18 Tips To Be A Better Server

There’s a huge difference in being a restaurant server who’s just going through the motions of a shift and a restaurant server who owns and commands their entire shift from beginning of the shift to the end of the shift. Being a server is not an easy job.

  • Never serve a cold salad on a hot plate.
  • Always check your glassware for cracks, water stains and dried food before serving beverages.
  • No eating or drinking in the front of the house during operating hours.  You are not a camel or a cow chewing cud.
  • No gum chewing or smoking EVER, unless given permission by manager on duty and you’re not serving guests.
  • Never attempt to adjust the lights or thermostats in the Restaurant. If there is a problem, get a manager.
  • A sales station can only be opened or closed by a manager. NO EXCEPTIONS.
  • Serve food from customer’s left.
  • Serve beverage from customer’s right.
  • Clear everything from customer’s right.
  • Serve women and children first, then men.
  • When you serve a course, be sure to crumb the table appropriately. There should only be utensils (on the table) that correlate to the guest’s course.
  • Whenever serving a course, position the plate so that the protein on the plate is closest to the customer (unless other wise noted, always at 6 o’clock position)
  • Remove soiled china and silver after each course.  Be sure to Mise en place per course.
  • Top off with offer of additional beverages whenever anyone is getting low.
  • Bring condiments to the table before they are needed.
  • Offer fresh ground pepper with all salads and entrees.
  • Never walk away from a table without acknowledging guest requests.
  • Never assume that the change is your tip!
  • Always be polite and cordial!  Thank the guest before they leave and wish them a happy return!

Be Sure to read my other post about service tips and techniques here!

 

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