7 Tips to Being More Appreciated As A Waitress or Waiter

Do you want to be appreciated more as a waitress or waiter? The way to do it may not be rocket science, but you need all the right ingredients to do so. And you need to apply the right amounts of listening, writing, and the art of caring to your daily challenge. It's as easy as coconut pie-1, 2... 7! I promise to keep it simple and informative.

1. Break the ice with a little friendly chatter about the weather, the "special of the day" or anything positive that seems to fit your customer's age and gender. Keep your comments light and welcoming.


2. Listen attentively to the order so that you write it down for the chef correctly. You can repeat back exactly what they ordered so that your customer is sure of he or she ordered. If you do it with a big smile, your customer won't mind at all. Customers want to be sure they get to eat what they ordered too.


3. Be as flexible as you're allowed by management to make suggestions or offer substitutions. Let your customer know that you are looking out for his or her best dining interest. A smile and suggestions do just that.


4. If you have had a bad morning or afternoon at home, "table it." That is, put your problems on concerns on a faraway table in the kitchen, and leave them there until your shift is over. Deal with them when you get home. People eating out expect a good meal and a relaxing atmosphere, not a grump serving them. And your behavior, as server and quality controller is part of the ambience of your eating establishment.


5. If the food isn't cooked right, do all you can to correct the situation. What defuses an angry customer quicker than an emergency bomb squad is a sincere "I am sorry." If saying that is difficult for you because you didn't cook the meal or perhaps slack off a little in the kitchen, just practice it in the bathroom mirror until you could win an Academy Award saying it. It's an essential part of caring.


6. If your customer flirts with you, flirt back. Yes, even if he has a paunch, a receding hair line, and man boobs. He isn't really looking for any action, just a smile and witty comeback to make him feel not so middle aged. You may get double what you expected for a tip and a customer who will request you by name the next time.


7. Now here's the golden key to being the Best Waitress/Waiter of the Year, which was strongly hinted at in guideline six. Oprah says that we all want to be appreciated. We all want to feel special. That's what life is all about, whether we just think about it during the day or we let that thought guide our daily journey. The closer you get to people (without being in their face), the better they like it. Servers get better tips when they kneel in front of customers in a crowded restaurant. And there are two more ways that waitresses and waiters get better tips, and that's coming next.

1. Write your name and draw a smiley on the back of the bill.

2. Encourage customers to laugh and have a good time just as if they were at a celebration. Nowadays a meal outside the house probably is a celebration.

If you have an appetite for leaning, try Joe Sottile's new eBook: 101 SECRETS! A Backpack of Inspiration and Hope for Tweens, http://booklocker.com/books/6026.html. (He has learned many insights from teaching, parenting, and being the father of a successful waitress, and now youth director, April Marie.)

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