Springs1 likes to rant a lot about how all the STUPID servers are LAZY because they forget items, overcharge, refill her drink without asking and pre-buss her tables. She even throws in tasty bits about how she worked at a donut shop. Once again, I take her comments at face value, because if she were to ever worked behind the scenes of any eatery, she would know there was much more to serving than, well, the serving part. I guess she doesn't know that servers are pretty much responsible for everything but cooking the food. That includes folding silverware, cleaning sections, getting behind the bar when things are backed up, filling the ice bin, keeping the salad bar stocked, running food, sorting silverware, prepping food and my personal favorite, changing the syrup when the line runs out. You know, when you have to lift a heavy box, remove the nozzle from the old box and then hook it up. For a grown man, that's probably pretty easy, but short women such as Springs1 and I would struggle doing this.
Or how about when you've managed to get out of the weeds when the kitchen cranks out about 30 plates of food at once. Your manager literally throws a tray on your shoulder and you're off to the other side of the restaurant. What, is it someone's birthday? You've gotta wait as someone tries to get a working lighter so you can sing some guy happy birthday. You go back to the kitchen to get your order, and guess what -- it's already on the way to the table. Mind you, there were special instructions that only you could fulfill. Any good server would be annoyed, pissed and honestly upset for the customer. Of course most servers want to provide a good dining experience. The point is, Springy, that if a server were to tell their manager, "I'd really like to run this food but I have an order coming up in two minutes with special instructions," one of two things would happen; the manager would say they would handle it, or you'd be told to pack your stuff and go home. See, insubordination is one big aspect that you refuse to acknowledge. Why should a manager be subjected to insubordinate employees when all they're trying to do is keep the restaurant running smoothly? How would you, in all your great restaurant knowledge suggest that a server handle this situation so that the customer gets their food delivered perfectly by their server while the server meets the demands of their managers? If you have a solution to this, honestly, I will gladly invest all future excess income into a restaurant run under your guidance. I'll name you as a silent partner and give you 25% of the net profits.
All of these things are reasons why we don't do all the things you think that only lazy servers don't do. When I was working at a restaurant, menus were only allowed in the back of the house for two reasons; someone was training or someone was ordering a meal for themselves. If I were to stand at a terminal with a menu in hand while price checking each portion of an order, that menu would have gone flying across the room. I'm quite sure my manager would have asked me what was wrong with me. If I would have price checked every single meal, I would have had walkouts, angry customers and angry managers to boot.
If you worked in a sizable eating establishment you would already know this. Serving isn't just serving. It isn't just taking order, putting in tickets and then cranking out tickets. Thank God, I was only a server for less than a year. In hindsight, that was the most physically and mentally demanding job I've ever had in my life. Blisters on my feet, burns on my hands, throbbing headaches. I had shifts that I ended up spending more getting to work than I made. I sucked it up and did the job again the next day without taking it out on the customers.
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"When I was working at a restaurant, menus were only allowed in the back of the house for two reasons; someone was training or someone was ordering a meal for themselves. If I were to stand at a terminal with a menu in hand while price checking each portion of an order, that menu would have gone flying across the room."
ReplyDeleteFirst off, a lot of restaurants, especially chains, have TO-GO MENUS that you can keep in your apron pocket at ALL times.
Secondly, I NEVER ONCE said "STAND BY THE COMPUTER TERMINAL." I said take the **CHECK** and COMPARE IT TO THE MENU PRICES!!
If it is a restaurant that doesn't have a to-go menu, you can walk to the hostess stand and check the prices, you know. Your legs aren't broken. Think about someone else's money besides YOUR OWN if you want us to care about YOURS when tip time comes. It's not our job as customers to do SHIT!! It IS YOUR JOB to make sure I am charged correctly though. THAT IS YOUR JOB YOU ARE GETTING PART OF THAT TIP FOR!!
"If I would have price checked every single meal, I would have had walkouts, angry customers and angry managers to boot."
Not if you would have done in parts and pieces, no. For example, after the customers order their main courses and appetizers, you can check THOSE prices, then the other ones wait until the end.
Also, the customer wouldn't be mad if you would do it BEFORE they would ask for their check, WELL BEFORE.
The manager doesn't care about your money, so if he gets mad, he should get glad that you caught an error instead of having a customer have bad service.
"Once again, I take her comments at face value, because if she were to ever worked behind the scenes of any eatery, she would know there was much more to serving than, well, the serving part."
I know there is a lot more than just serving. I had to do side work at the donut shop/diner I worked for years ago and that includes changing the syrup. It was heavy, but I did it myself since the box wasn't too far away from where it had to go. It wasn't hard to change the syrup.
"The point is, Springy, that if a server were to tell their manager, "I'd really like to run this food but I have an order coming up in two minutes with special instructions," one of two things would happen; the manager would say they would handle it, or you'd be told to pack your stuff and go home."
I wouldn't expect them to do that. The special instructions are a lot of times CONDIMENTS that CAN BE BROUGHT OUT BY MY SERVER AHEAD OF TIME. I am not saying all the instructions, but a large marjority of the time, it's condiments that are forgotten by another server that didn't check the order because it's not their table.
