Servers: Pls just write it down...

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 12:42 PM

Last night beans that weren't supposed to be on (or in or near) my burrito were everywhere. Today my spicy tuna roll just never showed up (as if I hadn't ordered it in the first place)...

I'm fairly certain that these issues are directly attributed to the fact that neither server who waited on me wrote down my order...

I don't get it. I waited tables for 5 years. It is a tough job and it can be very stressful. It is so easy to forget things. So why chance screwing it up? You don't get extra credit if you are able to remember it and get it right (you're supposed to get it right). But you do lose points in customer satisfaction and/or tip money when you get it wrong...

Servers, please write down orders. Restaurant owners, pls encourage this basic practice...

**Snerd** · 07-01-2009, 12:58 PM

Maybe the severs work part time or are related to someone at the UPS store?

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Snerd

Maybe the severs work part time or are related to someone at the UPS store?

Don't mess with me.

**scooterbug44** · 07-01-2009, 01:18 PM

My waitress roommate always told me that good servers write stuff down - if only so they have it as evidence when the PITA complains.

**kkddbb** · 07-01-2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by snerd

maybe the severs work part time or are related to someone at the ups store?

too funny! He does have a point though. Some of us just tend to vent more than others thats all

**NoHall** · 07-01-2009, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

My waitress roommate always told me that good servers write stuff down - if only so they have it as evidence when the PITA complains.

Eggzachary. A paper trail is always a good idea.

**Green Knight** · 07-01-2009, 03:46 PM

I find the whole thing extremely pretentious when they don't write a table's order down...the best waiters/waitresses write it down in a shorthand notation without ever losing eye contact with the party ordering

**ASH** · 07-01-2009, 04:19 PM

I wonder that there aren't some restaurants that pride themselves on training their servers to remember without writing it down.

Geo, I hadda laugh when you said "Don't mess with me". I knew it was coming....

**scooterbug44** · 07-01-2009, 04:33 PM

I think the restaurants rightly focus more on getting the servers to memorize and know the menu & specials.

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 04:51 PM

Here's another recent one that was a tad annoying despite the fact that the order came out right-

Server: What can I get for you guys?

Geo: My son will have the chicken fingers with fries. My daughter will have a cheeseburger with just ketchup and mustard also with fries and I'll have the fish sandwich with chips.

Server (having not written anything down): chicken fingers with fries, cheeseburger with just ketchup and mustard side fries and a fish sandwich with the chips?

Geo: Yep. Say, do you have any soups today?

Server: Crab chowder and chicken noodle.

Geo: How's the chowder?

Server: It's awesome.

Geo: Okay, I'll start with that then.

Server: Okay, so... Um... (realizing he can't remember the original order)

Geo (pointing to the kids one at a time and reordering for them and then himself): chicken fingers with fries, cheeseburger with ketchup and mustard only and a fish sandwich with the chips.

Server: chicken fingers with fries, cheeseburger with ketchup and mustard only and a fish sandwich with the chips. What side does your daughter want?

Geo: fries (told him the first time)

Server: chicken fingers with fries, cheeseburger with ketchup and mustard only also with fries and a fish sandwich with the chips for you. Did I get it?

Geo: yes, and the soup.

Server: Oh, right. Got it.

UGH!!!!

It took all the strength I had in me to refrain from asking the guy to just please write it down so guests don't have to repeat the order and risk getting it wrong!!!

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by ASH

I wonder that there aren't some restaurants that pride themselves on training their servers to remember without writing it down.

I think there is that. But I find it more impressive to get what I ordered.

Originally Posted by ASH

Geo, I hadda laugh when you said "Don't mess with me". I knew it was coming....

I deserved his wise crack. But I am incapable of not coming back with something stupid after his jab!

**Miss Kitty** · 07-01-2009, 05:08 PM

Geo, it always makes me nervous when they don't write orders down. Recipe for disaster, imo.

That said, I have a brilliant idea for you...get a small notebook and when you come across this type of waitstaff, calmly write down what you want and hand it to them.

edit: wait! or use a napkin!

**SHELLY** · 07-01-2009, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Geo

Geo: yes, and the soup.

Server: Oh, right. Got it.

UGH!!!!

