You will drop that glass and

The job as a waiter seems simple: welcoming people with a smile, serving appetizers, dinner and dessert, smiling them a goodbye and doing this over and over again. And in a way, yeah, that’s what you do. But after working for a month in an interim office that is specialized in serving, I’ve realized there is no such thing as simple.

1. Know your place

One of the reasons that I took this (extra) job, is because of certainty. If i ever lose my main job, i’ve got the experience to work as a full-time waiter. The first time serving was…interesting (and nervewrecking).

There are some unwritten rules within the restaurant business that everyone follows: The chef (aka the cook, but they prefer chef) and maître are always right. Their restaurant is their heaven, where they’re god an you are just a puny human. If they ask you to do something, you do it. If they start to claim that the food is ready, it’s ready.

Quick story-time: this week, I had to help in a fancy restaurant. There was a big birthday party and they needed two extra hands. Because this restaurant was a big deal, we made sure that we were dressed proper and according to etiquette. I even putted some extra perfume on me and was chewing gum during the cartrip, to make sure that my breath doesn’t smell (yeah, that can be a problem). Once I was up there, the restaurant was on the fourth floor, the chef made me wear some of his perfume and I had to wash my face. According to him I wasn’t clean.

You can take the fight and say that you smell right, but the chef is always right. And if you don’t believe me, take a look at Hell’s Kitchen. There are times that Gordon Ramsey may overreact on tv, but that personality, that mindset is something that every chef has. Don’t be cocky, be humble.

2. Don’t take it personal

Whether you serve in a restaurant, a festival, a funeral (yes, that can happen), you have to remind that you work with people. And if they pay a $120-menu per person, then they’ll have some expectations. Some are normal, others are not. If they don’t like the food, they’re gonna lash out to the first person that they see. Yes, that will be you.

Can you do something about the food? Most of the time not. People can be extremely picky. They’ll ask how the dish exactly is made and there will be times that you'll have no clue about what you serve and you’ll feel like an idiot. At that point, it will be important that you keep smiling.

Your worst day might be someone else his most important day.

One time, I had to serve a paté as appetizer. The client was absolutly sure that it was caviar instead. Sometimes it’s better to fuse the battle, then to start waging a war with your client. Because even if you’re right, the chances are that you’re gonna have to apologize to the client and not vice versa.

3. Flexibility and memory

A restaurant, and in particular the kitchen, is one big machine. Every employee is a little cog, with a certain job. As a waiter, it might be possible that you are only responsible for the wine and beverages. Or what often happens, is that you get your tables, that you have to pay attention. In the meantime, another one makes sure there is enough water and bread on the table, while waiter number three is responsible for washing the wine glasses and putting them back at the bar. Everyone is a little cog. But a lot of the time, the cog dares to break under it’s weight.

And naturally you got to help that cog. It’s important that you communicate, that your superior knows that you stand behind that bar, cause suddenly everyone wants a cocktail instead of some champagne. It happens, and usually it means that you need to step up.

Communicate, make sure that your job is fine (almost exquisitte) and help if they ask for it.

4. Smile, even if you don’t want to

The reason that I work my extra job in an interim office and not in one restaurant is for a simple reason: variety.

One time I help on a wedding, the other time it’s a restaurant with a shortage of staff, the next weekend I help on a reception. The variety, the new places and people makes it exciting for me. And the job is usually great.

But sometimes you’ve got a job for six hours, where you only have to clean tables on a festival. Your classic shoes gets muddy, people spill beer on top of you or you can’t find a decent trashcan. It can suck. And it will at times. But remember: keep smiling. Your worst day might be someone else his most important day. Your dog might have died or you might be tired, but if you have to serve the bride, you do that with a smile and not in tears.

5. You will drop that glass

If you never did it before, then there will be a time that you drop a glass, or a plate. Sometimes a kid bumps into you, or a colleague thinks he’s helping you by taking of a glass from your tray (never do that rookies. The balance of the tray might be disturbed).

If it happens or you know that it will happen, then it’s important that you try to minimize the damage and to get it out of sight. If you have to choose to drop food on a clients five hundred dollar suit or on you, you pick you. A colleague of mine had that happen in a car exhibition, where he almost let a tray fall on a car, with the worth of 1.2M dollars. Luckily he had an extra shirt and tie with him.

If you drop it on the ground, stay calm, find a brush, clean it up as fast as you can and apologize. Dropping one glass can happen to anyone. A second one is a bad day, but a third one is usually one on your bill. And be careful, cause I’ve served with glasses that are worth more than my 100 dollar classic shoes.

These are five things in the restaurant-business, but they're certainly not the only rules. Keep an eye, help a lesser experienced waiter with their work and try to be as flexible as possible. Do that and you'll get farther in the restaurant-and catering business than you think.

T'ill my next article

Ewout