Campers*

Scenario: You are meeting with some friends from out of town and haven’t seen them in months. You all decide to meet at Olive Garden to eat, have a few drinks, and catch up. Everything goes smoothly with your server; you pay for your meal and decide to play catch up with your friends for awhile.

Server’s reaction to this scenario: ANGRY. People don’t realize at most restaurants servers are only allowed a certain number of tables. At Olive Garden we get three. This means the more time you waste talking with your friends, the longer our table is being taken. When you sit and talk after you are finished eating, we then go from having a three table section to a two table section, which can dramatically decrease our tips for the night. We call people like this “campers,” because they camp out at their table until they are good and ready.

A server’s intention is not to rush customers. We do everything we can to make the customer’s time as pleasant as possible, but once s/he is finished eating and has paid, it is time to go. It’s not fair to the people standing in the lobby that have been waiting 45 minutes for a customer to sip on his/her last few drinks of wine, or water for that matter.

What to do as a server? I like to make it a point that I want my tables to leave when this happens but without being rude. I clear away any extra plates, even if they are small appetizer plates. I clear away glasses, napkins, silverware, and even coasters. My point is to get everything cleared off but what is left for them to eat or drink, and if they haven’t touched that in awhile, I ask if I can clear that away, as well. Usually customers take the hint they need to leave and get up. However, some are not so quick.

I sometimes have tables ask, “Do you need us to leave, miss? Do you need this table?” It is policy for us not to tell them they should leave. Instead I reword it to, “Oh, we just have a lot of people in the lobby waiting to be seated,” or, “just make sure you got me covered (with a big smile or a wink).” If they have already paid, I use the first line.

I find myself frustrated by this situation even when I am not a server but rather when I’m a customer at a restaurant. I sit in the lobby forever and watch a table sit and drink coffee for forty-five minutes. It is not fair to anyone else. There should be a time limit to sit once people have paid.

If you haven’t paid for your meal and continue chatting and lingering around, that’s a different story. It is discourteous to the server, especially at the end of the night. Most servers cannot go home until they have closed out all of their checks, so while you are chatting and mingling, they have to wait for your conversation to be done. While it is, of course, part of the job, it is disrespectful.

How long should you wait after eating to leave or pay the bill? Others wonder the same thing. Check out the responses.

Dine and Dash*

I remember in high school my friends used to joke about doing a “dine and dash.” It was always a huge dare, but nobody ever wanted to do it in fear of getting caught. While the fear is there for some, it is still done by others.

Dining and dashing (also referred to as “defrauding an innkeeper”) is when someone leaves a restaurant without paying for their meal. While it doesn’t happen often, it’s still a problem. Some restaurants have cameras and can usually track down the culprit, while others are out of luck if this happens, and so is the server as far as a tip is concerned.

Searching for stories about situations when this happened, I actually found a website giving ideas on how to get away with it. I couldn’t believe it! Believe it or not, people do get caught. This is stealing. Here are some cases of people getting caught. Check them out.

Getting caught at Dennys

Miss Teen Louisiana stripped of her crown

According to Section 915,

Defrauding Innkeeper and Others Prohibited. Any person who will obtain, food, lodging or other accommodations at any hotel, motel, lodging house, inn, boarding house or restaurant, without paying, with intent to defraud the owner or manager, or who obtains credit at any hotel, lodging house, inn, boarding house or restaurant by or through any false pretense, or by or through the aid, assistance or influence of any baggage or effects in his possession and control, but not actually belonging to such person, will be guilty of a penal offense. Proof that food, lodging or other accommodations was obtained by false pretense or by false or fictitious show or pretense of baggage or other property or proof that the person refused or neglected to pay for such food, lodging or other accommodations on demand, or that he gave in payment of such food, lodging or other accommodations negotiable paper on which payment was refused, or that he absconded without offering to pay for such food, lodging or other accommodations, or that he surreptitiously removed or attempted to remove his baggage, will be prima facie proof of the fraudulent intent mentioned in this section.

