Restaurant servers across the country are doing God’s work as the second summer of “past Covid-19” is now in full swing. Here are things they wish their patrons knew in order to serve you better and make eating out a pleasant experience for everyone involved.

 -       Everyone who works in the restaurant wants you to be happy

When you go out to eat, the staff is on your side. Their job is to make sure you enjoy your food, and for a good time to be had by all. Letting the restaurant staff be your allies for the evening is the best way to get excellent service. As a host, I made conversation with guests as I sat them, and then briefed the servers accordingly; I would give folks a break if they were vaguely unpleasant as I wanted to give them a chance to treat the servers differently, but if they were flat-out rude you can bet their behavior was passed on not just to servers but to the manager as well. Why? People who are rude coming in are 100% more likely to complain, and managers like to be prepared. Don’t be those people.

-       If you have an issue, please let someone know!

In many cases, restaurants find out about problems after the fact in online reviews or phone calls. This is frustrating, because 9 times out of 10 if a guest had shared the issue in the moment, it could have been easily resolved. The key? Ask nicely. Think of it as asking for help as opposed to voicing a complaint. Don’t like your salad? Politely say you didn’t expect the cheese to be so strong. A good restaurant will bring a new cheese-less one, or something else entirely. Too cold? Tell someone nicely and, if it’s within their power they will try adjust the air conditioning, or bring you a blanket. Someone next to you ordered something stinky? Ask nicely and they’ll likely move you. (I have done this myself. One table over had fish and chips, and I was gagging.) Especially if you have been kind and polite to the staff from the get-go they will bend over backwards to help you. Fixing a situation as it is happening is far better for the restaurant, trust me they want you to leave fed and happy with how that was accomplished. Handling an issue as it is happening is 1000% easier than having to manage bad online feedback.  

-       Good feedback matters more than you think

To restaurants, online reviews are a lynchpin to bringing in business. People looking for a restaurant search the internet. It’s that simple. Ads can be bought, but what pushes up a profile to the top of listings on sites like OpenTable are real reviews from real diners. Good ratings there and on aggregators like Google are crucial and there’s only one way to get them. So if you loved you dinner, take a minute to pop on TripAdvisor (or any review site) and say so! For servers, there are often incentives for being mentioned by name, like gift cards or a bonus on their paycheck. Regardless of a financial benefit, an employee of any business is automatically seen as more valuable by being name-checked in an online review. Such distinction calls attention to their being outstanding at their job, and a server can even use the reviews directly as part of a portfolio when applying for a new job if the review is specific to them. If a review is too much trouble, ask to see a manager on your way out to tell them your server made your night special. A comment that takes a few minutes goes a long way.

-       Tips work in mysterious ways

Restaurants workers depend heavily on tips. Always tip your servers. Even if you may not be “wowed” by their service, in the summer it’s crucial especially in areas where there are a lot of European tourists who don’t get the concept and so they just don’t tip at all. The last two years in the restaurant business have been brutal. Any independent restaurant that stayed open is a miracle. For a brief period, restaurant workers were recognized as brave heroes. As essential.  Let’s put our money where our hungry mouths are and treat these folks like human beings who deserve to be paid and not have their pay withheld if they are having a bad day or the kitchen is slow. Imagine being treated that way at your job: if at the end of every meeting, someone got to decide how you did and how much you’d get paid for those hours. What if Bob from IT accidentally removed a key file from your laptop? Oh sorry, it’s a dollar an hour for you this afternoon because your VP didn’t like your service. Tipping is a crappy way to compensate people – and when you look at its history, that makes sense.

 - Tips on Tipping

Are you an excellent tipper, nodding along? May the heavens bless you. Here is some inside info that will enhance your generosity. Every restaurant has a system for tipping: sometimes the individual servers keep their tips, but are required to share a percentage with the support staff. Sometimes tips are pooled, which means everyone’s tips are combined and divided later. If you want a specific server to get a tip, find out how tips are handled, or give them cash.  In a restaurant with a full bar, servers can be required to share a percentage of their tips with the bartender on drinks they sell. If you’re being lavish, and think you’re leaving your server a $100.00 tip, think about $115.00. 

Congratulations, you are now a better restaurant-goer having read this post. Needless to say, there are going to be places when things go awry, and the staff is awful. If you have it in you, be the bigger person, be compassionate and tip anyway. It’s part of being a restaurant-goer and you’ve just got to chalk it up to a bad night and keep the experience in your pocket as conversation. Tell a dinner party your “dreadful restaurant” story and see what happens. Spoiler: everyone has one! They all start to share, and hilarity ensues.

I encourage everyone to go patronize your local restaurants. If you’re still feeling COVID-19 concerned about getting out there, eating outside is your best bet. This is the season for string lights, café tables and balmy nights. Find a new favorite and enjoy a beautiful Summer evening out.

-Dinah

 Photo by Shawn Ang