The next 50 service tips
New York Times blogger Bruce Buschel has posted his second 50 rules for the waiters and waitresses at his restaurant, which is scheduled to open in Bridgehampton, NY in the spring.
He clarifies a bit more in the opening sentences that this list might not need to be followed to the T by all restaurants because, let’s face it, there are lots and lots of different restaurants. I believe personally that what he is advising on is service for fine dining restaurants, but that doesn’t mean all restaurants cannot take something away from the list.
Once again, do you guys agree/disagree with anything in particular on this list?
51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.
52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets.
53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree.
54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.
55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.)
56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)
57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.
58. Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.
59. Do not leave place settings that are not being used.
60. Bring all the appetizers at the same time, or do not bring the appetizers. Same with entrees and desserts.
61. Do not stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her.
62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous.
62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long.
63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.
64. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.
65. Always remove used silverware and replace it with new.
66. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it napkin, spoon, menu or soy sauce.
67. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh.
68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.
69. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort.
70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.
71. Do not race around the dining room as if there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency. (Unless there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency.)
72. Do not serve salad on a freezing cold plate; it usually advertises the fact that it has not been freshly prepared.
73. Do not bring soup without a spoon. Few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon.
74. Let the guests know the restaurant is out of something before the guests read the menu and order the missing dish.
75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course.
76. Do not ask if a guest is finished the very second the guest is finished. Let guests digest, savor, reflect.
77. Do not disappear.
78. Do not ask, “Are you still working on that?” Dining is not work — until questions like this are asked.
79. When someone orders a drink “straight up,” determine if he wants it “neat” — right out of the bottle — or chilled. Up is up, but “straight up” is debatable.
80. Never insist that a guest settle up at the bar before sitting down; transfer the tab.
81. Know what the bar has in stock before each meal.
82. If you drip or spill something, clean it up, replace it, offer to pay for whatever damage you may have caused. Refrain from touching the wet spots on the guest.
83. Ask if your guest wants his coffee with dessert or after. Same with an after-dinner drink.
84. Do not refill a coffee cup compulsively. Ask if the guest desires a refill.
84(a). Do not let an empty coffee cup sit too long before asking if a refill is desired.
85. Never bring a check until someone asks for it. Then give it to the person who asked for it.
86. If a few people signal for the check, find a neutral place on the table to leave it.
87. Do not stop your excellent service after the check is presented or paid.
88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change.
89. Never patronize a guest who has a complaint or suggestion; listen, take it seriously, address it.
90. If someone is getting agitated or effusive on a cellphone, politely suggest he keep it down or move away from other guests.
91. If someone complains about the music, do something about it, without upsetting the ambiance. (The music is not for the staff — it’s for the customers.)
92. Never play a radio station with commercials or news or talking of any kind.
93. Do not play brass — no brassy Broadway songs, brass bands, marching bands, or big bands that feature brass, except a muted flugelhorn.
94. Do not play an entire CD of any artist. If someone doesn’t like Frightened Rabbit or Michael Bublé, you have just ruined a meal.
95. Never hover long enough to make people feel they are being watched or hurried, especially when they are figuring out the tip or signing for the check.
96. Do not say anything after a tip — be it good, bad, indifferent — except, “Thank you very much.”
97. If a guest goes gaga over a particular dish, get the recipe for him or her.
98. Do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You know you have too much jewelry when it jingles and/or draws comments.
99. Do not show frustration. Your only mission is to serve. Be patient. It is not easy.
100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a “good table” your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves.
Bonus Track: As Bill Gates has said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” (Of course, Microsoft is one of the most litigious companies in history, so one can take Mr. Gates’s counsel with a grain of salt. Gray sea salt is a nice addition to any table.)
November 5, 2009 - 1:57 PM
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Ok, my thoughts on the new list:
62(a) No, don’t let it sit empty, period. If I go to take a drink and it’s empty, it’s been too long already. I like servers who bring a fresh drink when I get below 1/3 full, it’s simple courtesy…or at least if they ask when I get to that level, I feel like they’re responsive. Also goes for 84(a) about coffee, if it’s empty, I’m not happy. And if I’m not happy and searching for a re-fill, your tip is going down. Sorry, but that’s how it works.
For 87, absolutely agree. If we pay but want to hang out and talk a bit longer, please check in every so often and see if we need anything. Often times after sitting a while, someone in our party will want a drink, or a re-fill, or a dessert. If you vanish, you’re not getting that revenue and we’ll go somewhere else next time. Plus, we generally tip a lot higher for a server who keeps checking long after we finished dinner.
92 — Can we also add no TV news to the list? Nothing annoys me more than to be eating dinner and have the TV showing war or shooting footage while I’m getting ready to hit a plate full of nachos or something else. Either have the TV on something like sports or weather, or just don’t have them.
Otherwise, these additional rules make decent sense for high end restaurants.
Good addition on #92, OJ. I also dislike 24-hour news channels scrolling all manners of depressing, bad news while I am trying to have an enjoyable time.