At that point you should have told the guy to "Just hold the soup.......between your knees." <Hat tip to Jack Nicholson>

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Miss Kitty

Geo, it always makes me nervous when they don't write orders down. Recipe for disaster, imo.

That said, I have a brilliant idea for you...get a small notebook and when you come across this type of waitstaff, calmly write down what you want and hand it to them.

edit: wait! or use a napkin!

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love it!

**Lynnie** · 07-01-2009, 05:23 PM

OK - so, I'd like to add that when the wait staff doesn't get your order correct, you politely mention it to them. Afterall, you ordered what you wanted, right? Why eat something you are paying for that you didn't want.....to be nice? You can, in a nice manner, inform them of the error. Or, if they forget, you politely inform them they forgot.

ARGH - I have a friend that does this. We were celebrating one night and GF and I had our drinks, she had a vodka cocktail and I had a martini. Guy friend ordered a glass of wine. Open and pour. Bartender completely forgot the wine and we were sitting right in front of him. Several minutes go by and GF and I weren't drinking ours so we could do a toast. I told guy friend that his wine had been forgotten. He was in denial. Several more minutes go by and GF declared that we were toasting without him. Thank God. Guy friend was still in denial, "No, he'll bring it. He's just busy!" (We were the only ones at the bar in a nice restaurant.) Bartender came up and apologized for forgetting the wine!

I mean, don't be a sappy-ass!

Then, there was the guy several years ago who was angry all the time from something going on his life and when his drink order was forgotten, he said to the cute waitress, "Why don't you just forget about that drink you forgot about!" Classic, but almost had the Girl in tears!

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 05:40 PM

Good stuff.

I almost always inform them when they screw it up and I am reasonably nice about it. It's just frustrating because when they don't write it down I expect something to go wrong. And when it does I know why. And when it doesn't I am relieved that I got what I ordered (rather than being able to take it for granted)...

**hnooe** · 07-01-2009, 06:04 PM

What I don't get is how when the staff that brings out your food(if they are not your original waitress or waiter) they know exactly who gets what dish--I guess they do short hand crib notes next to the shorthand orders... like.."stuffed flounder for the guy in black w/bald spot".

**TableFiveChef** · 07-01-2009, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by hnooe

What I don't get is how when the staff that brings out your food(if they are not your original waitress or waiter) they know exactly who gets what dish--I guess they do short hand crib notes next to the shorthand orders... like.."stuffed flounder for the guy in black w/bald spot".

Seat numbers. You are seated at a numbered table with numbered seats. Every restaurant in the world has this.

**NoHall** · 07-01-2009, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Miss Kitty

Geo, it always makes me nervous when they don't write orders down. Recipe for disaster, imo.

That said, I have a brilliant idea for you...get a small notebook and when you come across this type of waitstaff, calmly write down what you want and hand it to them.

edit: wait! or use a napkin!

Just be sure to add to the order: One (1) extra napkin.

**Miss Kitty** · 07-01-2009, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by NoHall

Just be sure to add to the order: One (1) extra napkin.

**Geo** · 07-01-2009, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by Miss Kitty

Oh no!
(with the sig line)

**wrobert** · 07-01-2009, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Geo

Servers, please write down orders. Restaurant owners, pls encourage this basic practice...

I always heard it had to be six or more for a real server to need a pencil.

You sure seem to have a lot of issues with varying businesses.

**wrobert** · 07-01-2009, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by hnooe

What I don't get is how when the staff that brings out your food(if they are not your original waitress or waiter) they know exactly who gets what dish--I guess they do short hand crib notes next to the shorthand orders... like.."stuffed flounder for the guy in black w/bald spot".

I HATE it when they bring out the food and ask who gets what. I never remember what I order, I figure I told them so there was not a need.

**Geo** · 07-02-2009, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by wrobert

I always heard it had to be six or more for a real server to need a pencil.

You sure seem to have a lot of issues with varying businesses.

You seem to have a lot of issues as well...

Wrobert,

Kidding aside, I posted a negative review of one business that recently received a lot of attention. And I started a conversation here about a pet peeve I have with waitstaff as nothing more than a social exercise. I don't think these two things qualify me for the label of "having a lot of issues with varying businesses". I am familiar with the body of my work in this forum and the fact is that my positive comments and reviews of local businesses far outnumber occasional negatives...

