Are you a good person?

Yesterday I was serving a well behaved family of five. The family seemed to enjoy their experience at the restaurant and ate all of their food. When they received their bill they slipped a piece of paper in the book with their credit card. My first thoughts were that it was a business card (which is very common for people to leave), but when I looked closer I noticed that it was a religious pamphlet, “Are you a good person?”.
I receive these pamphlets every few months and every time I am a little more disappointed than the time before. I understand that some people want to help and inform the people around them. I just wished that people would take into the context the situation that they are trying to save me in. I am at work and trying to make my money for my next semesters tuition. I get it, they’re trying to be helpful, but I don’t go to their place of employment and give them reading material when they are at their highest stress level.
When I receive these pamphlets I always wonder why they decided to give it to me in the first place. Why do they think I am lost in the first place and need their guidance? May I take your order?

Chinese food in the Arctic Circle

Who would have ever thought that Chinese food in the Arctic Circle would be a wonderful experience? In Kotzebue, Alaska there is a little Chinese restaurant owned and ran by a family that has wonderful Chinese food named Empress Chinese Restaurant. In the article “Kotzebue Restaurant Tips by extremist”, says “Mongolian Beef was fabulous, and she made it extra spicy as I requested, it came with steamed rice, and she did not have kimchee, so she improvised and served me fermented turnips along w/jalapenos.”
When visting small communities through out Alaska try somethng different because you never will no what to expect and maybe very happy with thinking outside of the norm. May I take your order?

Request the best…

Many customers fail to realize that they can request to sit in the section of the server that they prefer.  As a server I love being requested. It makes me feel important and that I’m doing a good job. When you build a relationship with a server that makes your experience pleasant. Then request them the next time you make your reservation at that restaurant. I have many repeat customers. Most of my customers even know my last name and my dog’s name. I can remember my repeats drinks and have their drinks waiting at their table when they arrive.
The article “Top 8 Tips for Eating Out with Allergies”says it best, “Treasure a good relationship.” They are right! If you enjoyed your experience tell your friends and always let the server know you’re going to back to the restaurant and request them. This makes the server want to please you every time you dine at their restaurant. This is a good thing.
I have served tables before and seen them return to the restaurant and have the new guy serve them. Many of these people have said to me while leaving “We wish you were our server.” Well request me. The hostess can not read your mind and if you enjoyed your first experience then why chance it the second time around.
When I go to my favorite restaurant I always request the same server that makes my dining experience great. I am going to spend the same amount of money on dinner if my service was just fine or wonderful. I don’t chance it or leave it up to the hostess. I make sure by requesting that I have a good experience by always getting the best service. I look at it as getting more bang for my buck. May I take your order?

Why tip?

Many people view tipping as a way to cut corners when going out to eat. Some look at a tip as a flat rate no matter how much they spend. Many people leave five dollars on any check amount, any! If you spent a hundred dollars on wonderful food and good service the tip should reflect that; 20 percent to 25 percent is very common and not the exception. The tip on a $100 should range from $20 to $25 for a pleasant experience.  
If your experience is not up to par then tip accordingly, 10 percent. If your not willing to pay to have a full service resturant then don’t go to sit down restaurants. It is just that simple! Servers have to pay taxes on every cent they sell. If a server serves a table with a check that is a $100 and the table doesn’t tip them anything, than the server is actually paying to serve them and is a complete waste of time for the server. Every server pays taxes on 10% of their sales. If they don’t make the minumal (10 percent) then they are losing money, it’s very simple! In the article Gratuitous Tips on Tipping states “Restaurants report a percentage (around 12%) of the gross sales for food and beverage to the IRS for their staff. This means that if you have a $200 food bill and $200 wine bill, the restaurant will report 12% of $400 or $48 as income to the server. In other words, the server has to pay tax on it whether you tip it or not.” Many customers state to not know how to tip correctly, there are many good webcites online to read up on tipping guidlines (Tipping Guide).
Some customer don’t tip if their food takes to long to be cooked. One must remember that the server has no control over the cooks and the timing of the food being cooked. The cooks are trying their best to get your food to you hot and cooked right, thats their job! The server is trying to serve you the best way they know how, that’s their job!  So please take that into consideration the next time you decide to go out to eat. May I take your order?

“I am very good friends with the owner.”

I often find myself dealing with customers that say “I am very good friends with the owner.” Servers deal with this statement all the time. Reader’s Digest says “This marks you as a clueless poseur the moment you walk in the door.” They are right! Many customers use this statement to try to get a better table, a stronger drink, and free desserts.  Typically these customers have run into the owner of the restaurant at the local Sam’s Club and made small talk with the owner in the checkout line. This does not make him or her very good friends with you. Also it does not help that the owner’s name is the name of the restaurant, anybody that can read knows the owner now! The owner does not have any friends.

Just the other day I approached a table to greet the customers and they told me right from the beginning that they were very good friends with the owner of the restaurant. Right then I knew they were going to be a high maintenance and a low tipping table. Basically they are going to run my butt off and demand things that normal customers would not think to. By letting me know that they are friends with the owner they are indirectly suggesting I must kiss up to them, because they know people. Great servers try to give everyone excellent service. It does not matter who you know or how much money you have, your just a customer that needs to be served as best as possible. Saying who you know or who you are makes you look like a dork. If your important we already know who you are. This is just something to remember the next time you go out to eat and try to impress the people your with or get something for free. May I take your order?

Parenting your child at a restaurant

I often notice that parents ignore their child’s crying because they believe if they react to the tantrum then the child will keep having more tantrums. One little rule to remember; life lessons between you and your child are not meant to take place at a fine dining restaurant! A tantrum maybe tolerated if the parent and child were at home, but it is not fine in the center of the a public dining room.

As a server, I frequently find myself serving families with  children. When a server sees a family with young children and infants walk through the the dining room door, they pray that the table will not be in their section. We do not enjoy babysitting and waiting tables at the same time. Look it’s hard to do! Commonly I find myself taking orders from parents that look like they have not slept in a year and children that have more energy than all of mankind combined.
Families that are eating at a nice restaurant with children should view  their dining experience as if they were taking a plane ride for two hours. Parents, your child must stay seated in their seat for two hours, this means booties glued to the chair unless prior parental authorization is granted!  No running of the aisles terrorizing the other passengers and pulling on the flight attendant’s uniform. In the CNN.com article ”Ensuring a Smooth Plane Ride With your Kids“,  (parents) some of their tips are perfect for dining out with your children. One of the tips is Don’t Pretend. Don’t pretend your child is being quiet when it is actually being very rude to you and the other customers in the restaurant. Another great tip is Do Tell. Do tell your child to sit down and be nice. They are actually humans too, and should understand. 

Most fine dining restaurants do not have coloring books for your children to be entertained with and most do not specifically cater to young children, but they will do their best. If you have crayons and coloring books be sure to bring them. Most restaurants will prepare something for your child that may not be on the menu. You just need to ask your server beforehand if they have anything for kids. It may not be on the menu, but they want to make you and your family happy.

I find myself and other servers refreshed to serve a family with children that are polite. Families that come into the restaurant that are delighted to be dining out and having a wonderful meal, is simply great! The server really wants the family to have a wonderful meal and to meet every last one of their needs. One misbehaving child can not only ruin their families dinning experience, but also everyone in the restaurants as well. May I take your order?

Your first serving of restaurant tips

I love waiting tables, honestly. Sometimes I run into problems with my customers because they assume a lot about me and where I work. I believe there are some rules when going out to eat, for the server and the customer. The customer rules are pretty simple keep your feet off the table and don’t make a scene in the dining room. The server has to make everyone in the room happy including you. They want to have a good night at work and enjoy their profession. Lets just all get along basically.

• The biggest rule of them all is treats others like you would want to be treated. This sounds easy to most, but I find people have a very hard time remembering what their mothers taught them at the age of two. Don’t snap or yell from across the room to get your servers attention. The server is obviously preoccupied with another table when standing and writing their order down. Yelling and snapping of fingers is only acceptable when someone is choking. Reader’s Digest wrote an article “13 Things Your Waiter won’t tell you”; this article I thought was insightful. They included treats others as you would want to be treated as one of the things waiters won’t tell you.
• Timing is everything. When you make a reservation you should be on time. If you are running late call the restaurant and let them know that you will not be there in time for the reservation. Most reservations only have a 15 minute wait time. Most customers assume that reservations are held all night and its fine to show up whenever, this is not the case. Most customers just need to take time and refresh on their manners and etiquette. Never make a reservation 10 minutes before closing. The wait staff is ready to go home and so are the cooks. If you plan on staying longer than two hours, than the tip should reflect the length of time you were seated at your table. The table equals money to everyone working at the restaurant. Try to avoid going out to eat on big holidays and Friday nights at seven p.m.; this is the busy times for restaurants. One must remember on these days and times that everyone in the restaurant is waiting for their food.

These two things every restaurant customer should keep in mind when dining out.  Check back soon for more great tips. May I take your order?

Introduction. What’s this blogging thing all about?

I am taking a course at the University of Fairbanks Alaska and one of the assignments is to make a blog. Not just a blog about your life but a blog about things you are interested in and want to research more about.  I honestly did not know what a blog was until i attended my first class. The first class I attended scared me silly, but I also realized there is whole world out there that I have not been aware of until now.  I want to learn everything about blogs and how they are done and done right. I want to learn how to write well and to the point. I have always been confident in the field of communication (my major) and speaking in public, but never in the written word. That is why I am ready for this challenge…. blogging!