1)Always, always, ALWAYS tip your server at least 20%. Most people who are serving don't have any other means of income. We work hard and kiss your asses for a reason - we need that money. This isn't just some fun thing we do on the side (because there really isn't much that is fun about serving unless your crew kicks ass), this is how we make a living. So unless you have a truly deplorable server - and no this does not mean a server who didn't get you a refill the millisecond you finished your drink - tip them at least 20%. If they exceeded your expectations tip them more than that. Believe me when I say servers will remember tables that tip them well, and if they come in repeated they'll always get excellent service from that server.
2)Don't hold your server up. Yes, part of the job of a server is to chat with their customers to make them feel at home. But don't prevent them from taking care or talking to their other tables. When you hold up a server by chatting with them for more than a few minutes you affect their tips from other tables. They might be giving you all the signs that they need to move to the next table, but when you keep talking they can't leave. This generally pisses off the other tables in that servers section because they feel that they aren't getting the same attention or you're holding the server up from getting that table something that they asked for. If you get a chatty server take advantage of it but don't abuse it.
Also in this realm - don't hold your server up by telling them that you're ready to order and let them stand there trying to guide you into ordering when you're not really ready. Same idea as chatting to much, this affects how they handle their other tables. If you're not really sure either ask the questions you need to ask to make your mind up or tell them that you need a few extra minutes. We'd rather hear that you need a few more minutes, get the rest of our tables set up with everything they need so that we can come back and handle tables that need extra help getting through the menu to decide what they want. If we know that our other tables are taken care of we have no problems spending a few extra minutes with you to help you decide. Just don't hold us up to start with so that we lose the time we need with our other tables.
3)When you come in to be seated - come in with your WHOLE party. It's a different story when one person in the group is running late versus one person coming in at a time. That really hurts a servers turn over for the night. Not only are they going to have to be extra aware of your table untill the whole party arrives, but by the time the last person arrives they usually would have already had that order for groups that came in all together. Now, in comparison, your food is coming out later and people who arrive first get extra bitchy while waiting for the food because they've been their so long that mentally they think their food should instantly come out. Also, because the timing of your table is pushed back so far, the server loses out on new tables that could have been in that section if your group had come in together and not held up their table. Most servers only have 3-4 table sections so having large groups take up time hurts their turn over to make more money.
4)If you're in a restaurant with a bar, don't order complicated drinks from your server. Yes you're entitled to have your drink how you want it, but most servers ARE NOT bar tenders. When you throw out terms for how you want your drink that don't include "on the rocks," "with a twist/splash," "up," "tall," "dirty," etc. we're not gonna know what that means. When that happens we have to explain to the bartender what you ordered and have them tell us how they want that rung in. This puts us behind in getting your drinks out so it pushes the whole ordering process back. If you want complicated drinks consider sitting at the bar because guess why the bar tender is the bar tender....they know what all the random shit people ask for with drinks means! Crazy isn't it?
5)Don't hold up a restaurant from closing. This is seriously one of the biggest pet peeves of any server is waiting on a customer to leave to finish their side work. Here's some big hints that a restaurant is closing:
- they turn out sections of lights
- they turn off the music
- you're the only table in the restaurant
- you see the kitchen staff leaving
- you see servers/bar tenders leaving
- IT'S THE TIME POSTED ON THEIR DOOR TELLING YOU WHEN THEY CLOSE!
there are certain more depending on the establishment you're in, but if you see any of these it's prob time to ask for a box and get the hell out. Unless you're a regular in this restaurant the the serving staff knows you well enough that they're allowed to work around you being there, get the hell out. Believe me that $5 at the end of the night isn't as worth it when you're so ready to go home from a table keeping you more than 20 minutes after close. If you hit 45minutes to an hour or more you're really just an ass.
6)If you don't like how the entree you order tastes, don't complain that the food is bad. Everyone has different tastes. Just because an entree isn't what you expected it to be doesn't mean you need to be the asshole that demands new food because you didn't like what you ordered. This is not to say if your food comes out prepared the wrong way (ie undercooked, with a sause you can't eat, and ingredient you can't eat, etc) then by all means send it back. If it comes out with a hair, or heaven forbid a screw or other sort of hardware (I've seen this happen a few times) then send it back. But if you ordered something you've never tried before and it didn't suit your taste, well suck it up and deal with it. That was your choice and not your servers.
7)And the last item I'll deal with for this post - when a server asks if you need anything else, don't ask for shit one person at a time! "Oh and I forgot to ask when you got X's ___. I need ___." THAT IS SO ANNOYING. This is like the chatting and ordering from before, if a server keeps having to make multiple trips to get a table settled it really hurts their time with other tables. Really take stock of what you need when a server asks that question so that they can handle all your needs at once. They're service will be faster over all because they can get what you need all at once, and they're less likely to forget something because they have everything for your table versuses one thing for multiple tables.
Seriously people, think about these things before you go out to eat. Make your servers lives easier and more profitable. Be kind and leave the big money behind (instert the drum beat for corny jokes here).
You spend all your life trying to do something they put people in asylums for. - Jane Fonda
