Waitstaff!

AllenOK

New member
<insert disgruntled tone>

I am slowly trying to train the waitstaff to COME TALK TO ME WHEN THEY GET BIG SPECIAL REQUESTS.

Take last night, for example. We have a dish on the menu, Clams Linguini. Sauteed clams in a white wine butter garlic sauce, with lots of linguini and some garlic bread. Well, I get a ticket in, and there's an order of "Clams Linguini, 86 sauce, sub marinara".

Ok, no biggie. I've read a couple references to this on this forum and DC. I'm flexible enough to figure out a quickie way to do this. The Chef sees the ticket, and starts muttering about people messing around with a perfectly good dish.

After we closed, I did my usual and started asking all the waitstaff how their people liked the food. I was especially curious about the "Clams Marinara".

The waiter that had that table is one of our newer waiters. He's young, and this is his first restaurant job. I've been very patient with him, showing him the ropes on how we do things, etc. I have to admit that normally, he has his head screwed on straight.

I asked him how the person liked the dish. He said the "chunky little kid" scarfed it down. Then, the waiter said the kid wanted a bowl of spaghetti (we do a spaghetti buffett every Sunday nights, and it's turned into a weekly family deal). I told the waiter, please, PLEASE, come talk to me before you punch an order like this in. I could have turned out a bowl of spaghetti in half the time the clams took. We could also have figured out a way to ring it in properly.

I am more than willing to accomdate special requests from the members, as long as I have an item in stock. But, I prefer to have a head's-up before the order is even rang in, so that I can get started prepping it before the ticket comes in, and get the order out in a timely manner. Unfortunately, I only have one or two waitstaff that do this.

</disgruntled tone>
 

Constance

New member
I've never run a restaurant, but I had employees to deal with when I had the greenhouses, and it's always a challenge.
One thing I've found is that you should never give them too many instructions at once, as you've probably lost their attention after the first minute or two.
 

waybomb

Well-known member
My first question is why aren't they talking with you? I am not in the restaurant business, but I suspect if I were a waiter, and a plate was put up with the wrong stuff on it, I'd say something immediately.

Or if someone makes a mistake, they get their head chopped off? People will hide mistakes if so. Was he covering for the cook?
 

GhettoRacingKid

New member
wow!!!

I feel your pain. Ive never dealt with it first hand but when I was working the line at a resturant the wait staff was the chefs best freind. not becuase he kept them full,

They would say hey frank this guy wants somethign like this this and that. and he would be like well we dont have but I can do this this and this. the wait staf would go back otu to the customer and get the ok and bam. Custom order.

95% of the time there wasnt even a problem of a missing ingredient.

You need to lay down the law with the kid especialyl if its his first resturant job. the waitstaff and ktichen need to be like a left hand a right hand and know what each other is all about
 

PanchoHambre

New member
UGH... From the non pro side I can imagine it is frustrating... my X-GF had some serious food issues (none of them related to health or allergies just a PITA)... to a point where I winced every time she ordered.. if it did not get sent back I had to watch her push the food around and then complain all night ARGH. Cooking for her was a nightmaire too. (looks can make up for alot)

For waitstaff.. they should be talking to the chef and maybe understand more what you can and cannot do before they tell people stuff but maybe they are just don't know.

I know you work at a CC too so the pressure to please must be more... of all the dinners at my grandparents CC I don't think my grandmother ever took a meal as is... they must have winced every time she walked in the door.
 
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joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
It is funny but my wife who worked as a waitress and bartender for many years alway new the contents of every dish including the seasoning to how it was cooked. Every place she ever worked required it before they could step out on the floor and serve. I guess times have changed a bit though.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
My wife would run into the same problem with her employees. I told her to give them one job at a time as they probably would forget the next steps. It just frustrated her more and she felt like she had to micro-manage them.
She no longer takes on help, she just does it all herself. She is very picky about everything, which is why her customers love her. She can't afford to have that image tarnished by an employee only paying half attention.
 

AllenOK

New member
The main problem is that this is a country club. Basically, the member "own" part of the club. I cannot tell someone "no, I can't do this" unless I am actually out-of-stock on an item. Many of the waitstaff just don't care about whether or not I can do something, because of this policy.

The management of the club is also really hampered by the management team currently in place. The clubhouse manager is a nit-picking control freak, and the GM literally has to please everyone that's on the board of directors if he wants to keep his job. The old chef was let go several years ago because the majority of the member finally decided they had had enough of the chef not letting the members get what they want.

