The Restaurant Life

In all my years of blogging (4 to be exact), I have never really blogged directly about my life working in a restaurant.

 

For the past 5 years, I have been working for family owned restaurant and catering business. My employers are Christians and I consider them as my second family. I love my co-workers and I love the restaurant (Pipers in Indy). The restaurant has blessed me financially, relationally, and spiritually over the years. It has also taught me many valuable business lessons. Recently, I was promoted to server. I start as a hostess at the restaurant and now I serve full-time.

 

In the weeks I have been serving I have learned a lot about people. It's actually the perfect job for someone who is interested in working in the counseling field.

Here is what I have learned:

 

1.) Some people are just plain rude. There are some people in the world that you can not make happy; they simply just love to complain and make your life not fun for a year.

 

2.) People love when you are personal. Since I recently graduated, I have told my tables about my graduation or my move to Seattle and they get excited for me even though we just met. I won't lie, it also can help with tips sometimes. That is not why I tell them though.

 

3.) Customers love when you recognize or remember me. We have a lot of regulars at pipers who love coming to eat just to have conversations with us. The friendlier you are, the better. Build relationships with your customers, some people need it more than you think.

 

4.) Sow and Reap. Servers are blessed financially so I believe it is key to bless others. I used to never tip at coffee shops, but now I try to remember to at least leave a dollar to show my appreciation. If you tip, you'll be tipped. Simple as that.

 

5.) The customer is always right until they treat you like you are not a human, then they are wrong. I believe many customers forget that you are a human being and you should be treated with respect. As a server and a hostess, I have been belittle, yelled at, received anger, and hurt from customers. Sometimes I believe it is necessary for you to remind your customers that you are human and mistakes happen; forgive and forget. You can take a lot of pain with you from work, but you have to remember that they are human as well. We all mistakes; let it go.

6.) Some customers are just crazy. They'll ask you a billion questions that they know because they will correct you if you answer wrong. They will ask you to re-heat food because its cold even though they haven't taken a bite out of it and they will say "that's not what I ordered" when it actually is.
 

  

If you are a sever or eat out a lot, just remember everyone has their up and down days. Be patient and be thankful.

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