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| An (almost) empty restaurant. Photo: Daquella manera, Flickr |
Hanna Raskin's first waitressing job was at a small Greek diner in Michigan. In the 15 years since, she's worked at a chop suey joint in Mississippi, an exclusive Arizonan country club, a vegetarian eatery and an Irish pub. She currently picks up odd shifts at a seafood eatery in the North Carolina mountains, where she cracks crab legs for helpless tourists. This is the fifth in a series of posts.
When a hostess beckons diners into a restaurant, her standard greeting is "Let me show you to your table." But to the chagrin of staffers and customers alike, a seemingly increasing number of eaters are taking the "your table" idiom quite literally. They exercise what some might call a sense of entitlement, threatening to disrupt service and the reservations system.
Traditional restaurant etiquette holds that diners behave as though they were seated at someone else's house: That's why we in the industry call them "guests." But as the cost of eating out has gone up and its novelty has faded, formality has given way to a different model. Diners now comfortably rearrange restaurant furniture, rarely asking permission to push tables together, park chairs in aisles or stick unwanted planters, vases and votives where they don't belong.
Self-appointed interior decorators are a headache for us servers, who have to contend with the diners in our paths. Still, that's an inconvenience most pros can handle. The bigger problem is customers who glibly overstay their welcome, assuming the table belongs to them until they deign to leave it. These campers are responsible for too-long waits at hostess stands and a tremendous amount of aggravation.
It's not just servers who suffer when a pair of iced-tea drinkers stays put: Since restaurants can't sell another entrée until a new party replaces them, such leisurely eaters help inflate menu prices (OK, maybe not by much, but we're all checking our sofa cushions for stray change these days).
Other than subtly scowling in the direction of the offending table, there's very little restaurant workers can do to discourage camping, which is why it's incumbent upon diners to police themselves. An unwritten rule -- at least to many servers -- is that there's a basic equation underlying how long a customer "owns" his or her table, but few diners seem to know it. It goes like this: $1 in food and drink equals one minute at the table. That would mean dinner for two at a mid-range casual chain like Red Lobster would last about 42 minutes (server errors and kitchen foul-ups excepted, of course.)
Not everyone agrees with this, but from this server's perspective, it's an eminently fair model, since it works out to just about minimum wage: Counting prep and clean-up, the hypothetical Red Lobster server will recoup $8 for an hour's worth of work. While we servers understand that diners have a real need to relax after a long day, my co-workers and I figure you're paying for food and service, not a hotel room. That doesn't mean a restaurant isn't a good venue for a leisurely meal: It just means diners shouldn't let an hour or so pass after their plates, silver and -- depending on the busser's aggressiveness -- water glasses have been cleared.
But what do you think? Is this math totally off? Is it unfair for a restaurant to expect diners to give their tables back? Who really suffers when customers refuse to leave?
| Yes | |
|---|---|
| No | |
| Maybe (tell us more in comments) |
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7-23-2009 @3:12PM sally599 said... So its minimum wage if you are only waiting on one table. Let me know when that happens.
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7-23-2009 @3:31PM Avery Krouse said... And yet another post from our dear friend Ms. Raskin where the consumer is the foul villain and the whole world of restaurants suffers tremendously beneath our greedy, selfish boorishness.
Tell me, Slashfood, when will you be running a series of articles from the perspective of the restaurant customer who suffers through rude wait staff who take their sweet time serving overpriced, low quality food and assume their own sense of entitlement when their bad attitude makes us "forget" to leave a tip.
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7-23-2009 @3:45PM A-Pow said... Ah Avery so nice to see you have such a narrow view. As a former server and manager she raises many good points, both here and in other pieces. However, as a consumer you (as you present yourself) are part of the rule and not the exception.
They do cost the restaurants money. As someone who is waiting for a table at a busy restaurant, do you want to look around and see campers taking up what could be your table? Didn't think so.
Also, Hannah, I think you should also mention that should you be a camper, please tip accordingly. If you stay for 1.5 times the normal duration of a meal, tip accordingly.
Consider these as op-ed pieces and you certainly don't have to read them or comment on them. But these are the realities of being a server. It's not called "what you want to hear" it's called the truth for a reason.
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7-23-2009 @3:46PM Champ said... Ah yes, business would be so much easier without those pesky customers, wouldn't it?
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7-23-2009 @5:17PM LinC said... I'm reading these posts because we seldom see what restaurants and waitresses really thing about us. It's not pretty. If I want a leisurely meal, I better not bother coming to your restaurant. Hey, wait, maybe I won't come at all! Maybe I'll cook at home and buy my own wine.
To get repeat business, you need to think about the comfort of patrons and the quality of your service, not the quick-buck turn-over of tables. As for rearranging the "decorations," I frequently remove trash from my table such as fliers for fancy drinks, an unused wine list or flowers that get in the way of seeing the person across the table. I don't stick a chair out in an aisle because of the tripping hazard, but I have been known to reposition a table away from a nasty down-draft or the elbow of the diner at the next table. So shoot me.