#85 – I suppose it depends on what type of restaurant it is but I prefer to not have to wait on my server to bring me my check. Once they’ve asked if you are having dessert or after-dinner drinks and you say no then the check should be given to you shortly thereafter. That way, you can pay when you are ready.
#67 – I’m not sure how you can clear a table and not make any noise. You can do it quietly as opposed to slamming things together or tossing them into a bus pan. I’d rather the server stack the plates quietly than try to balance them or come back to the table 300 times to get them.
#68 – Rather difficult to do when you have more than two people in a booth and usually a low-hanging light. Much easier to say “pardon my reach” or something similar although this probably isn’t an issue in an upscale eatery.
One more tip I haven’t seen addressed: Please make sure the restrooms are always stocked with toilet paper, soap and paper towels if there is no blow dryer! Also, place a waste basket next to the door for people to throw the towels in. Nowadays, lots of people use the towels when they touch the door handle to avoid germs from those who may not be as sanitary!
No kidding, it’s bad even in a fast food place or coffee shop type place. News and food just don’t mix well.
98. Do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You know you have too much jewelry when it jingles and/or draws comments.
Worse than that is too much perfume, that you can taste continually. There is a certain restaurant downtown that has a server who adds his cologne into your meal. yuk
94. Do not play an entire CD of any artist. If someone doesn’t like Frightened Rabbit or Michael Bublé, you have just ruined a meal.
I agree on this one and was just gearing up to play the best of Bee Gees tomorrow for our guests! Dang it. Actually my sister has an dislike of hearing Buble – much – as she says she can only hear a lisp when he sings and it bothers her. So a little here and there…is sufficient.
I agree wholeheartedly about #55. Food allergies can be life threatening matters, and the servers should ask guests. Of course it’s also up to the diner to be vigilant too.
John and Lindsay I concur, the worst of course during an election, the news really does ruin your time out! Turn it off! PLEASE! We don’t eat with one on at home we certainly don’t want to pay to have it on disturbing our meal.
Could not agree with Other John more. I do not want a side of death and destruction with my sandwich.
Yay for #52! Waitstaff should be as familiar with the menu as the kitchen staff! Nothing bothers me more than having to tell the waiter what is supposed to come with my meal…
I thought about all these tips as I went to the new restaurant Chianti that is in the former Peppers location in Salem. Since Peppers had been a casual dining place, I was expecting that but was surprised to see the same old ugly paint job and booths but with white table cloths, fine dining place settings and a menu to match. HOWEVER, the food was TERRIBLE. Ordered brushetta, which turned out to be simply toasted slices of bread with diced tomatoes on top. No olive oil, no cheese, no basil….no flavor. One of my dining companions ordered lasagna which, literally, looked like vomit on the plate and turned out to be stone cold in the middle with a large chunk of cold cheese in the middle. Not appetizing to look at or eat. The other companion had a dish which she described the flavor like “old feet”. I ordered fettuccine alfredo, a favorite of mine. The pasta was overcooked and covered with grated Parmesan, not sauce. There were a few bites of chicken which the menu described as battered but they weren’t. The lasagna and my pasta were barely touched. Our server offered us replacement dishes but we declined and the price of those two entrees were deleted from our check. Our server was fine so she got the tip she would have gotten anyway but I was glad to not pay for the uneaten food.
Also, I was surprised that at the prices charged, a salad was not included. And why, oh why, were there bread plates and water goblets on the table but no bread or water offered??
Needless to say, I won’t be returning there. What a major disappointment. We literally went directly to McDonald’s drive-thru just so have something for dinner. Now THAT’S SAD.
How about No. 101. “Put sound attinuation material on walls.”
Just go eat at Frankie Rowlands………high school cafeterias are less noisier than that place
Yes! I completely agree with this list, although I’d add on #84 that coffee, unlike water, should not be refilled automatically. Ask! I rarely want more than one cup of after-dinner coffee.
Just noticed that #84 does, in fact, say that servers must ask patrons about refills. Oops!
I think its respectful and tasteful when the waitperson takes the ladies (or all the ladies) order first at a restaurant.
Its a given that the waiter should introduce themselves!
I don’t like it when they show up every 2 minutes to fill up glasses and ask how the food is, especially when you are not even close to tasting the main dish! It is nice if they ask about your steak and if it is cooked correctly.
Do not address older people as “Sweetie” or “Honey’ Servers do this frequently, and I hate it.
Just call us “Sir” or “Mam”
I have read many articles and blogs about The List, but this story by Lindsay Nair is just about the best one. She mixed her own experiences with other servers and found the true crux of the story.
Very nice coverage. Thank you.
Best of luck, Bruce
Fred’s comment is a good one, and I’d like to see that expanded to young people also. I’m in my twenties but look younger and get called “honey,” “sweetheart,” etc. often. I know a lot of people would be thrilled to be mistaken for a high school student, but I’m not one of them!