Discussions

Okay, so I'm on here quite often and I read alot of posts in which people complain about the horrible service they've recieved in a local restaurant or how the "management" didn't deal with the situation the way they would have liked....  
 
I've been a server in Brandon for quite a few years now, although I'm not a career server, and have been the "management" (at least on duty) a few times too.  
I don't think people (that have never worked in a restaurant) understand actually how stressful the job is, and actually how much work it really takes to run a restaurant properly.  
 
In most people's work they have only to answer to their boss if they screw up. We, however do not. If we screw up we have to answer to the customer immediately in most cases and not all customers are fair to you... Granted, sometimes we screw up and (at least I) always try to fix the problem by offering a remake or a round of free drinks (which I have to pay for), a discount or complete promotion of food. And always a coupon for a discount the next time you come in. But not all people understand that although we are just lowly wait staff, we are people and do make mistakes....  
 
To those people I would like you to read what a shift can be like at a restaurant...  
 
you start your shift and have to find out all the food and drink specials and memorize them because they usually aren't something on your regular menu (and you have to know how to describe something you've never tasted or seen until just now.)  
Then your rush begins and you get 5 tables sit down all at once, so if you have 5 tables of four that's 20 people you have to get drinks for and if it's a licensed place, have to wait for you bartender to make for you, or make your own, and if there are cocktails or milkshakes or any of that, it takes longer. Then you have to drop 20 drinks off and get 20 food orders, but you have to try to do this in intervals because you can't carry 20 drinks. And also because if you put 20 food orders in all at once the kitchen will be pissed at you and so will the other servers because that means that all their food will be waiting forever because the kitchen is cooking your 20 orders. So you somehow manage to get all the drinks to the tables and then take 2 tables appy order get it in to the kitchen and then run back and get the next 3 tables appy order, and then run back and get the first 2 table's dinner order and then go and get the appys that are now up and get them to the table and then punch in the dinner order and then go get the next 3 tables dinner order and then run their appys to them.... and in between all that your telling them dinner specials and refilling drinks and scraping plates and helping other servers run their food to tables... and hoping to goodness the kitchen isn't backed up because if they are, even though that's out of your control the customers aren't happy with YOU, because YOU are in charge of their experience, YOU represent the restaurant and YOU are their scapegoat. Most places will let you run a small appy that doesn't need to be cooked if the kitchen is backed up but some places don't, so you can't always keep people happy by giving them something to tide them over while the kitchen cooks the table of 16's food (that happens to all be steak) before even getting to your sections food because that order got punched 3 minutes before yours. So all goes well, the appys are out and your waiting for dinner, you check to make sure everyone's enjoying the apps, and (believe me this rarely happens) everyones drinks are all full and all your tables are lots of fun, and so you have to get all the appy plates off the table and refill drinks and then go to the kitchen and hopefully get your meals ready for the tables (get condiments and knives and spoons or whatever on the plates) and then run your food to the table. Then you have to check back in 2 minutes to make sure eveything is good and everyone has what they need, and if they don't you have to get it and if it's not you have to fix it... and then of course between this you are refilling drinks and getting bills to tables (realistically not everyone had apps) or this is already done and your getting new tables and have to start the whole process over and it goes on and on. You also have to remember to offer people dessert and coffee and in between all this you have to entertain your guests, make small talk and get a laugh out of them and blah blah blah...... oh and let's not forget you have to do dishes as well. And it doesn't matter if you've had a bad day, nobody cares, you still have to be happy and friendly and keep people happy. And let's not forget you also have to do dishes and cleaning duties because a restaurant does not clean itself.  
It's harder than alot of people think and it takes a certain kind of person to be able to do all of these things and be friendly and fast enough to handle all this, and to know how to deal with problems that arise. Most situations can be rectified but not all people are understanding and not all people realize that just like any other business mistakes happen and things don't always go right but you do your best with what you've got. And the restaurant business has it a little harder because their are only limited people who apply for this kind of work, you don't get post secondary grads trained specifically in this work and you don't get alot of really experienced people applying because it's not something people do as a career, you do it while you're in school or as something to get you through til you find a "real job". Most staff in restaurants aren't overly concerned about their job because a) there's always another serving job out there and b) it's not your lifes goal, it's only a means to and end.... so the restaurantaurs (owners) have a hard time finding THAT staff that does care and is fast enough and is friendly enough and is is is... all the things the need to be to give the customers exactly the experience they want! And in the same breath, since you can't hire too much staff because then no one gets hours, if someone calls in sick you're usually left understaffed or someone had to work a few extra hours to get you through the rush... which makes for tired staff.  
 
So maybe you should take it easy on the restaurants.... chances are if you had a bad experience this time, next time you won't... because A) you probably won't get the same server B) the same things (reservations or private parties or even just things in the city that keep restaurants busy) won't be going on and C) maybe the staff will have been there longer and had a chance to get better trained or D) maybe they won't be understaffed!  
Not only all of the above but if there really was a problem, ask to speak to a manager and TALK it out with them, explain the situation, don't be mad and don't talk to them like there idiots...it was't their fault, they weren't serving you and might not even know what's going on.... explain the problems and try to get it RESOLVED... as much as people don't think this is true, managers do like to know about problems in restaurants because it helps them to train their staff so the problems don't happen again... and if the manager is rude to you ask for the owners name, and phone to talk to them.... if you call and they aren't there, leave a msg and ask when a good time to call back is, and when you leave your message say that you have a problem you'd like worked out, and say it calmly... gaurunteed you'll get a call back as soon as the owner gets the message....