I must agree with the previous poster that each post in this series seems to be a kvetch about customers that's not up to Slashfood's usual standard. What next -- complain about what I'm wearing to your restaurant and how that affects your tip?
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7-23-2009 @4:11PM moose said... In general campers are bad, but there are campers and there are campers.
There are the campers who order just a drink and sit for 3 hours, then leave a $1 (if that big) tip because it's 15% of the bill. (These need a smack. A restaurant is not a coffeehouse.)
There are the campers who sit and gab and gab during a busy meal rush time, rudely ignoring the fact that there's a 30 minute wait for tables, which they themselves may have sat through. (Perhaps the waiting gives them *special* entitlement feelings. Kill these people, for the love of all.)
There are the campers who sit around as the place is closing, oblivious that the world is shutting down around them. (I have done this myself. My 2nd instinct, after apologizing profusely, is to throw more money into the tip pile. Still, a smack on the nose for this one.)
Then there are the campers who show up mid-day after the lunch rush, before the dinner rush, and have a leisurely if long meal, and are gone before things get busy again. There's no wait for tables, few are occupied at all. Unless the place is one where wait staff are required to "only" have so many tables, this is the least offensive camper of all.
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7-23-2009 @4:13PM Rob O. said... Y'know, I have pushed together a couple of tables before at a self-serve or buffet-style eatery to accommodate more people but I'd never, ever do it at a higher-end restaurant. If you're dining at a place with waiters, then you definitely should take a "guest" approach and behave accordingly.
Also, I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with "camping" out at a table for an extended period provided that you're not trying to milk the same glass of tea for the whole time. And be mindful of how crowded the restaurant is, too. If there's a line out the door, then camping is just plain rude.
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7-23-2009 @4:20PM Nobodees Bidnezz said... If this takes place in such a "fine establishment," why doesn't the waitstaff suggest the comfort of the Bar to their customers? A table clears, the previous diners can still enjoy the company of their party, and maybe someone purchases an after dinner drink that didn't seem so appealing before.
Someone must be doing their job right if people loitter; nothing runs me out the door like inept staff and toxic food.
If restaurant work gives you more bad days than good, it's time to start looking elsewhere. This series of articles might suggest a change of occupation is warranted.
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7-23-2009 @4:31PM JR said... At $1.00 per minute the total would be $60 per hour. At 15% tip the tip would be 9.00 or 12.00 for 20%. Someone else mentioned that waiters hardly ever work only 1 table in an hour. Either way - 9.00 or 12.00 is not the minimum wage in most states (or the federal minimum for that matter). In addition - a minimum wage equivalent could only be assumed if all of the tips were actually reported as taxable income. Anyone else who receives minimum wage has all of their compensation automatically reported to the IRS on their W2 requiring a tax withholding. Cash tips have a funny way of not making it onto a W2 - raising the actual compensation higher (because most don't pay taxes on it). Basing any part of your argument on minimum wage equivalency is a little silly.
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7-23-2009 @9:36PM Telan said... I have been a server and greatly enjoy eating out. Yes, most servers wait multiple tables - but keep in mind that's minimum wage after the food is paid for, the restaurant takes its share, chefs are paid, etc. But I can see staying late if you are in a dead restaurant (it hurts no one and makes the restaurant look busier) and/or leave a good tip.
Consumers are not the enemy, but too often they push the "customer is always right" above and beyond common decency. Time and again I will have someone demand that I give them free drinks, food, etc, because they weren't satisfied - after eating all their food. They will be rude and crass, and that behavior wouldn't be accepted anywhere else, but somehow it's okay in a restaurant. If you're going to a friend's house for a party, then decide to stay a few days without asking, is it rude?
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7-23-2009 @5:55PM KMB said... It seems like every one of these dispatches turns to a nag about tipping sooner or later. You want more tips, we get it. It is unfortunate that a compensation model where diners are expected to subsidize server wages continues to thrive, but can't you talk about something besides tips (or lack of tips) every once in a while?
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7-27-2009 @10:30AM jessica43452 said... I don't think the previous commenters have worked in a restaurant. As a college student putting myself through school waitressing, I love this column. And sure, it always gets back to tipping because that's the only reason your server exists. How many people would enjoy running their asses off bending to a stranger's every desire for $3.65/hour?
And as for the minimum wage argument, I venture to say a server works much, much harder in an average shift than a majority of minimum wage earners. I certainly feel I deserve more than minimum wage when I serve, but only minimum wage when I work my other job sitting at a desk.
