Ugh. I am not quite sure how to spell that. The urban dictionary tells me that this is the correct way, but it just doesn’t seem right. I feel the need to add the letter ‘H’ a few more times to do it justice. You know what I am talking about. You’ve heard it a million times. That audible exhale sound that a bartender, or a server, or a host, or yes, even a line cook, makes when asked to do something that they don’t feel like doing.

It doesn’t matter how you spell it, it is still every bit as annoying. Especially in the hospitality business. Gee, I am sorry if my trying to have a good time is getting in the way of you doing your job.

21st birthday

My daughter turned 21 this past weekend (yes, I am that old), and my wife and I took her and a handful of friends out in the neighborhood to help celebrate this event. We stopped by one place, apparently known for their whiskey sours (ooh-they use egg whites!), and ordered 10 of them.

“Ugh” (or however you spell it) was the sound that emanated from the bartender. I actually thought I was being nice, and that it would be easier to all order the same thing. What was I thinking? Would it have actually been better for her if we ordered 10 different drinks?

No big deal, I thought. But when I sent someone up later for another round, we actually got both “Ugh”, and ” Do you really want another round?” Wow. That was a big deal. “I guess not,” was our response.

Your livelihood depends on tips…

Let’s see now. You are here. You are not going anywhere. It’s not that busy. Why wouldn’t you be happy to make an extra $20 for just about five minutes of work? That is $240 an hour for you math-challenged folks. Plus whatever you are making for the hourly wage.

Another example

You walk in to a restaurant and ask for a table for four. “Ugh.” Once again, sorry that you are going to need to stop texting for two minutes, while you go seat some folks.

Train your employees

Employers need to set these expectations up from the beginning. Even before the employee is hired–make it clear during the interview. You are customer-driven. You realize that good service can transcend mediocre food, but good food will not transcend mediocre service.

If you hire the right people up-front, show them what the expectation is, train them, and re-train them (you don’t have the luxury of just training once and then walking away from it), you will end up with the product that you want.