How to be a Great Server - A Food Critic's Guide

As food critics for Coffee.net, it's our job to dine at every restaurant possible, from the mom-and-pop sandwich shop to the trendy downtown establishments. Over the course of our reviews, we've been in the position to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly of restaurant service. This guide for servers contains some key tips on how to stand out from the crowd in the competitive food industry.

1. You represent the restaurant

You might not own the restaurant or cook the food, but patrons will always view you as the restaurant,' for better or for worse. If you're a server, it's quite likely that you've experienced being stiffed on your tip solely because a customer didn't like his meal. This is obviously unfair to you, since you have no control over the meal, but it's an unfortunate by-product of how customers correlate you to the restaurant.

Because there's nothing you can really do about this, your best option is to simply accept it and work with it. When a customer is happy, let them know that you appreciate their business and look forward to having them back. When they're unhappy, find out why, and what you can do to make it better.

You'll look like you're in charge when you use positive phrases such as the following:

• I can
• I will
• I have

On the other hand, you won't impress your customers as much with phrases like these:

• Hang on
• Let me check
• I don't know

Using positive, take-charge phrases will help you gain your customer's respect, which in turn improves your image in their eyes. It also helps with hard-to-please customers, who tend to make more demands when they view you as just the messenger.

2. Your opinion does matter

The one thing that we absolutely hate to hear from our server when we ask for recommendations is, "Everything is good."

This really translates to: "I'm too lazy to tell you," or "I haven't personally tried any of the dishes," or "I'm scared of recommending a meal that you won't like (and thus stiff me on a tip)." Remember, you are the restaurant's representative, and it doesn't look good if you don't know your own products.

We want to hear what you like. Most likely, your own passion and enthusiasm will rub off on us. Of course, you don't want to build up expectations unreasonably high (e.g., "This is the best confit you'll ever have!"), but we do appreciate that you know your dishes. If you must play it safe, you can always point out dishes that are popular with other patrons.

However, don't take it personally if you recommend something that a customer doesn't enjoy. The number of customers that enjoy your recommendation will probably exceed the few customers that leave a bad tip because they didn't like their meal. You also stand a good chance of up-selling appetizers or desserts if your customers think you know your stuff.

Customers also like to hear that they made a good choice after placing their orders. Your affirmation (e.g., "Great choice, the veal is wonderful!") is like a compliment, which makes the customer feel like they did the right thing. If the customer enjoys the meal, you can simply reiterate that it was a good choice after all to leave a positive impression.

3. Attitude is everything

After reviewing hundreds of restaurants, the ones that stood out for service weren't necessarily those with staff that crumbed our table, folded our napkins or had an army of water boys. The restaurants with notable service were those with happy, smiling servers who showed real personality.

In fact, we had a server at one restaurant who had forgotten a drink, mixed up an entree order, and ran out of cloth napkins. But the server was an excellent example of superior service because of how professionally he dealt with the situation. In return, we rewarded the server with a generous tip and a solid review.

We know that being a server is a stressful job, especially on those chaotic Friday nights. Smiling while you're trying to juggle five tables of hungry diners is never easy. However, just remember that your demeanor should be pleasant and you should be smiling when you're on the floor. Your customers are there for a pleasant experience, and if they see you having a bad day (yes, they will notice), it will rub them the wrong way and lead to a downward spiral of a bad day and bad tips.

By smiling and thanking your customers, you'll find that you'll reap the rewards of this small token of appreciation many times over in the long run. Also, remember that a proper smile involves your whole face, not just your mouth. So practice that smile and use it often!

4. Learn your wines

Depending on your restaurant, you may or may not have a dedicated sommelier who can guide customers through that daunting 20-page wine list. Most likely, your wine list is far smaller, and you won't have a sommelier on hand. However, don't be scared, because knowing your wines and appropriate pairings is a fantastic opportunity for you to look knowledgeable, impress your customers, and boost your tips.

Surprisingly, our servers have often been reluctant to recommend any specific wine or even a type of wine, and instead showed us what is generally popular. We're not asking you to know your entire wine selection or educate us on the merits of the 50-year Sauvignon versus the 2008 Columbia Crest, but we would like you to know enough about your wine selection to make some specific recommendations. It will help you considerably in the long run.