"Serving isn't just serving."
The tipping is for what you get served though and that is the point. I don't tip based on if you refilled the ice bin for example.
First you allude to your experience with side work when you refer to changing the service, then you say that you don't tip for servers filling the ice bin. Question: would you have brought out pancakes to your customers without syrup? Probably not, because that would make you nothing more than a lazy server, correct? Well, then perhaps if you would lay off your self serving attitude long enough you see how refilling the ice bin applies as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you didn't have ice in your cup, Springy, I'm sure you would have had a problem with your service. You can't have one without the other. You keep talking about what you would do, but in the end these are all just theories. You would not, in fact, have enough time to price check every single item on the menu for every single customer if you worked at a restaurant. That is not an opinion. You would be reprimanded by your managers, and if you continued you would be fired.
FYI- A menu is a menu. To go, lunch, dinner menus- they all count as menus. Having a manager catch you with one at the terminal, for whatever reason is more than enough to get you put on the short list out of the door. Again, try serving, implement all of your grandiose ideas and see what happens.
I never said anything about the customer getting mad, I was talking about what servers have to do in order to keep their jobs. What is so hard about that to understand? Should they be dedicated to providing good service? Of course. But how could you expect for them to do things that would ultimately cost them their jobs. You know, what they need to pay their bills and take care of their families.
I have a feeling that you already understand this but you're just looking for a new online companion to repeat yourself to. After all, that is why you google your own name just looking for new venting outlets?
"Having a manager catch you with one at the terminal, for whatever reason is more than enough to get you put on the short list out of the door."
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it is comparing a CHECK to the MENU PRICES, NO COMPUTER TERMINAL INVOLVED YOU IDIOT!! Did you READ MY RESPONSE? That had NOTHING to do with the computer, NOTHING!!!
You can compare the check to a menu ANYWHERE really.
If a manager would be mad, I would say my tip is on the line and that is the way I can make my money, so if this check is wrong, it's MY FAULT I didn't notice it BEFORE I handed it to the customer.
"You would not, in fact, have enough time to price check every single item on the menu for every single customer if you worked at a restaurant. That is not an opinion."
This IS an opinion and PURE LAZINESS!! WHY do you think that getting refills, bringing out food, getting extra napkins, etc. is ANY MORE IMPORTANT than the customer's check being right, huh? It's JUST as important to hand me the check correctly as it is my food and drinks correctly. You can't see what I am saying here? NO TASKS should be done without VERIFYING it first. It does no good to do a job if it's wrong since in this case, the server has FULL CONTROL over this type of thing from getting to the customer.
"You would be reprimanded by your managers, and if you continued you would be fired."
I would if I would have to go to the bathroom to check the prices(especially if the restaurant has to-go menus, I can go in a stall and check the prices). I would do anything, because of the MANY of times we have had this crap happen to us. If they would fire me, there are many other restaurants I can work at if they don't care about customer's money. I don't want to work for someone that doesn't care about their customers. WHO wants that kind of manager?
I wouldn't be fired, because I would check these prices BEFORE handing the check. Especially, in only a party of 2, which all of these times this has happened, it's only been me and my husband. In other words, it wasn't even a large party even to have this happen. Also, we have had times where it was slow as can be and this has happened. It's all about that you don't feel that the customer's money is JUST as IMPORTANT being right as the food. ALL the tasks are just as important. It's all about laziness that you don't want to check over things you hand people.
If you agree that your job is to make sure you are bringing out the correct food, WHY is bringing me out correct NUMBERS on a check ANY, ANY, ANY, ANY DIFFERENT? It's NOT, it really isn't. BOTH are 100% in the server's control to get fixed BEFORE you hand it to the customer.
Springy, you've just proven that you really do need the internet to interact with people because in real life, you have absolutely no socialization skills. Your family has to deal with you, your husband is either mentally challenged, neurotic or really, really desperate, but no one else likes you or wants to deal with you. You know this deep inside, and I'm sure it has to hurt. It's even more sad that you focus control factors instead of taking up worthy causes. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, Springy, and help all people to have positive dining experiences, not just the ones that can afford it. Oh, I know, those starving kids and old people were just too LAZY to take care of themselves. You don't care about people who are inferior to you or who haven't outwardly expressed that they care about you in particular.
ReplyDeleteAnytime I talk about specifics, you go on these ideological musings about the way things should be instead of facing what it is. Chain restaurants want you to come, eat, and then leave as quickly as possible. Had a bad experience? Here's a coupon. Hope you'll come back. You won't? Oh well, we've got 10 more fat fucks waiting to take your place. That's the way major corporations work, Springy. Try taking a course in economics if you still don't get it. You don't live in the real world, you live in LaLa Land, which is why you will always continue to have socialization issues. Reading comprehension certainly isn't one of your strengths, so at this point I'm going to have to ask you to kindly leave until you can focus on the issue at hand -- you and your mental issues. The only reason that you are even trying to do the usual BS with me is because you are obviously running out of places to debate with people. I hope that more visitors will come here so we can analyze you, even though you have decided not to be an active participant. I'll welcome you back with open arms if and when you have a change of heart.