Server Speak

sprucehill · 07-06-2006, 03:27 PM

We have dined across the country and here locally. Most of the hard working servers are just great.

We just wish they would not say "are you still working?" or "are you still working on that" when trying to figure out is one is done eating. There are nicer ways to figure out when one is done eating.

Joanna16 · 07-06-2006, 04:19 PM

How about can I bring you change? - Always!

They should always just take what is there and bring back the rest - If I don't want them to come back I'll let them know it's all set.

NightWing · 07-06-2006, 05:05 PM

My pet peeve is those servers who are constantly stopping by to "warm" your coffee or top off the water glass, which is usually too full to start with.

I like coffee, but I don't like it too hot. I mix just the right (for me) amount of sweetener and cream and I like to let it cool somewhat and savor the drink at my own pace.

Along comes the over zealous server who proceeds to top off my 2/3 full cup (which was JUST right for flavor and temperature) and spoil my mixture of excellence!

I can vividly remember being out in a dinner party one night when the server came around topping off coffee cups around the table. I was engrossed in a conversation at the time and did not want a warm-up so I held my hand over my cup as a sign that I was all set and I kept eye contact with the person I was talking with. Well, guess what. The server wasn't watching either and the next thing I knew, I had boiling hot coffee poured all over my hand.

I jumped up and screamed, as did the server. The next thing I knew, people were pouring ice water all over my hand and arm.

As I recall, the meal was free that night.

SAMIAM · 07-08-2006, 08:30 AM

My all time favorite is being called "guys" even 70 year old women....as in "Are you guys ready to order?....or "How are you guys doing?"
Kind of funny

jrc · 07-08-2006, 09:36 PM

My pet peeve is servers who don't write down the order. Yes, I know that's how they do it in the fancy big city restaurants. But if your doing a part-time summer job, just get the order right.

carole · 08-04-2006, 10:10 AM

They ALWAYS come to the table and ask a question (ex: "Can I get you anything else?") when my mouth is full.

Cal · 08-04-2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carole

They ALWAYS come to the table and ask a question (ex: "Can I get you anything else?") when my mouth is full.

I've even asked them when they come back to check that everything is ok , if they purposely wait till our mouths are full

Nadia · 09-12-2006, 08:47 PM

I was sitting in Friendly's having lunch with two of my friends one day. We were chomping away, mouths full, when the server came over and asked us if everything was okay, and can I get you anything else? We did the usual shake of our heads, but when my friend was done chewing she looked at us and said "You know they're trained to do that right? So your mouth is full you won't ask for anything else and you can't complain". LOL. I started lauging hysterically.

Being a server is a tough job, I speak from years of experience. One person might get peeved when a server asks how everything is while your eating. Yet another person may get very peeved if a server does not. Same goes for the water or coffee. Some people might get annoyed by the over zealous water boy, while others might be annoyed that their glass is half full for five minutes. Your trying to please a wide array of preferences and personalities, and it can be a challenge at times!

BBS2 · 09-13-2006, 06:27 AM

Something like "can't please all of the people all of the time"?

chipj29 · 09-13-2006, 06:44 AM

I am a reformed Rest mgr, and Nadia hit the nail on the head. Every person is different. Servers have a tough time reading each and every guest, trying to figure out what they want and how they want it. OK, I should say GOOD servers try to do that. The less-mature ones just lump everyone together in one group and call them "guys". lol
But seriously, I am pretty easy going, as long as I get what I want in a reasonable amount of time.

obie · 09-13-2006, 12:18 PM

It bugs me when dining out with my lovely wife and the server wants to know "Is everything all right with you GUYS". I would like to reply "This is not one of the "GUYS" but the LADY is my wife. Maybe if I called the waitress PAL she would get the message. It is also annoying when you are just putting your first bite into your mouth to have the server ask if everything is all right........"Come back after I get a taste"!

Nadia · 09-14-2006, 07:05 AM

I agree with you wholeheartedly, a good server should not refer to their customers as "guys", it's not professional and unneccesary, even if it is a group of male guests. "How is everything?" is enough, there's no need to add on "guys". "Folks" is a bit more appropriate if you must. You are not the only ones that find this term totally offensive. There really is no need for it. I use folks or everybody, but I have to say, sometimes "guys" does slip out here and there by accident! This post definately has made me more concious of myself when I'm speaking to our customers.

A good server has good manners from the start. After a while you begin to get a feel for your customers and know what they want. Some people are very down-to-earth, while others want to be pampered. A good server should have/be a lot of things, but the number one thing is manners.

imalocal · 09-19-2006, 12:28 PM

I totally agree with the "Can I get you any change?" issue. That makes my blood boil

Nadia · 09-22-2006, 11:59 AM

"Can I get you change?" is not proper etiquette at all, it's actually considered quite rude. Some customers can get very angry. Really though, I have to say, it reflects back on the management. All waitstaff should be educated on basic, proper etiquette before they're allowed to interact with customers. Guys, dudes, and "Can I get you change" shouldn't be part of the vocabulary.

I guess I'm the odd-ball here. I can handle guys, "Can I get you change?", or even dude! The thing that drives me nuts, is a young teen-aged waitress, calling customers old enough to be her parents or grandparents "sweetie" or "honey". "Did you want some more coffee sweetie?" Eeeck! Is it just me?

07-06-2006, 03:27 PM	#1
sprucehill Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Server Speak We have dined across the country and here locally. Most of the hard working servers are just great. We just wish they would not say "are you still working?" or "are you still working on that" when trying to figure out is one is done eating. There are nicer ways to figure out when one is done eating.