Honestly, my only complaint with the case in question was that I was unable to give the kid what he really wanted, because the waiter didn't tell me what was up. The kid in question ate everything that was given to him anyway.

If you really want a fun one, try this on:

We have a member that likes to come in on the weekends, and play golf in the morning, then cards all afternoon. About 4:30, when he's ready to go home, he comes up and orders 4 raw, LARGE steaks, preferably ribeyes, 1 raw chicken breast, a large ceasar salad, and 5 BAKED potatoes (cooked, not raw). He wants them in 10 - 15 minutes. If we can't fill the order in that time, he'll walk.

The problem:
I DON'T CARRY RIBEYES ANYMORE! I do usually have 8 oz filets. There have been times I've had to cut filets "on the fly" to satisfy this member.

I also only cook 8 bakers for my minimum par. There went over half my inventory. That's not really a big deal, as I can get more cooked in 45 minutes. Push comes to shove, I'll microwave the par-cooked bakers, but that hasn't happened in years.

This member also has a knack for wanting to pull this on nights where the a la carte menu isn't open for service. I'll give him raw potatoes, but I know he doesn't like it. I don't have any cooked, so he can't really complain.

I have complained and complained to management, that if they would kindly tell this gentleman to give me but 2 hours forewarning, I can have ribeyes in whatever size he wants for him (I'll cut my own from a prime rib clod), plus all the bakers he wants. However, the GM refuses to do so, as he has to "please everyone", and members come first.

</rant>
 

The Tourist

Banned
I am more than willing to accomdate special requests from the members

Then I'm one of those guests that must drive you crazy.

One night a large group of my friends dined at Biaggios in Madison, Wisconsin. What an incredible place! I could live there! The place has aromas sought only in my dreams!

However, I'm not a big fan of every dish served with/in marinara. And, yes, I realize that the main dish is seasoned to include that element.

I asked our waiter if he could recommend some other dish, and he simply asked me what I liked.

I informed him I admired dishes of angel hair, and unbreaded chicken breasts, and the smell of butter and garlic.

When the dinners were served, my meal came at the same time as the others, although it probably had to be made from scratch. Yes, the ingredients were at hand, but I appreciated the gesture. And, of course, I tipped well.
 

The Tourist

Banned
But did you send a special tip or compliment back to the kitchen? That's the fellow who busted his ass to make you happy.

Of course. A large portion of my clients are/were professional chefs.

If memory serves, I believe my comments were made as the plate was placed in front of me.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
One thing me and DW never ever do is walk into a restaurant an hour before they close, sometimes even two hours. We know the chefs, cooks, and waitstaff have been working all day and are probably tired and want to go home. Also, from my own experiences working at restaurants, I know we always started clean up early in hopes that we could be out of there within a half hour of closing.
And lastly, often times walking in that close to closing means they probably have to get what we want back out to cook it, which means it takes longer and will probably end up with us not getting out of there until after closing.
But that is just my take on it.
 

AllenOK

New member
I informed him I admired dishes of angel hair, and unbreaded chicken breasts, and the smell of butter and garlic.

I can make that easier than some of the others "regular" menu items I currently have. I have some angel hair, cooked, portioned, and frozen, just like the rest of my pastas. I'm with you on the non-breaded chicken. It's hard to get decent fond in a pan when the item has been floured. Butter and garlic I have on the line, ready to roll.

Anything else you would like in that? Mushrooms, shallots, olives, herbs, white wine?

You're not the only person that likes those smells :wink:
 

mixfinder

New member
After years of verbal abuse and elitist condescension in the restaurant industry, I console my self with knowing if there is re-incarnation, I will get to come back as the public!
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
This reminds of our experience at Old Country Buffet. It is pretty commercial, so it is not like we expect much from them, but jeez we were not prepared for what we encountered!
First, when they run out of a dish, they yell it back to the kitchen, right in front of the customers! You would think they would just go and tell em. Then the kids went to get chicken nuggets, and they were raw inside! Thank God my eldest daughter broke it open first before eating it. Then they duplicated a lot of the dishes instead of having all different ones.
We were so upset they gave us free coupons for our next visit, so like idiots we decided to try the breakfast buffet on the weekend. It was even worse!! The food was terrible and they were missing a bunch of stuff they advertised as carrying.
We haven't been back since, ugg!
 
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