Should you trust your rude date...

How people treat servers, can reveal a lot about one’s personality. There is no question about it. To fully understand the personality traits, one needs to look at two opposite ends of the spectrum, those that treat waiters well and those that don’t. I often cross paths with people who presume that I will be the one who will fuss around and expect the unexpected, to the point that actually I’m the one who is watching the show. Often I get judged by the staff or even whomever I’m sharing the meal with and sounds pretty much like that…. ‘’ Oh you are a Chef so what do you think about that bland menu, the drinks are too weak, that waitress is too slow, and the food is terrible…. But we often forget how much time and effort cost to put that plate of food in front of you. This article isn’t about the hard work that is happening behind the closed kitchen door. This article is about you – My dear customer!

My grandfather always said to me find yourself a man who's nice to waiters." The way people treat restaurant staff is appealing. Rudeness in restaurants is on the rise for sure and it feels like it to me. Why is it happening? I'm not sure. On one level, it's connected to the disappearance of manners in general. The appreciation you have for anyone working in a service capacity goes up radically the longer you work a service job yourself- you quickly learn what difference a little bit of kindness and common courtesy can make.

There is also another side of the medal… Untrained staff! Random people on the floor who have no passion or interest about the industry… you as a manager have to remember when hiring ‘’Randomers’’ (as I call them), there is one crucial rule.. Cheap labour will cost you more money and time and if you don’t realise that yet then let me tell you… pray they don’t stay! It doesn’t matter how great your Chef is, how fresh is your product, if you hire cheap, unexperienced person and have them at the front of the house, they will not close the sale! … & you will lose. However if you do see the sparkle in the eye and you think there is something in them worth to try… Team work is the right way to approach the training. People usually say that they accept team work but only few of them actually knows its function, principles and rules. In a restaurant where the staff needs to know their duties, there is also time to jump for help to their co-workers when it is necessary in order to restaurant business flowed as expected. This is possible only in well-organized team. At the end of the day its all about the sale and how its going to be delivered, it doesn’t matter if the meal is from the A ’la Carte menu or the lunch special.

The idea of… ‘’customer is always right’’ could be bended ever so slightly in many situations, once we are covered from our end…

My point of the story is… do not date a moron who doesn’t know how to treat a waitress, mind you after the second date ;)

A x