But regardless, if at the end of the day folks believe I seem to have a lot of issues with varying businesses- oh well...

**jodiFL** · 07-02-2009, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by hnooe

What I don't get is how when the staff that brings out your food(if they are not your original waitress or waiter) they know exactly who gets what dish--I guess they do short hand crib notes next to the shorthand orders... like.."stuffed flounder for the guy in black w/bald spot".

nah... its more like "st fl 4 baldy", j/k... but most take your order in a clockwise rotation so that expediters can just start with the first order on the ticket and tray it up with it in the order it was taken so when they go to the table it comes off the tray in the same order. Unless there is a request for separate checks for people that are sitting nowhere NEAR the others on that ticket. That is usually when you get the "who had what?"

**SneakyPete** · 07-02-2009, 09:33 PM

I absolutely don't mind being asked "who had what?" -- particularly when the person delivering the food may not be the one who took the order -- why would you expect him or her to KNOW? That is, I don't mind as long as everyone got what they ordered. I can pass a plate to the left or the right with gracious ease, eyeing jealously what I considered ordering, while perhaps having a taste of what I passed up.

I am also gracious when ordering. My husband is a NOTORIOUSLY bad orderer. He'll say, "I'll have the fried shrimp sandwich, but how many are on that...It's not popcorn shimp right? And what is the soup of the day? Is it made here? 'Cause I don't need bagged soup with SneakyPete at the homestead. Oh...well, what's the fish of the day? Really .....Okay so the shrimp sandwich. I'll have that with fries, but are the fries shoestring, waffle or home fries?...." It can go on from there. Luckily he's married to me so he gets THIS in THIS nightgown, no options.

Still, I agree...write it down!!! Why wouldn't you? Do you get Jesus points for not using a pencil?

**sunspotbaby** · 07-03-2009, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by SneakyPete

I absolutely don't mind being asked "who had what?" -- particularly when the person delivering the food may not be the one who took the order -- why would you expect him or her to KNOW? That is, I don't mind as long as everyone got what they ordered. I can pass a plate to the left or the right with gracious ease, eyeing jealously what I considered ordering, while perhaps having a taste of what I passed up.

I am also gracious when ordering. My husband is a NOTORIOUSLY bad orderer. He'll say, "I'll have the fried shrimp sandwich, but how many are on that...It's not popcorn shimp right? And what is the soup of the day? Is it made here? 'Cause I don't need bagged soup with SneakyPete at the homestead. Oh...well, what's the fish of the day? Really .....Okay so the shrimp sandwich. I'll have that with fries, but are the fries shoestring, waffle or home fries?...." It can go on from there. Luckily he's married to me so he gets THIS in THIS nightgown, no options.

Still, I agree...write it down!!! Why wouldn't you? Do you get Jesus points for not using a pencil?

funny stuff there SP.

**Minnie** · 07-03-2009, 01:15 PM

Wait staff do what they are instructed to do by their managers, if you have problem with the way they take orders, ask the manager. Please do not take it out of on someone just trying to do a very hard job for little pay and tips.

**wrobert** · 07-03-2009, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by SneakyPete

I absolutely don't mind being asked "who had what?" -- particularly when the person delivering the food may not be the one who took the order -- why would you expect him or her to KNOW?

Good, experienced servers, in nice places do not seem to have a problem with it. It gets entered or written down somewhere, I would think it is done in some sort of a consistent order. Those that do not ask get tipped accordingly, same with those that do.

Your husband is doing the right thing. They are servers after all. Answering questions is what they get paid to do.

**wrobert** · 07-03-2009, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Minnie

Please do not take it out of on someone just trying to do a very hard job for little pay and tips.

Serving can be a profession. I know of several that make more than I do, and pay taxes on less than what I do.

**Geo** · 07-04-2009, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by Minnie

Wait staff do what they are instructed to do by their managers, if you have problem with the way they take orders, ask the manager. Please do not take it out of on someone just trying to do a very hard job for little pay and tips.

I do not recall anyone on this thread being unfair to servers or "taking anything out" on anyone.