Let me start by saying I'm an incredibly patient person, born of Southern temperament, so I assume everyone is doing their best. During the busy tourist season, I don't expect my food and drinks "chop chop!" and I don't mind sharing my husband's napkin, knife or water glass if the server forgot, or was too harried to stop by for a quick check-in.
But recently I've encountered restaurant employees with very poor manners and I thought I'd dispense a little wisdom for their employers, managers and to the workers themselves.
1. Everyone on staff should be attentive to the customers entering or leaving the establishment. We waited in the foyer of one restaurant while staff was milling around and no one looked at us or greeted us. We instantly felt unwelcome. Every employee can be trained to smile and say, "Hello! We're really busy, but the hostess will be back in just a minute..."
Similarly, on a recent visit to a Seaside establishment where the food was high priced and the portions were small and the restaurant was half-full, I watched as two employees stood chatting while two families (who'd probably dropped over $60 at lunch) paid and left without acknowledgment from the staff standing RIGHT THERE! It was rude.
Here's the way it should go: Your customers have paid, have lingered for a few more minutes afterward and are gathering their things. The server comes over, "Thank y'all so much for stopping in. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation and that you'll come back again while you're here." That certainly beats the attitude of "you've already paid and tipped so I'm done with you."
2. If you can lean you can clean. SAME restaurant, same employees – chatting idly while two tables sat full of dirty dishes for the next thirty minutes. If something needs doing and you've got nothing to do, DO IT! As a manager, I've cleaned toilets, mopped floors, poured drinks, fetched napkins, jostled babies... If you're in the service industry every service is your job. It's never okay for an employee to look at a mess and think – "Someone will get that...."
I've also entered a couple of area restaurants where the floor and other surfaces were sticky or there was a distinct smell of spoilage upon entering. An unclean restaurant is unpardonable!! If the night staff is too tired to thoroughly clean before they leave (which is entirely possible in the busy season), then the day shift should be paid to come in early and give the restaurant a clean before the day's customers arrive. Better yet, hire a cleaning crew! (P.S. Don't neglect the condiments on the tables. I'm not a germaphobe, but I've seen a few bottles and dispensers so dirty that I wouldn't let my dog take a lick.)
3. Don't coast on your laurels and don't serve food you wouldn't serve to your most beloved family member. My husband and I visited a previously well-regarded restaurant for our anniversary. We were so excited. Two hours and a hundred dollars later, we felt like we would have been better off taking Whattaburgers and a bottle of Champipple to the beach. Since then, I've noticed that their reviews have gotten spotty, and I wish I'd know that before I planned our special night.
I live here, so I can afford to be tolerant, but there are people who save up for an entire year to bring their families down for vacation. It's the highlight of their year, and I hate to think that they're leaving disappointed, feeling unwelcome or taken advantage of for being mere "tourists." I like to think we're all representatives of the area. I want them to leave thinking about how lucky we are to live here. (And we ARE!)
But recently I've encountered restaurant employees with very poor manners and I thought I'd dispense a little wisdom for their employers, managers and to the workers themselves.
1. Everyone on staff should be attentive to the customers entering or leaving the establishment. We waited in the foyer of one restaurant while staff was milling around and no one looked at us or greeted us. We instantly felt unwelcome. Every employee can be trained to smile and say, "Hello! We're really busy, but the hostess will be back in just a minute..."
Similarly, on a recent visit to a Seaside establishment where the food was high priced and the portions were small and the restaurant was half-full, I watched as two employees stood chatting while two families (who'd probably dropped over $60 at lunch) paid and left without acknowledgment from the staff standing RIGHT THERE! It was rude.
Here's the way it should go: Your customers have paid, have lingered for a few more minutes afterward and are gathering their things. The server comes over, "Thank y'all so much for stopping in. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation and that you'll come back again while you're here." That certainly beats the attitude of "you've already paid and tipped so I'm done with you."
2. If you can lean you can clean. SAME restaurant, same employees – chatting idly while two tables sat full of dirty dishes for the next thirty minutes. If something needs doing and you've got nothing to do, DO IT! As a manager, I've cleaned toilets, mopped floors, poured drinks, fetched napkins, jostled babies... If you're in the service industry every service is your job. It's never okay for an employee to look at a mess and think – "Someone will get that...."
I've also entered a couple of area restaurants where the floor and other surfaces were sticky or there was a distinct smell of spoilage upon entering. An unclean restaurant is unpardonable!! If the night staff is too tired to thoroughly clean before they leave (which is entirely possible in the busy season), then the day shift should be paid to come in early and give the restaurant a clean before the day's customers arrive. Better yet, hire a cleaning crew! (P.S. Don't neglect the condiments on the tables. I'm not a germaphobe, but I've seen a few bottles and dispensers so dirty that I wouldn't let my dog take a lick.)
3. Don't coast on your laurels and don't serve food you wouldn't serve to your most beloved family member. My husband and I visited a previously well-regarded restaurant for our anniversary. We were so excited. Two hours and a hundred dollars later, we felt like we would have been better off taking Whattaburgers and a bottle of Champipple to the beach. Since then, I've noticed that their reviews have gotten spotty, and I wish I'd know that before I planned our special night.
I live here, so I can afford to be tolerant, but there are people who save up for an entire year to bring their families down for vacation. It's the highlight of their year, and I hate to think that they're leaving disappointed, feeling unwelcome or taken advantage of for being mere "tourists." I like to think we're all representatives of the area. I want them to leave thinking about how lucky we are to live here. (And we ARE!)
