I love it when I put myself into the hands of a seasoned server and they take care of me. Someone who has worked in that particular place for a while, knows what is good and what isn’t, knows what works and what doesn’t.

I also love it when customers try to live up to their share of responsibility when it comes to the whole dining thing.

Synergy

Enjoying good food and drink is one of the great pleasures in this world.  Being able to share that with companions enhances it even more.  When my wife and I have that special meal out, when everything works (and I am not talking about just the food, but rather the entire experience), and comes together, it is truly memorable.

It does require effort from both sides.  Customers need to communicate their needs to the server, not make them guess.  Servers need to read guests, attempt to understand and anticipate the needs of the customer, not try to force the same experience on to each and every person who walks through that door.  Businessmen from out of town in nice suits require a different experience than the couple with a young child.

You should try…

Some customers get put off when the server makes recommendations.  I say trust that server and let them show you a good time.  If you have time constraints and need to leave in a bit–let your server know.  That way they can help accommodate you.

Help you to get your order in right away.  Steer you away from things that might take a long time to prepare. Save those things for when you are not in a hurry.

If you have been reading this blog, you by now realize that I am a bourbon guy.  However, on this one particular night my wife and I were trying to relive our Hawaii experience and felt like having some kind of rum cocktail.

I told the bartender that, put myself in his hands, and watched as he created a lovely ‘island’ drink.  He even dipped a little straw in it to taste it to make sure all of the flavors were in balance.

And then when serving the drink to us, suggested a great tiki bar in town that we should try.  That’s what I am talking about.  A restaurant employee who takes his job seriously, is paying attention to the guest’s needs, and then taking it a step further by going that extra ‘mile’ to make sure our needs are met.

So if you are an owner, or a manager, do your best to see that your employees are taking care of your customers.  As I have said before, hire wisely, train and then retrain.  Your employees, usually, want to do it right–so show them how.  And then trust them to do so.

For you customers out there, help a server out!  If you are in a hurry, communicate that.  If you have specific needs or wants with your food and drink experience–tell your server.  They want to show you a good time.  Let them.