| BRING OUT A SERVER'S BEST |
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Savy diners and business travelers
appreciate good service because they experience it so often, says Vivienne
Wildes of the Waiters Association. Once way to get good service is to tip
properly. Here are her ratings of tips:
10%, poor.
15%, average.
18% to 20%, good.
Over 20%, extraordinary.
Some of her suggestions for getting
good service:
When dining in a hotel restaurant, sign you check adding the gratuity as
percentage. You can let the waiter figure out the dollar amount or add it
yourself. This sets the tone with the restaurant staff as well as making
it easier with receipts.
If you are the host of a lunch or dinner, let the maitre'd or waiter know.
It takes less than a minute and ensures you get the check at the end.
Allow the waiter to orchestrate your event. Trust that he can make your
stay enjoyable.
If your waiter doesn't meet your expectations, request another at the next
visit to the restaurant.
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Waiters and waitresses should
always be courteous, efficient and pleasant. They should have a
polished appearance, never be rude and have a sense of humor.
And, no, they do not need to
tell you their name.
So says Vivienne Wildes, 36, a
waitress for more than 20 years and one of the founders of the
Waiters Association, a group working to upgrade the status of
the profession.
As we head out on summer
vacations, more of us will be eating out. For some travelers,
waiters may be among the few people they have casual conversations
with during the day.
The 2 million waiters in this
country are the "ambassadors of hospitality," says Wildes.
"People will go back for good service. But they won't go back
if they had bad service, regardless of how good the food was."
Wildes is working on her master's
degree in hotel and restaurant management at Penn State in State College,
Pa. Married to a career waiter, Wildes has strong opinions about how
waiters (she uses the term to stand for waitresses too) and diners
should behave.
Q. What do you think makes a
good waiter? What should you expect them to know?
A. We have to forget the warm-body
syndrome of just carrying the plate to the table. Waiters have to have
self-respect, the ability to prioritize, to speak knowledgeably about
food and wine, manage their time well, smile.
It's a lot more than the mechanics.
You can teach the mechanics. You can't teach someone to be nice.
That's something you get from you parents.
Q. How should customers treat
waiters to get good service?
A. I call that guesting. Recognize
your waiter. Be patient. Realize that it isn't always possible to do
exactly what you want when you want it. If you don't know about something,
ask before you order.
One waitress wrote me a letter that said: "My greatest joy is when I
get the ultimate grumpy old man who won't smile, and tries to find
something wrong even when I go out of my way to make everything right
just for him. Then he pays his bill, thanks me with a big skile, saying,
'Keep the change.' Then I find out it was only 10%. But he left my
restaurant smiling and feeling a little better than he did when he walked
in the door."
Q. What is waiters' biggest
complaint about customers?
A. Tipping. Especially 10% tipping.
Tipping is important when waiters are earning $2 or $2.10 an hour. It
varies from state to state, but it's half the minimum wage.
Or when the guest is condescending and looks down on the waiter.
Q. One other complaint you often
hear is waiters tell you their name. Should they introduce themselves?
A. I don't think its necessary to
introduce yourself to the customer. If the management want, the waiter
can wear a name tag. That's one of the big complaints from customers.
The waiter says, "Hello, my name is Jacques, and I'll be your
waiter tonight."
Some people do not want that. They want to be entertained, especially
regulars. They come to the same restaurant every Friday night, and they
have the same waiter. But another table might be in the middle of a
divorce brawl, and they do not want to be entertained.
Waiters have to be able to read guests. That means figuring out
where they fit in in one minute.
Q. What is customers' biggest
complaint about waiters?
A. Probably rude service. That
waiters act like they are doing you a favor.
Q. How much do waiters earn?
A. The earnings of a waiter vary just
as in any other profession. I know waiters making $12,000 and waiters
making $70,000 or more.
Q. Should you expect the same
level of service at a diner and five-star restaurant?
A. No, you shouldn't. But the
basics are the same: courtesy, efficiency, a pleasant demeanor. At
a fancier restaurant, the waiter delivers a little more complex
service, technically. A diner waitress can carry six plates, but
you wouldn't want to see that at a five-star restaurant. At diners,
you often do get a little more of the waiter's personality.
Q. How often should a good
waiter check on the diner?
Once in the first 90 seconds after
the meal is put down on the table. Then he can stand at attention, but
he doesn't need to talk to you. There is a lot of non-verbal
communication. He can walk by. He doesn't need to hover.
Q. Let's be honest here: Not all
waiters are good, don't you agree?
A. There are almost 2 million waiters
in America. Not every one of them is good. Some of them may belong in
another profession. But all waiters can take the opportunity to make the
most of their jobs.
Q. Can travelers ask waiters questions
about the area they are visiting?
A. Yes, you can get a lot of information
from waiters, especially at hotels. You could say, "What should I do
tonight? What's the best night club town?" |
