Dining-Out Etiquette: How to get the service you want
The other day, I stated that I was going to start a new section to my blog about going out to eat. I’m actually following through with my word and putting thoughts to “paper”.
In this first installment of “Dining-Out Etiquette” we will examine the seating situation. When you walk into a restaurant and there is a sign at the podium that says “Please wait to be seated” or “Hostess will seat you”… let that be the case! Time after time, we come across people that walk in and, while standing in front of said sign, they tell US where they are going to sit. Clearly they are missing the point of the sign in the first place. Perhaps they do not understand that servers go by a rotation for seating. If they decide themselves where they are going to sit, they are not only screwing the server in that section, they are screwing themselves. When they decide to tell us where to sit, they are throwing off the rotation and putting the server in a tight spot. That server just got “double-sat” and won’t have the appropriate time to dedicate to that table’s needs.
We as servers may still stick to a rotation, but now we have two tables stuck on opposite sides of the dining room. Once again, not giving the service that they deserve and/or need. All that being said, if there is a sign like stated before, it’s there for a reason. The dining room is trying to keep order, not only for our own sanity, but also to make sure everyone is taken care of to the best of our ability!
