learn to order for yourself. Learn English! Be a pleasure to serve you even more if you could explain what it is you want. What is it with people who live here that it is so hard for them to learn some language skills. Can I suggest a Dale Carnegie course! Anything , just get out of your shell.

Tonight was a night of idiots. Another post on the way shortly.

Quiz Day

This week's Thursday quiz will be followed by answers 24 hours from now so everyone has a chance to participate. Hope you are all having fun and getting in the festive spirit.

Here is goes.

1. Hops in beer only come from the flower and leaves of the hop plant. Now what purpose do hops serve in making beer?

2. Rotundifolia is a grape native to what country?

3. What is the purpose of a spill rail on a bar?

4. Does the grape variety Gerwurztraminer lend itself to a wine that is very acidic or barely having any acidity at all?

5. People who are allergic to any kind of wheat in their food have a "what" allergy? What is this type of allergy referred to as?

Nice For a Change

Went in tonight and found out I was sharing a party of 25 with another waiter. It was one bill which was nice and it was a company I served before at another restaurant.

When they started to order a whole bunch of appetizers for the tables I knew this was going to be a good one.

Anyway when all said and done there was 21 people and their total bill was $1,287 and they left a $230 tip. After tip out and splitting the remainder it was $95 each. Had a couple of other good tables so all together walked out with $162.

It felt good for a change to make some decent income. I think that table tonight of $230 is probably the best tipping table all month. Have had a good couple of nights this week so far.

Hope it keeps up.

Empower Your Weakest Server

You have a weak server on the floor. You know this just because that person seems to be holding back a bit. They appear to be hesitant in their manner and not going for it. Maybe scared of making a mistake. It could be this person is still not sure if this is the right career move for them.

Here is what you do. Give that person a really busy section and keep an eye on them. Don't give them an easy section because that will not build up their confidence. What that person needs is a shot in the arm. Empower your weakest link. Be there if they need you but watch from a distance. Of course don't let service suffer. Help if it is needed.

A good bartender or waiter never stayed in the business very long if they did not get that busy section early on. A cook never stayed on very long if all they ever did was peel potatoes. They had to have a busy night on the line. Everyone worth their salt got slammed in their section early on and that is how you get better. You learn to survive the night and make some money and get better each time thereafter.

So if you are in charge of training or running a team get those newly hired people in the thick of it as quick as possible. Especially this time of year when you get a lot of people in the festive spirit.

Get that new employee when their enthusiasm is the highest and give them more responsiblity quickly. People naturally want to do a good job and feel like they are contributing.

Just do it soon before they leave to go somewhere else.

Give You and the Guest Time

When carrying out the dinner service I find it impolite to rush people through their meal. Like having their entree arrive while they are still eating their appetizer. Nothing worse than making the guests feel rushed and hurried like you want them out the door.

If the guest has ordered something hot like a French Onion Soup give ample time for them to enjoy it and you time to clear it before the next course arrives. Look at the tickets on the pass before ordering that rare cooked steak. If there is no line hold back a few minutes before punching that steak in or that steak will come out pronto while that onion soup is still not finished. Chefs and expos don't like when they send out food only for it to be returned because the guest was only halfway through their appetizers.

The reverse is true when the line is long. To avoid the guest waiting and waiting , I will send that well done steak through to the kitchen even before they have received that French Onion Soup on a super busy night. But don't forget to check the appy pass either. You may have to wait 10 minutes for that onion soup. Will that affect the arrival time of your entree?

Same goes for appetizers. If you have a big table and they are having all kinds of appetizers wait till they get those appetizers before punching in the entrees. Give yourself time to get some more drinks , clear the appetizers , put new cutlery down , and give your guests a break in between courses. A big table can wait 10-12 minutes before their main course arrives because they will be chatting amongst themselves.

A table of two you may only want them waiting between 3-5 minutes before getting their next course.

The big thing I want to emphasize is give yourself time by thinking about what the guest has ordered and how long will it take for them to eat it once they receive it. Give yourself time to clear afterwards.

You have got to control the flow. Only you know what is going on in your section not the kitchen. The kitchen will just go ahead and cook whatever you order right away.

A waiter has to think about what kind of people are in their section. You know if the couple has ordered a bottle of wine and holding hands they like some space in between courses. The family with the young kids want everything yesterday.

Now if you work with a POS system where you punch in everything by course selection then it is much easier. You just call pick up when you feel it is time allowing a few minutes for the kitchen to prepare the finishing touches to the dish. This allows the waiter to pour some more wine etc..Tasting menues are a prime example. Each course comes out and you have the wine ready for that particular dish.

Don't get caught running around for stuff when the main course arrives because you didn't give yourself enough time. Make each table feel special by the thought you put into it. Ordering food through to the kitchen is all about timing and how you do it will affect your gratuity accordingly.

It is the difference between a good waiter and an average one.