The Waiter Rule - Sign Me Up

Many of you would have heard about the Waiter Rule. Essentially, you can know someone’s character from how he / she treats people who are “below” or have no importance to him / her. Stay tuned for the Shopping Cart Rule soon.

There are 3 aspects contributing towards your dining experience

I want to mollycoddle, grow and nurture the Waiter Rule as much as I can. Why? Because it is spot on. Those who wish to deride it, I ask for no more than a minute of your time.

Imagine if you will, entering into a restaurant / café. Your waiter shows you to your table, makes you comfortable, introduces you to the specials, takes your order, delivers it to you, asks you whether everything is okay, clears your table, suggests desserts and brings you the bill, amongst others.   

There are 3 aspects contributing towards your dining experience; Food & Beverages, Decoration and your Waiter. Truth be told, your Waiter has the most impact simply because of the person-to-person experience. If you have a spectacular experience with your Waiter, everything else is forgiven. You would not be able to say the same if the food was Michelin-Star status but your Waiter treated you with indignity.     

Which brings the reason for this article. I have been on both sides of the divide. Prior to practising law, I spent several years as a waiter. Which is why I am at liberty to use the term “waiter” rather than “waiting staff”.

I am confident to say that I speak on behalf of everyone who was or is a waiter, it is extremely exhausting and patrons don’t seem to understand that. Many patrons take a simplistic position about our job i.e. write down orders and bring out the meals.

Here’s my experience (which is likely applicable with modifications to many of the cafes / restaurants you visit):-

(a)              We are usually assigned to a section or specific number of tables.  

(b)              When patrons arrive and sit at our section, we need to then bring the menu (reminder: this is pre-COVID) and recommend the specials or have some meals in mind if a customer can’t make up his / her mind.

(c)               Always have pen and paper to jot down the orders (again, this is pre-COVID).

(d)              At ALL TIMES to smile, accommodate and make your customers feel that they are welcomed.  

(e)              We were encouraged to get patrons to order starters in addition to their mains.

(f)                Once orders are jotted down, we either key it into the system or to bring it to the kitchen (which is a completely different environment). Here is where one needs to balance the demands of the client while placating the nuances of the kitchen crew. Believe you me, the kitchen staff (especially the chef) are a unique type altogether.

(g)              Those preparing beverages are very different from that of the kitchen crew.

(h)              When food and/or beverages are ready, we then serve it. This is where we learn to balance AT LEAST 3 plates (sometimes piping hot) on our hands.

(i)                We bring it with smiles, serve it (from the left) of the person ordering it (because we have already made note of it).

 (j)                During the course of the meal, we would need to assess from the patrons’ body language as to when is the right time to go over and ask “is everything good?” (or variations thereof). This comes with experience. Obviously one can’t ask that question when the patron is busy chewing.

(k)              Once the patrons have concluded their meal, we then have to clear their plates and utensils (from the right of the patrons). It’s simple to clear for one person. Imagine if your table has 10 patrons. Stacking plates on one arm is also a skillset.  

(l)                As for desserts, we would offer patrons the selection rather than waiting for them to ask.

(m)           Once there are no further orders, the bill is brought and thereafter paid. Then it comes to the point of tips.

(n)              Generally all tips go into a jar or container where at the end of the day, it is divided amongst the us, waiters and the kitchen staff.

(o)              Everyone then takes a seat (after clean up) and heave a huge sigh of relief whilst resting our tired feet.

With this personal account, I unabashedly would say that the Waiter Rule holds true. I have seen the rude (whom I loathed) to the polite and generous (whom I felt appreciated). One can always see the person’s actual character.

Having endured it all (the sweat, pain, cramps and exhaustion), to those who have dined with me, you will note that I have and will always (without exception) express “please” and “thank you” with a smile to the person taking orders, bringing meals, and clearing the table. My only exception, when the person is excessively rude and condescending.

So, the next time you are out having a meal, keep a reminder of this article. I guarantee you that it will make your waiter’s day with just a simple thank you. It takes nothing to acknowledge his / her presence and effort. But it sure would make his / her day. I know that it would for me.

This past experience has helped me tremendously in my law practice. But that’s fodder for another article.

Stay tuned but in the mean time, how do you find your meal?