Your preferred restaurant may not
be what it once was. Staff shortages, escalating food costs, and unpredictable
customer behavior are ongoing challenges. In an industry where food service
professionals are under immense stress, it's crucial for patrons to brush up on
basic manners and common sense to make their lives a bit easier.
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| Don't forget to credit the chef who created that meal in your photo caption |
The restaurant business is
demanding, filled with long hours and often thankless work. Chef Rossi, an
author, executive chef, and owner of New York's The Raging Skillet, emphasizes
the importance of gratitude and kindness, considering the vital role restaurants
play in communities.
As we depend on restaurants, our behavior can impact the ability of people to find fulfilling careers in food service. The article consulted chefs, bartenders, caterers, servers, and restaurant owners to understand the ways they wish patrons would exhibit better behavior.
Respect your reservation
If you haven't worked at the host
stand of a busy restaurant, you might not realize the multitude of requests,
changes, and customer errors that someone in this role handles regularly. When
making a reservation, be clear about your requests and make your own notes as
confirmation.
While changes are inevitable, your
attitude can make a significant difference. Chef Eric Adjepong, host of Food
Network’s “Alex vs. America,” advises
patience when requesting modifications to a reservation. Remember that the
staff serving you are also people, so kindness goes a long way.
On the day and time of your
reservation, be punctual at the hostess stand with your entire party in
appropriate attire. Anything less puts strain on the delicate structure of
restaurant reservations. Chef Robert Irvine, a restaurant owner and host of
Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible,”
emphasizes the importance of arriving on time.
Being late creates a ripple effect, impacting not only the staff but also the subsequent customers waiting for the table. Recognize that restaurants need to turn tables efficiently to make a living, and tardiness makes that task more challenging.
Don’t say you have an allergy just
because you don’t like an ingredient
Roberta d’Elia, the head chef at
Pasta Evangelists in the U.K., urges customers not to claim allergies if they
simply dislike certain ingredients. Allergies are taken very seriously in the
kitchen, and false claims create unnecessary stress for restaurant staff who go
the extra mile to accommodate genuine allergies. So, it's important to be
honest about your preferences to maintain the integrity of the allergy
reporting system.
Additionally, when making special requests, customers should be considerate of the kitchen's workflow. For instance, asking the kitchen to exclude specific ingredients like garlic from sauces may not be practical, as these sauces are typically prepared in batches, not individually. Being mindful of such considerations helps maintain a smooth operation in the kitchen.
If you can afford to eat out, you
can afford to tip
Tips are not just a luxury for food
service workers; they are a necessity. Industry wages are typically low, with
the expectation that tips will supplement income. According to the U.S.
Department of Labor, workers who receive tips on the job can legally earn as
little as $2.13 per hour from their employers.
A standard tip is considered to be
15 to 20% of the pretax bill. However, in sit-down restaurants, it's important
to note that not all of the tip may go to the server, as tips are often pooled
with other staff members like bartenders, bussers, hostesses, and food runners.
Some establishments even provide options on the menu to include tips for
kitchen staff.
While many patrons tip appropriately, there are still individuals who either don't tip or don't tip well, which poses a challenge for those in the industry. Chef Rossi strongly expresses her views on this matter, stating, "I’ve always felt strongly that there is a special place in hell for lousy tippers." She emphasizes that lousy tippers often expect excellent food and service while being demanding. If she could advise God, she suggests that these individuals spend eternity working for tips-only, with customers just like them.
Don’t use a raised voice or snap
your fingers to get your server’s attention
Chef Rossi strongly condemns the
behavior of individuals who bully and abuse restaurant staff. She questions why
some people believe they are superior to their waiter and emphasizes that such
behavior is unacceptable.
If customers desire better service,
adopting an attitude of bullying and abuse is not the way to achieve it. Rossi,
who was once a bartender, shares her approach: when customers raised their
voice or snapped their fingers at her, she would metaphorically "go deaf" and no longer hear their requests.
Andrew Zimmern, host of Outdoor Channel’s “Wild Game Kitchen” and someone with extensive experience in the food service industry, expresses dismay at the increasing lack of civility towards customer service workers. He points out that employees behind counters, whether in airlines, delis, hotels, or restaurants, are facing more abuse than ever before. Zimmern questions the entitlement of such individuals, stating that purchasing a sandwich or an expensive bottle of wine does not give them the right to be discourteous, offensive, or behave poorly toward service staff.
Adrianne Calvo, owner and chef of
Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant & Bar in Miami and host of the “Searching for Maximum Flavor” podcast,
strongly emphasizes the need for customers to show more kindness and empathy
toward service staff. She expresses concern for the industry's health and
longevity, emphasizing that the hospitality business is about people serving
people. Calvo believes that to continue staffing and growing the industry,
respect and kindness must be central.
Keyatta Mincey Parker, an industry
professional with extensive experience in hospitality, echoes this sentiment.
With a background spanning various roles, from serving to bartending, managing,
and running bar programs, she urges restaurant patrons to be kinder to the
people taking care of them.
Parker emphasizes that it requires more effort to be mean and encourages customers to choose kindness. She highlights the challenges faced by industry professionals who may be the last stop of the day for a customer dealing with unrelated issues, urging patrons to treat service staff with the same kindness and respect they would want for themselves.
Have grace when posting about your
experience on social media
Adrianne Calvo, chef and owner of
Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant & Bar, expresses a desire for customers
to refrain from immediately posting every less-than-perfect moment in a
restaurant on social platforms or consumer sites.
Calvo wishes that patrons would
give establishments an opportunity to correct or address issues before
resorting to public platforms. She specifically mentions the negative impact of
one-star reviews based on disagreements with dress code policies.
Additionally, experts like Robert
Irvine emphasize the importance of giving credit to chefs for their culinary
creations. Irvine notes that while social media is filled with foodies sharing
pictures of their meals, often, the chefs behind these dishes receive little
recognition. He encourages patrons to celebrate and credit chefs in the same
way they would acknowledge a musician at a concert, helping to build their
following and appreciation.
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