Getting better service
Monday, 10 March, 2014
David Clarke
David Clarke tells us some of the ways, as a diner, you can get better service....without irritating everyone in the restaurant around you.
It is the middle of the busy season for restaurants here in the Cape. I thought it timely to gently remind our membership that, as diners, we can have a large impact on the quality of service we receive when at a restaurant. It is worth remembering that restaurants are in the hospitality business; of course they want their guests to enjoy themselves and leave happy, but they also need to make a profit. Try to make it easier for them to look after their guests (you) – in short: help them help you, and maximise your chance of leaving happy.
Make sure you book and confirm the number of guests.
Restaurants generally like it when guests book ahead of time. If the kitchen knows roughly how many guests to expect, service usually goes smoothly. When a restaurant is surprised or caught off-guard, problems start. For example, a table booked for 4 people shows up with 7 people, an extra table is needed – what if all the other tables are booked? Where do they find 3 extra chairs? 7 people squeezed around a table for 4 is not comfortable for the guests, or the staff trying to serve. Also, if you are bringing children, or have unusual dietary restrictions that will require alterations to the menu, let the restaurant know and make an early booking (6pm) – you are far more likely to have a pleasant evening than if you come during the rush period.
And be on time.
Realize that most people want to dine at 7 – 8pm. There is a limit to how many dishes a kitchen can produce in an hour – this is why restaurants have different booking times. They are staggered to relieve some of the pressure off the kitchen. On a busy night if a 6.30 booking doesn’t arrive until 7.30, the kitchen is put under pressure to produce more dishes than is optimal. The result? Guests either wait longer for their food, or the kitchen takes short cuts to get the food out in time.
Be polite. The service staff are not your servants.
Service staff, just like everybody else, do not like being treated rudely – but unlike everyone else, they cannot really do much about it. Except ignore you. You are far more likely to receive better service if you are courteous to your waiter or waitress. Using words like “Please” and “Thank You” do not cost you anything – use them. Problems in restaurants get solved much quicker for people who are rational and polite.
If you are under a time constraint let the staff know when you sit down.
Experienced restaurant staff can learn a great deal about a table simply by observing body language, but they remain unable to read minds. Please let the staff know that you only have 30 minutes for lunch. Thus when you order the beef fillet “well-done”, the waiter can tell you it will take roughly half an hour for the kitchen to prepare.
Order from the menu.
Most restaurant menus are more than just a list of dishes the kitchen can prepare. They are designed to enable the kitchen to provide guests with a range of high-quality and delicious options that are able to be produced “on-demand” in large quantities. This requires the kitchen preparation to be quite precise; especially in busy restaurants. If you order something that is not on the menu (or compose a dish from elements of others from the menu) please understand that (A) as the kitchen will be unprepared, you will be waiting longer than if you had ordered from the menu, (B) that the dish you have “created” may not be up to the standard of that restaurant as they are unfamiliar with the preparation, and (C) that the restaurant may refuse outright because of A and B.
Find out about corkage beforehand
Most restaurants are okay with people bringing a bottle with them to dinner; but not all. Please find out what the restaurant’s policy is with corkage before you walk in. It may be limited to one bottle per table, it may be charged per person, or per bottle, or it may only be allowed under special circumstances. It is your responsibility to check with the restaurant before arriving about their corkage policy.
Be realistic.
If you are going out on Friday or Saturday night or Sunday lunch, realize that this is “peak hour” for restaurants. Treat it with the same attitude you may approach peak hour on the roads; it’s going to be busy and you may have to wait longer than you would during the week.
When things go wrong.
We are all human, we all make mistakes. If there is a problem, politely raise the issue at the time, when the restaurant can potentially fix the problem for you. Don’t be the person who slams a restaurant via a review website without communicating to the restaurant first.
If you get drunk, realize you are probably annoying those around you.
I am not talking about having a couple of drinks and enjoying yourself with family and friends; this is one of the principal reasons we dine out. I am talking about when you have too much. Most of us know when this is – we’ve all done it. It is not the restaurant’s fault, nor the next table’s fault that you have drunk too much; they shouldn’t have to suffer because of your bad judgment. Take responsibility for your own actions, and either go home or start drinking some water.
I hope some of these tips are useful and that we all have a happy and joyous 2014.