How To Treat a Server

Olivia Weaver, Staff Writer

Millions of people go out everyday so by now you would expect that most people know how to treat their servers, but sadly you are mistaken. Many waiters and waitresses are subjected to rude, demanding and demeaning people every day that think are servants, not servers. Having experience in this field I decided I should take it upon myself to try to educate some misguided people.

Unfortunately, among the older male generation there has been a problem of remembering our names even though it is conveniently written on our name tags. They seem to need a reminder that our names are none of the following; Sweetheart, honey, sweetie or babe. I am here to tell you that any of the belittling pet names stated before are unacceptable to call a female server as it makes them feel uncomfortable. Along the lines of getting too personal, it shouldn’t have to be stated that in no situation is it necessary to touch a server. Too many times men misread female servers’ kindness and take it as an invitation to flirt and touch them. People need to remember that it is part of a server’s job to be kind to customers, we are looking for a tip not a date.

Speaking of tips, we should discuss how to do it correctly. 15 to 20 percent is an appropriate amount to tip for good service. A quick and easy way to figure out the tip is to move the decimal of the final bill amount over one number to the right, then double it. What is unacceptable is when a customer gets good service but still doesn’t tip. Being cheap isn’t a good excuse. Some customers go to extreme lengths to get something for free and I must say to those people, you are not fooling anyone. Do not order something, eat the entire meal then say that you didn’t like it and ask for it off the bill. A server cannot take something off the bill if the whole thing has been eaten. If you do not like the meal you have ordered, tell the server right away and they will take it off the bill and bring you a different meal.

Wasting a server’s time is also a huge problem. Servers have multiple tables they have to juggle so try to eliminate stress by being time efficient. If you need extra sauces or anything else tell the server all at once. Don’t have them running back and forth getting things one by one, wasting everyone’s time. The best thing to remember is that servers are human and they make mistakes, just be patient and understanding and the whole ordeal will be more pleasant for both parties.