However, one thing you should not do is immediately ask your customers if they are interested in any wines when they've just been seated. Instead, simply ask if they would like any drinks or if they have had a chance to look at the wine menu yet. The reason for this is simple: you should let them actually take a look at the wine list before you ask them to choose one.

The best part of learning your wines is that your education will go wherever you go. Although the wine list will change, you will always have the understanding of the various types of varieties.

5. Be proactive with your tables

Each server knows that the people at some tables are amazingly easy to handle while other people at other tables can be impossibly difficult. While luck deals the cards, there are things that you can do to make things go as smoothly as possible when you do get a high maintenance group.

After entrees have been served to one of your tables, instead of asking whether they need anything in general, ask about specific items such as condiments, utensils or refills. By specifically calling out items, you'll avoid being called over a few minutes later for a bottle of ketchup or an extra spoon because the customer forgot it the first time around. Also, you'll appear as detail-oriented and genuinely caring of their comfort.

In addition, this goes without saying, but refilling drinks before they are empty is always a sign of good service and really shows that you are paying attention.

6. Practice good timing

Good timing serves a number of purposes: it reduces the number of trips to each table and makes you look more attentive. The most crucial element of timing takes place immediately after a party has been seated. This is when you'll be making introductions, mentioning specials, taking drink orders, and most importantly, making your first impression.

As a server, it's your responsibility to keep things going. Groups that take a long time to settle down and order are not good to either yourself or the restaurant. Once your patrons are seated, a good way to lead into food is to start with drinks.

Be mindful that you'll also want to give them time to look over the drink and wine menu if you have one. You don't want to ask, "Can I start you off with anything to drink?" Your patron may feel the need to browse the wine menu right at that moment, thereby forcing you to excuse yourself to come back later at a later time. However, a phrase like, "Your wine and cocktail menus are here, but would you like to start with any drinks now?" sends the message that they can take their time with the menu, and also addresses the frequent customers who always order the same drink.

After the drinks, outline the daily specials and then inform the table that you'll be back with drinks and to take orders. Customers appreciate hearing the specials early, because it gets our appetites rolling and also helps them decide what to order. If you mention the specials after you come back, then the customers are forced to decide on the spot if they prefer the special, often delaying the ordering process.

The last note about good timing is when to deliver the bill. This is usually self-evident as the people will be finished with eating and you'll have already asked them if they want dessert. Never, ever, deliver a bill before you have asked if they want dessert, and never while your patrons are still eating because it's an insult to rush your diners. Letting your customers know with a smile that they can pay at their convenience when they're ready is an important last touch before they sign the bill.

6. Understand your customers

Some customers simply want their server to be an unobtrusive background experience. Other diners prefer interaction and conversation. As any good salesperson knows, it's important to identify what type of customer you have and to modulate your own personality accordingly to build rapport.

An experienced salesperson, for example, will often match your energy level and rate of speech because it makes you feel more comfortable. Knowing how to interact with each group will improve your experience as well as theirs.

7. Learning to handle the negatives

Many front-line customer service jobs have the motto, "The job would be great if not for the customers." It's true that one bad apple can ruin an otherwise great day, so the key is to find ways of dealing with those bad apples so that you can continue doing your job and making your other customers happy.

First, if a customer is unhappy, find out if they have a legitimate complaint (food prepared wrong, lengthy delays, unruly neighbors), and if so, deal with it appropriately.

Sometimes a quick resolution will patch things over, but the customer may still be upset regardless. Anger is usually a by-product of feeling helpless, which means angry customers want to have some say over the situation. This can mean talking to the manager, making threats or leaving a bad tip.

To diffuse a simmering customer, try asking, "What can I do right now to make you happy?" It's a great customer service line that puts the ball in the customer's court and forces them to vocalize their needs. More often than not, it will snap them out of their bad attitude when they realize that they have no more excuses to remain sour.

In the event that you snag a customer who is just irreparably negative, you should just tell yourself that some people in the world are simply not happy, no matter what you do. Try not to take it personally, because unfortunately they enjoy being miserable.

8. Smile!

We've mentioned it many times already, but we have to list it again as our last point. It's a fact: happiness is contagious. If you smile at someone, chances are they'll smile back. Science also shows that even if you're not happy, acting happy will actually make you feel better. We're not saying you should carry a smile the whole night (it may even be creepy), but a few strategic full-face smiles will go a long ways.