A day in the life of a server
As Americans, we are all dining out more than ever.
When I was growing up going out to a restaurant was very special and now, we dine outside the home more than we dine in the home. Because of this I think we take our servers for granted and don’t appreciate the extremely hard job they have.
If you have never been a server then try to imagine going up to countless strangers, introducing yourself and having to be the focus of attention for an hour or more. In addition, you have to be responsible for the guest’s enjoyment, take care of their requests and if things go wrong, you may be the brunt of the guests’ anger.
What we as guests often forget is that many of the problems that servers must address are the ones they have no control over. Food coming out very slow because the kitchen is overwhelmed is not the server’s fault.
Sometimes the server doesn’t get to your table for a few minutes because when an inexperienced host sat your party in their section, they also sat two other tables at the same time. Often the manager did not schedule enough staff and now the server that normally handles four tables is taking care of six tables.
The addition of two tables to a server’s section may not mean much to you, but think about your boss coming into your office and letting you know he has added 40% more work to your day, and you need to handle it immediately and without flaw. Walking over hot coals might be easier and more enjoyable.
Great service starts long before you come in
Typically service for the server starts 90 minutes prior to taking their first table. There is a lot to do to get ready for your arrival. The server needs to check their tables to make sure the area is clean, and the table is ready to be set. Setting a table in a restaurant is not like setting the table at your house. Where you just put the silverware on your table the server must inspect every fork, spoon and knife and then take the time to polish each one.
At home, you don’t mind water spots on the silverware but at a restaurant you will notice them, so the server takes the time to look at each piece to make sure they’re perfect. This does not seem like a big deal, but consider the server will need to make sure the 150-200 pieces of silverware they will use throughout their shift.
Next the server will review and polish every water glass and wineglass that they will use that shift. We have all seen pictures of the server holding the glass up to the light to make sure the glass is spotless. They really do this, and the server may use about 100 glasses during their shift.
Great service is about the details and all that time, effort and focus. The server is setting the stage for you to have a great time, and they have not even met you yet.
And there’s more
Now that the server has gotten their station ready for your arrival, they now need to find out all of the food and drink specials, which of the food items are gluten free, what specific ingredients are in each dish so that we don’t serve a guest an item they may be allergic to, what vegetarian or vegan specials will we have and which items may not be available that day.
Servers also need to know how many reservations there are and if there will be any special requests, birthdays or anniversaries.
Great servers memorize all this information, and they do it in less than 15 minutes. If you think this is easy, try taking out six detailed recipes, review them once or twice and then repeat them from memory immediately without missing one ingredient.
Smiling is not as easy as it looks
Smiling when everything is perfect is not a talent. However, no server ever has the perfect day and smiling in the face of adversity is a real skill.
One server may take care of 32 guests or more during their shift. Somebody is having a bad day and pleasing them will take more time and effort. Some folks are celebrating a special occasion and pleasing them will make their day special. One table might inform the server they need to get out quickly because they are going to a movie, so these guests are going to take even more effort.
We as the guest often feel that we are our servers’ only responsibility and we want the server to focus on us in that way. On most days, the server can accomplish this significant feat, and they do it with a smile. On the days this doesn’t happen, the server still does it all with a smile and that is an incredible accomplishment.
Smell the roses
We as guests don’t appreciate everything that the server does for us. Next time you go to a restaurant take a minute when you sit down and look at all the things the servers are doing.
They are greeting you, taking orders at the next table, picking up drinks at the bar, looking for managers to help them with a table having problems, getting bus staff to get water on the tables or refill glasses that are empty, picking up the food in the kitchen and then serving you with a smile as they think about the next food waiting to be served as soon as yours is on the table.
Many servers that I work with put in 10,000 steps or more per shift.
Being a server is a very important job, certainly not an easy one but one that can be very rewarding for them and for you as the guest. Think about the most memorable restaurant experiences you have had, and I bet most of them have to do with the server and the service. When you think about the servers in this way you will value them with a whole new perspective.
• Izzy Kharasch is the founder of Hospitality Works, a consulting firm that has worked with 700+ restaurants and small businesses nationwide. He is offering Daily Herald restaurant owners a free consultation by contacting him at Izzy@HospitalityWorks.com.