10 Things You Didn’t Know Were Driving Your Server Nuts
By: Taylor Wildrick
This summer, while my friends were sunning themselves on the pink-sand beaches of Bermuda and swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas, I was refilling ketchup bottles and sanitizing plastic serving baskets on Martha’s Vineyard.
That’s right: I had the job of a lifetime. Waiting on tourists and rich people. Don’t get me wrong; meeting new friends from Jamaica, Moldova, and Albania was pretty cool, and I left with a few invitations for a tropical vacation of my own with some of my new friends. But, girl, being a waitress is hard work!
I gained a new understanding and sympathy for servers everywhere that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I will never view a restaurant in the same way. And some of the most glaring things I learned were that the everyday behaviors I had exhibited were making my servers MISERABLE. So without further ado, here are some things you should never do, for the sake of your server’s sanity.
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Leaving the tip on your card.
This one is not super awful and I totally won’t hate you for doing it, but it’s an added step that takes your server forever to cash out at the end of the night. Sitting at the POS, point of sales system, and typing in all those credit card tips makes you wish you could just ban all credit cards.
2. Flagging us down with elaborate gestures.
This is not a football game, so why are you doing the wave? No server I know appreciates it when customers stand up and start doing backflips trying to get your attention. A simple raise of the hand or some good old-fashioned eye contact works just as well.
3. Flagging down other servers besides your own.
Please do not ask another server how long your food will take, or to add another item to your order. If you must ask them ANYTHING, just ask them to bring your server over for you. Every server is busy, and chances are they’ll forget to tell your server what you asked, or they simply won’t have the time.
4. Letting your kids run wild.
We are not a babysitting service. Believe it or not, your kids are still your responsibility when you’re at a restaurant. Why people let their little monsters run around the restaurant coloring the walls and bothering other guests has always baffled me.
5. Ordering things that aren’t on the menu.
“I’ll have a BLT on wheat.” Great, but you can’t get it here because WE DON’T SELL IT. “An Arnold Palmer, please.” But we don’t even have lemonade. Please people, look at the menu before you order.
6. Splitting the bill.
Splitting the bill 50/50 on date night? Fine. Splitting by item among three friends? Alright. Splitting a $350 group meal in twelve different ways? Please, for the love of God. NO!
7. Complaining about the food, and then eating it all. (And then asking for a refund).
I get it if your steak isn’t cooked to your liking or you simply don’t like the shrimp, but if you eat the entire thing, I’m charging you for it. End of story. Don’t complain when it comes up on the bill.
8. Sending things back to the kitchen for no good reason.
Again, if your steak isn’t right, fine. But sending back your entire salad because the shrimp doesn’t have the right “pop” (???) puh-lease. It just ruins the flow in the kitchen and it is going to make your food take longer. Now your family is done eating and you’re still eating salad #2 because you had to be nitpicky.
9. Leaving plates and napkins everywhere.
Just don’t. Please. I’m begging you. Just stack them at the edge of the table. It’s not rocket science, and it makes your server’s life 100% easier when they need to clear six tables before their next order comes out.
10. Last but not least: Not leaving a tip.
Please people. I know you can do better.