A friend of mine just sent this to me and I couldn’t help myself but comment on the entire thing. It was first published in the New York Times on October 29, 2009.
As it would be too much to read all at once, I am breaking it into four part. Buschel’s statements are in black, my commentary is in orange and in italics.
October 29, 2009
100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.
Of course.
52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets.
Agree 100%.
53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree.
This once again is the server’s ultimate goal. To lead the guest through the dining experience that he/she is looking for.
54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.
I would guess that most servers like selling prix fixe as it is usually at a higher price point (and they are in effect commission paid sales people) I’m surprised you’ve found this an issue.
55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.)
Of course. It is also a service detail to explain any food that the guest hasn’t been versed on either in person or from a menu.
56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)
One of the things I hate the most about most restaurants. The best restaurants are those where everyone takes a great pride and joy in making sure that every table is taken care of at all times. It is highly irrelevant who the server is – it is highly relevant that the guest does not go without. Eating out is expensive; you should feel relaxed, full, and pampered after you leave a restaurant.
57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.
I wouldn’t say you should ever make someone beg for anything, but I wasn’t aware that the pepper mill always went out with the appetizer course. I personally find the pepper mill to be of an old style of service and I wish it would just disappear. Might the table just have a nice small mill for anyone’s convenience? That way not everyone has to wait as a pimply awkward teenage pepper boy peppers the entire table.
58. Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.
Easier said than done sometimes 
59. Do not leave place settings that are not being used.
The table should be set for the proper amount of people before the table is sat, your host staff should take care of that.
60. Bring all the appetizers at the same time, or do not bring the appetizers. Same with entrees and desserts.
Completely agree, unless the appetizers were ordered at different times. Then they should be brought out appropriately.
61. Do not stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her.
That’s just good sales.
62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous.
Always a complaint from my mother in fine-dining restaurants.
62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long.
Or at all!
63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.
That is the server’s job. They typically make more money than anyone in the restaurant because they need to suck it up, take the blame, and make it right.
64. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.
No problem with that.
65. Always remove used silverware and replace it with new.
100% agree.
66. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it napkin, spoon, menu or soy sauce.
Hmmmm, I might return the menu if he or she dropped it on the floor. Certainly not a napkin, spoon – or soy sauce (a quick question – how do you give a guest soy sauce that has spilled on the floor – perhaps it is just easier to have them lap it up).
67. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh.
I just hate stacked plates, period – unless you are in a sports bar.
68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.
Sometimes this is just an unfortunate must of the way the table is arranged, however it is always a goal we strive for.
69. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort.
Of course.
70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.
Of course.
71. Do not race around the dining room as if there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency. (Unless there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency.)
Makes me laugh as I work with a girl like that. Unfortunately, she can’t always help herself, but she tries.
72. Do not serve salad on a freezing cold plate; it usually advertises the fact that it has not been freshly prepared.
Our salad plates are refrigerated, so I wouldn’t think that at all.
73. Do not bring soup without a spoon. Few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon.
The spoon should already be on the table. Mis en place! Mis en place! Mis en place!
74. Let the guests know the restaurant is out of something before the guests read the menu and order the missing dish.
Of course.
75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course.
I would say depends, if you can ask quietly without drawing attention then I would prefer the dirty item was removed from the table. This goes back to comment #17.
Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do Part I
Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do Part II
Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do Part IV
- Columbine Quillen I am a mixologist bartender and this is my blog.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }