Photo: net_efekt, Flickr.
Like most servers who daylight as journalists (there are more of us than you might imagine), I'm perfectly comfortable taking notes while talking. Still, I won't break out pen and paper for parties smaller than five. That's because I believe writing down orders disrupts my eye contact with my customers and detracts from my ability to build relationships with them. Good service calls for more than mere transcription.
But I suspect my high-minded reasons for not taking notes wouldn't fly with the most skeptical guests, who like to insist I won't be able to recall their request for grilled salmon. "Are you sure you're going to remember this?," they'll ask repeatedly.
If a guest seems especially anxious, I'll make a point of writing his or her order down. But here's what I'd like to tell those nervous Nellies: Yes, I am going to remember your order. Because while the menu may bewilder you, I've been serving from it for years. It takes more than a house salad with ranch on the side and a medium-well steak to confuse me.
Science confirms my method: Numerous academic studies have shown people can generally recall four "chunks" of information, with familiar items being the easiest to remember.
That doesn't mean everyone's memory is equally good: I've been waited on by servers who didn't write anything down, but then returned to my table minutes later to confirm my order – and still managed to deliver the wrong entrée.
So there are bumblers. But, contrary to many customers' expectations, I think most servers are smart enough to handle a few orders without a notepad net.
What do you think? Do you trust your server to remember your order? Is there any good reason for a server not to write down what you want?
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