Unfortunately, there are many restaurant servers who forget that there is no ‘I’ in team.  So often they are focused only on their own section, apparently unable to see anything else.  Almost like a horse with blinders, they just plow ahead.

I don’t mean to pick on just servers, I was one for many years and they do have a challenging job.  Trying to figure out what will make a guest happy, when often that isn’t even possible, all the while walking that tightrope between the owner and the kitchen, neither of whom are willing to give them any help. 

I’m talking about everyone who works there.  The host standing at the front door who just seated me, but is now too busy texting or flirting with the bartender to notice that my server is too occupied to say hello or see if I need anything.  The busser who is being screamed at by the boss to reset a table, so there is no chance of him seeing that I am dying of thirst and in need of water.

The manager who would rather spend his time in the office looking at his ‘numbers’ than make sure that the customers that he does have, are happy.  But,  yes, I am also talking about that server who has everything under control in his section, but doesn’t notice or care that there are guests at the front door being ignored, or that the phone is ringing, or that his co-worker’s food is ready to be served.

As they said in my favorite musical of all time,”We are all in this together.”  Okay, maybe it’s not my favorite musical of all time, but the theme does apply to restaurants. 

Be a team player

You are all in this together.  Help a coworker out.  I worked with a great server back during my Spago days, but even he would admit that he couldn’t be everywhere at the same time.  So, if you notice a customer is being ignored–step in.  If your fellow servers have food sitting in the window–take it out.  Nothing worse than the ‘it’s not my job’ approach. 

It is your job

Everything that takes place in the joint is everyone’s job.  That is if you want to have a job to come back to.