09-12-2006, 08:47 PM	#8
Nadia Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Laconia/Vegas/Florida Posts: 160 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 24 Thanked 19 Times in 10 Posts	Lol I was sitting in Friendly's having lunch with two of my friends one day. We were chomping away, mouths full, when the server came over and asked us if everything was okay, and can I get you anything else? We did the usual shake of our heads, but when my friend was done chewing she looked at us and said "You know they're trained to do that right? So your mouth is full you won't ask for anything else and you can't complain". LOL. I started lauging hysterically. Being a server is a tough job, I speak from years of experience. One person might get peeved when a server asks how everything is while your eating. Yet another person may get very peeved if a server does not. Same goes for the water or coffee. Some people might get annoyed by the over zealous water boy, while others might be annoyed that their glass is half full for five minutes. Your trying to please a wide array of preferences and personalities, and it can be a challenge at times!

09-13-2006, 06:27 AM	#9
BBS2 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 88 Thanks: 11 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	please Something like "can't please all of the people all of the time"?

09-13-2006, 06:44 AM	#10
chipj29 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bow Posts: 1,874 Thanks: 521 Thanked 308 Times in 162 Posts	Bingo Nadia! I am a reformed Rest mgr, and Nadia hit the nail on the head. Every person is different. Servers have a tough time reading each and every guest, trying to figure out what they want and how they want it. OK, I should say GOOD servers try to do that. The less-mature ones just lump everyone together in one group and call them "guys". lol But seriously, I am pretty easy going, as long as I get what I want in a reasonable amount of time.

09-14-2006, 07:05 AM	#12
Nadia Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Laconia/Vegas/Florida Posts: 160 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 24 Thanked 19 Times in 10 Posts	I agree with you wholeheartedly, a good server should not refer to their customers as "guys", it's not professional and unneccesary, even if it is a group of male guests. "How is everything?" is enough, there's no need to add on "guys". "Folks" is a bit more appropriate if you must. You are not the only ones that find this term totally offensive. There really is no need for it. I use folks or everybody, but I have to say, sometimes "guys" does slip out here and there by accident! This post definately has made me more concious of myself when I'm speaking to our customers. A good server has good manners from the start. After a while you begin to get a feel for your customers and know what they want. Some people are very down-to-earth, while others want to be pampered. A good server should have/be a lot of things, but the number one thing is manners. Last edited by Nadia; 09-16-2006 at 04:18 AM.

07-06-2006, 04:19 PM	#2
Joanna16 Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: On a Lake in NH Posts: 47 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	How about can I bring you change? - Always! They should always just take what is there and bring back the rest - If I don't want them to come back I'll let them know it's all set.

07-06-2006, 05:05 PM	#3
NightWing Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 410 Thanks: 4 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	My pet peeve is those servers who are constantly stopping by to "warm" your coffee or top off the water glass, which is usually too full to start with. I like coffee, but I don't like it too hot. I mix just the right (for me) amount of sweetener and cream and I like to let it cool somewhat and savor the drink at my own pace. Along comes the over zealous server who proceeds to top off my 2/3 full cup (which was JUST right for flavor and temperature) and spoil my mixture of excellence! I can vividly remember being out in a dinner party one night when the server came around topping off coffee cups around the table. I was engrossed in a conversation at the time and did not want a warm-up so I held my hand over my cup as a sign that I was all set and I kept eye contact with the person I was talking with. Well, guess what. The server wasn't watching either and the next thing I knew, I had boiling hot coffee poured all over my hand. I jumped up and screamed, as did the server. The next thing I knew, people were pouring ice water all over my hand and arm. As I recall, the meal was free that night.

07-08-2006, 08:30 AM	#4
SAMIAM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 2,836 Thanks: 326 Thanked 1,626 Times in 562 Posts	My all time favorite is being called "guys" even 70 year old women....as in "Are you guys ready to order?....or "How are you guys doing?" Kind of funny

07-08-2006, 09:36 PM	#5
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	My pet peeve is servers who don't write down the order. Yes, I know that's how they do it in the fancy big city restaurants. But if your doing a part-time summer job, just get the order right.

08-04-2006, 10:10 AM	#6
carole Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 26 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	They ALWAYS come to the table and ask a question (ex: "Can I get you anything else?") when my mouth is full.

09-13-2006, 12:18 PM	#11
obie Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	It bugs me when dining out with my lovely wife and the server wants to know "Is everything all right with you GUYS". I would like to reply "This is not one of the "GUYS" but the LADY is my wife. Maybe if I called the waitress PAL she would get the message. It is also annoying when you are just putting your first bite into your mouth to have the server ask if everything is all right........"Come back after I get a taste"!

09-19-2006, 12:28 PM	#13
imalocal Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 42 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	I totally agree with the "Can I get you any change?" issue. That makes my blood boil

09-22-2006, 11:59 AM	#14
Nadia Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Laconia/Vegas/Florida Posts: 160 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 24 Thanked 19 Times in 10 Posts	"Can I get you change?" is not proper etiquette at all, it's actually considered quite rude. Some customers can get very angry. Really though, I have to say, it reflects back on the management. All waitstaff should be educated on basic, proper etiquette before they're allowed to interact with customers. Guys, dudes, and "Can I get you change" shouldn't be part of the vocabulary. I guess I'm the odd-ball here. I can handle guys, "Can I get you change?", or even dude! The thing that drives me nuts, is a young teen-aged waitress, calling customers old enough to be her parents or grandparents "sweetie" or "honey". "Did you want some more coffee sweetie?" Eeeck! Is it just me?