Starbucks 'Trenta': How The New Size Compares To Your Stomach
Famous Death Row Last Meals
 |
| Menu options. Photo: Roboppy, 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 eighth in a series of posts.
Say you're in a restaurant in which you've never, ever dined. You haven't read a review of the place, pulled up its menu on the Internet, or even asked a friend what's worth eating. How do you know what to order?
If you're wise, you'll ask your server. It's not just mobbed, white-tablecloth joints in which customers can confidently throw their menus aside and place themselves at the mercy of the food-and-beverage professional at their table. Servers are expected to ferry plates from the kitchen and back to the dish room, yes, but -- even at the grubbiest eateries -- their primary responsibility is to serve as a sort of kitchen escort, steering you toward the best dishes and away from the suspect ones.
Since an extraordinary version of something you don't crave nearly always outshines a poor rendition of what you do (let's face it: If you're hungry for chicken cacciatore, you're probably hungry for the platonic ideal of chicken cacciatore – and the odds are good most restaurants don't make it), it's often best to dispense with your likes and dislikes and follow the server's recommendations.
How can you trust that your server isn't just endorsing the big-ticket items? Simple: Nobody tips more than a diner satisfied with his or her meal – and smart servers will do anything to guarantee their customers' satisfaction, even if it means selling nothing but blooming onions all night long.
I once worked with a pro who'd been a fine-dining waiter for more than three decades. His spiel focused solely on the she-crab soup, rack of lamb and chocolate soufflé. If someone asked about the vichyssoise, he talked about the sherry in the she-crab soup. When folks inquired after the filet, he regaled them with stories about the farm that supplied the lamb. He was so persuasive that he never carried a notepad: Every one of his guests ordered the she-crab soup, lamb and soufflé. And every one was delighted.
Depending on a restaurant's managerial staff, a server may or may not speak ill of certain dishes. I once worked at a restaurant where we were specifically instructed never to say anything bad about our food, which meant when guests asked after the most atrocious entrees, I'd usually say something along the lines of "People seem to finish it."
The lesson here for customers is that open-ended questions rarely produce useful answers. Don't ask "What do you think of the linguini?" Instead, ask "What would you get if you were here with your family?" or, more pointedly, "What do employees order?" You won't regret it.
Gym Teacher Arrested For Relationship With Student
Broke Stars: 11 Celebrities Who Went Bankrupt
Stonehenge Mystery Explained By Sound Illusion, Archaeologist Says
Social Security Is Failing Even Faster Than We Thought
Man Says Starbucks Discriminated Against Him Because He Has Half An Arm
WATCH: Nancy Grace Defends Her Controversial Comments About Whitney Houston
Chris Brown, Grammys 2012: Embattled Singer Slams Critics
Ford's clever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad features phantom model
44 Things You Didn't Know About U.S. Presidents
98-Year-Old's Birthday Surprise: Eviction Notice From Her Son
'Hooker Teacher' Forced To Resign, Now Can't Find Work
NUDE ON TAPE: 300-Pound Man Strips, Steals Socks At Walmart
Van Gogh's Starry Night modded into beautiful interactive light and sound show (video)
Trace Adkins Reunites With College Crush, 30 Years Later
Man Finds Huge Surprise Inside Safe He Bought On eBay
Nick Cannon Hospitalized: Star Reveals New Serious Health Condition
Hitler's Love Child Reportedly Born To French Teen
Rick Santorum Picks Up Key Ohio Endorsement
Rihanna's Workout Plan Revealed
PHOTOS: Jen's Got A New Look!
BUCHANAN OUT AT MSNBC
HORROR: Dad Comes Home To Find His Wife Drowning Their Kids
Colbert's Mother Lorna Ill; Show On Hold
Teacher Suspended For Telling Hispanic Student To 'Go Back To Mexico'
Taste Test: Our Quest For A Standout Strawberry Jam
Brrr! Get Ready For Blizzards This Weekend
Westboro Baptist Church Members Plan Protest At Whitney Houston's Funeral
PHOTOS: See Princess Letizia's Fuchsia Dress
The Low-Down On Your Lady Parts
Florida Woman Murdered In Thailand; Boyfriend Eyed By Cops
25 Black Models Who Broke Barriers
Cruise Ships' Answer to Lonely Ladies: Gentlemen Hosts
8-13-2009 @3:37PM Gary said... Is it just me or is this series of blogs getting a bit redundant?
Reply
8-13-2009 @4:03PM Gobo said... That's good to know. I sometimes ask the waitstaff their opinion, but didn't have a handle as to how comfortable they were offering it.
Reply
8-13-2009 @4:19PM boss sauce said... I've never hesitated asking servers for suggestions, though often the information highlights the differences between the server's taste and my own.
Re: the "she-crab soup, lamb and soufflé" server, I find this sort of behavior particularly obnoxious: "If someone asked about the vichyssoise, he talked about the sherry in the she-crab soup."
That's *exactly* what makes a diner think he or she is being steered and not heard! What if the diner is allergic to crab or doesn't like lamb? I'm sure the pro was more attentive than /that/ though, and your point is well taken.
Reply
8-13-2009 @4:52PM totoro said... "That's *exactly* what makes a diner think he or she is being steered and not heard!"
ahahahaha, exactly, boss sauce.
I do try to rely on the server/specials of the day at most restaurants, but did have one unpleasant server who tried to lecture us on "being adventurous" and "challenging us to be daring" in our ordering, before we ordered. I mean, wtf?
Reply
8-13-2009 @5:54PM Gobo said... That's true totoro, but there's a fine line a good server can walk between being unpleasantly preachy and helpful. The first time I went to a Turkish restaurant, my group all decided to get shish kebabs; the server dramatically held his hands out and said, "No! That is a bad experience. Very boring! I know what you should get," and he told each person what they should order so we'd all have a unique entree and get to try a wide range of food. It was a wonderful meal and he was well-tipped, but he took a chance by challenging us.
Reply
8-13-2009 @11:28PM Megan said... "If someone asked about the vichyssoise, he talked about the sherry in the she-crab soup"
That's a shame that your role model is a rude guy like that. Upselling is one thing; ignoring customers' questions is a whole other kettle of fish : P
Reply
8-14-2009 @9:59AM amanda said... The server's attitude in selling the she-crab soup makes all the difference. I've had pushy, irritating servers try to sway me in this way, but cheerful, helpful servers have also done the same and have helped me order something delicious I would not have tried.
My favorite server in the world once walked my party through every menu item when we were all experiencing crippling indecision and had merely asked him his favorite few dishes. It seemed a bit much at first, but turned out to be enlightening and very funny. Rather than declare a dish no good, he'd shake his head and say, "I don't think you want that", but then proceed to describe the dish to us anyway in case someone did end up wanting it. When ordering a second round of drinks, he'd tactfully ask if we wanted another of the same and also recommend a drink that paired well with each of our dishes. Since we adored him by then, we all took him up on it, and gosh darn it, he was right about it all.
If a server seems pushy, give them a chance. They might just be enthusiastic. If it turns out that they were dead wrong, express your disappointment in your tip.
Reply