Plain and simple, it is theft, it is illegal, and it is wrong. What more do people need to know?

Switching roles*

I went out to eat tonight at the Olive Garden about 45 minutes away from where I live. I don’t particularly like eating at the one I work except when I’m working, because it’s a little uncomfortable and usually either the server or I expect too much.

I politely listened to the server as she explained the wine she was offering and said, “No, thank you.” After we ordered, I found myself watching her and thinking to myself what she should be doing. I noticed her other table across from us all needed refills, and I caught her across the room throwing towels around with another employee. Of course, I can’t say I have never had fun on the job, so I can’t be too critical.

When we were almost done eating, she still had not come back to ask how everything tasted or to ask if we wanted more bread. What if one of our meals had tasted horrible? We would have had to sit there for twenty minutes with nothing to eat. Again, I saw her in the side station texting on her phone and laughing with the same employee. I tried, again, to think of it as me, and what I have done, so I wouldn’t get annoyed.

The party I was with was getting impatient for their bills and some to-go boxes. When she finally came back, she gave us boxes, dropped the bills, left our dirty plates on the table, and said she would come back. After deciding on who was paying for the bill, my party complained about leaving a tip. Our total came to about $56, and they wanted to leave $4, and I was annoyed.

Although our service wasn’t great, I would never want to leave a small tip like that. My sister agreed (she is a server, as well) and said, “No matter how bad the service, we have to tip more than that… just not as big as we usually would.” I smiled, and my sister and I left her extra, as the rest of the party would not agree.

I have had many great servers, however, when I have been on the customer side. Sometimes, when I can tell a server is annoyed to be sat a bunch of young adults, I smile and remind them that I am a server, so they know we will not stiff them. This always helps, because we end up getting excellent service. I don’t get annoyed when my food is cooked wrong or when I notice a server is busy with other tables; usually I tip more when this happens, because I know it will make the servers night when they don’t expect a nice tip and get it anyway.

I do get very frustrated and a little annoyed when a server treats me poorly because I am a young adult. A lot of people my age come in and are loud, needy, and never tip. However, a lot of people my age are servers and know what it means to tip. I try to remember this as a server; I don’t treat younger adults any different than any other table.

What does it take to be a “good server?” Check it out.

Your too fat*

In 2004, CBS News featured a story on a waitress that was fired for being “too fat.” Misty Watts, a mother of three, a part-time college student, and a widow, worked for Ruby Tuesday for quite some time. She was named Employee of the Month days before being fired.

Her boss responded to why she was being fired with, “You don’t fit into your shirt, and you never will.”

Although this was five years ago, discrimination like this happens all of the time. Our generation has put such an emphasis on body weight, size, and the way you look it is ridiculous. You see this in Disney movies, when all of the lead “princesses” are slender. Young girls think in order to have true beauty you need to look like them, because they always get their perfect ending.

Have you seen many Barbie's that don’t have this same look? Or store mannequins? We need to have more of a focus on reality. The average size for an American woman is 5'4" and 163 pounds, but we aren’t putting this out there. Check this out for arguments about Barbie being too skinny.

Girls in middle school and high school resort to throwing up, not eating, or eating celery for dinner just so they can try to fit this image, and it is not healthy. There are people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. We need to recognize it and quit pretending it doesn’t exist.

Toasted Almond Challenge*

Yesterday I worked ten hours straight with no break. At Olive Garden we call this a BD (Business Decline). There are LBDs (Lunch Business Decline) and DBDs (Dinner Business Decline). When I work just a BD, I work straight through both, so when the lunch people go home, someone is there.

I haven’t worked a lunch shift in a long time, because I usually have class all week and work the weekend nights. When I came in yesterday, I was excited to make some good money, it was the weekend and that meant that all entrees would be dinner instead of lunch, unless a customer requested lunch. Apparently, this isn’t very evident to the customers because I had countless tables very upset when they were charged for dinner portions.