As for the article, and her others, many customers are unaware of their surroundings or how, say, putting a highchair in the middle of the aisle where people move hot food, might be an issue. (I once hit a kid in the face with a hot tray because his mom was "punishing him" by pushing his chair out from the table. Sorry, deserved it.) I do appreciate your business and I am happy to serve you. I like happy, satisfied and full people. The reason I enjoy this column is because it discusses those super irritating parts of the job that make you think the common public is both inconsiderate and a little stupid, and that's disheartening for everyone. The solution: my theory is that before graduating high school, every kid needs to work for one week as the following: a janitor, a server, an elementary school teacher, a truck driver and a call center rep. What a more considerate, safe and understanding community we would have!
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7-23-2009 @7:48PM Brion Emde said... In Europe it is standard for people to spend the entire evening at their table for dinner. It is also standard for wait staff to be paid fairly; tipping has not been such a big thing there.
It is possible that Americans are going to act more European as time goes on and we become less provincial. Also, as restaurant dining becomes more of a rarity, this will become more of the norm.
Instead of complaining about your customers, get together with your bosses and make some changes.
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7-23-2009 @7:43PM Marumm said... I try to be conscious not to dawdle at a table for longer than I should if there's a wait. If there isn't, I don't see what the big deal is. Fill my drinks and I'll leave a bigger tip.
90% of the time that I've spent too much time at a table is usually the server's fault. I notice that most service here in Portland, OR is on the shitty side. One typically ends up waiting an eternity to place an order, and then another to get the check. Add in a dessert order and that's three eternities, which is a fairly long time.
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7-23-2009 @8:02PM Megan said... While I have been in hospitality & such & had to deal with my share of loungers, I agree with Avery. Really, Hanna, do you sit around all day dreaming up new systems of tipping or something ? I hope you were kidding about "subtly scowling" at customers
: P
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7-23-2009 @8:09PM Alex said... Dinner for 2 in 42 minutes? You are seriously joking. If you were to demolish dinner in 42 minutes you'd have indigestion and you'd probably eat too much from eating too quickly. That's just disgusting! And there's nothing worse than being rushed through a meal - it really winds me up when I've got half a glass of red wine left and someone expects me to eat pudding.
The way I look at it is that if a restaurant wants to turn tables they can let me know when I make the booking: "that's not a problem but we'll need the table for 9pm". Then I'm more than happy to make sure I'm done & dusted by then.
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7-23-2009 @8:26PM Jim Wagner said... I've been a server. I've been a restaurant owner. For some years now, I've climbed up the food chain and become a customer. Here are a few thoughts ...
For the patron ... the person who snidely remarks, great job but for the pesky customers, you are either a poor tipper or an idiot. Do you think these people come to work for the joy of it. Or do you think your charming presence is payment enough. It is a hard job and servers deserve to be rewarded. Yeah, I've heard how the owners in Europe pay a decent wage and servers don't expect tips but you aren't there right now.
To the server. I spend a lot of time in Italy. There you own the table for the night. They would die of shame before hustling you out of even a fairly modest restaurant. The economics don't work that way there but if you become rude, the patron won't more any faster and they will cut your tip. Sometimes honesty works. I don't want to rush you folks but there are hungry people staring at you. If you've finished your meal, may I clear your table?
To the restaurant owner. If you need to turn a table there is one other thing to try. Mr. Owner would like to offer you a (inexpensive liquer) in the bar, we can even settle your check from there if you like.
No matter if you are server or patron, try not to get angry. It solves nothing.
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7-25-2009 @3:09PM Carson said... Ok Hanna I have a suggestion for you and I mean it in the most sincere way. If you are not interested in service to your customers, then it's time to get out of the service industry.
I’ve worked on and off in different restaurants for the last few years and I’ve always found that when I worry about how long customers stay at the table my night just keeps getting worse.
Nobodees Bidnezz made some excellent suggestions. Suggesting the bar is a great way to clear a table. It gives your customers the feeling that you want them to stay and enjoy the other services your restaurant has to offer. My repeat customers have always been people that feel comfortable and welcome at my tables.
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7-23-2009 @10:27PM Karen said... You know, Slash Food has the irritable waitress and Gadling has the irritable flight attendant and neither seems to realize what customer service is really about.
I've been a server, a bar manager and am a frequent customer and while I tend to hurry a bit when I know there are people waiting, the idea that you are entitled to anything really ticks me off. You chose a profession that pays you by tips. If it doesn't work for you, find something else.
Although I generally over tip, I've found that most expect to be overly tipped these days. Articles like these actually make me consider cutting back on tips. The attitude here is astounding.
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7-23-2009 @10:57PM jac said... this might get me crucified..but if you dont want to be working at a restaurant you really dont have to. it's something to fall back on in a recession and something to do in between jobs, but if youre going to complain incessantly, go get a real job where you're more adequately compensated for dealing with jerks (like um, 90% of salaried jobs out there.) more often than not, intelligent, well mannered people do not get stuck working in restaurants as a career ergo you get unintelligent, rude servers who customers do not feel obligated to treat particularly well. everyone should be respectful, of course, but seriously this job is not very difficult.
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