I had a 7 top come in (7 people), and I was excited because their bills were pretty high with appetizers, entrees, and dessert. However, when they got their bills, they complained about the prices. I apologized and said that dinner menus are given to them on the weekends. “Well, miss, how are we supposed to know these are dinner menus?”

I apologized repeatedly and told them I could have my manager come out if they wanted. They said that wouldn’t be necessary. As they paid, I brought change back, wished them a good day, and they left. When I went to the table after, I found two dollars for me on a napkin. Let me also point out their bill totaled about $170. Great start to the day!

As the day went on, I realized why I never worked lunch shifts. All everyone got was soup, salad, and breadsticks, and the two dollar tips never stop. I needed something to motivate me at this point.

My manager made two new drinks at the bar, and we got a chance to sample them. One drink was called a Toasted Almond, and I absolutely loved it. It has amaretto, ice cream, and Kahlua in it. My manager noticed how much I liked it and told me, “If you can sell three of these tonight, I’ll buy you a free dinner next time you work.” The challenge definitely motivated me, and I was on a mission.

A table of six ladies came in and looked like they were ready for a good time. Four of the ladies were debating on what drinks to get, and I knew this was my chance.

“Well, ladies, if you are looking for something sweet to drink, you have to try our new Toasted Almond,” I said and explained the drink. “You will absolutely love it, I promise you.”

The first three drinks were margaritas, and I thought my chance was gone, but then the fourth lady smiled at me and said, “I will try the one you suggested.”

YES! One down, two to go. Of course, she told me she loved it and had it down halfway through her meal.

The next one I sold was to a table of four. Two guys were celebrating their birthdays with their parents. They all got alcoholic drinks, so I did the same suggestion, and the mom ordered one. Again, she loved it.

It was getting toward the end of my shift, and my next few attempts were failures. They sat my last table and told me I was cut. This was my last shot. It was a couple already drinking wine.

“You two are going to have another drink soon, right?” I said and smiled. They nodded yes, and I suggested my drink. They looked a little unsure, so I decided to drop it for a few minutes. I took their order and got them started. When the guy had finished his wine, I said, “So are you ready to try that drink, sir?” He laughed a little and said he’d take another glass of wine. I looked at the woman’s glass and said, “Well, this means you have to. I’ve been bragging about this drink all night, and I need to prove to someone how great it is, and you two are my last table of the night… no pressure,” I said, slightly laughing.

They finished their meals, and I was boxing up their food, feeling a little down because they hadn’t mentioned another drink. I asked if they were saving room for any dessert or if they just wanted the check.

“Actually, we are going to try your drink,” she said.

YES. Three drinks sold meant a free meal. Unfortunately, she wasn’t too fond of the drink, but they were very nice about it and left a generous tip.

Sorry guys! I have more blogs coming...:) They should be up by tomorrow night!! Please keep reading and let anyone else know the URL. :)

Where should we eat?*

People shouldn’t come to a nice restaurant if…

1. They have a family with two adults and over four younger children. Unless they know how to behave, which most of the time they don’t. Actually, no children should come if they are going to misbehave. It distracts other customers and makes them mad.
2. They, as a couple, are fighting--servers feel awkward.
   
3. They are catching up with friends and plan on staying for hours—servers only get a certain number of tables so when people sit there for hours, we are losing an opportunity for more tips from people who could eat at the table later.
4. They are a table of 10 or more high school students—usually they are way too demanding and pay with change.
5. They plan on paying with change—If customers want to get rid of it, why do they think we want it to carry around?
6. They aren’t going to eat. Rather, they are going to talk with friends—order food to go.
7. They don’t want to wait to be seated—we can’t help it if there’s a wait, and when they sit down we can’t get their food any faster because they have been waiting. Other people have been waiting, too.
   
8. They just want to drink, chat, and maybe have an appetizer—sit at the bar. These customers are taking up our tables that will actually eat and tip.
9. They are very picky about how their food is done and always send it back—it’s not our fault if the cooks mess up a nearly impossible order.

10. They are in a bad mood—they pass it on to us, and we don’t want to be serving them any more than they want us to be.