Throughout my life I have noticed a strange phenomena…we treat certain individuals in our lives in a sub-human fashion. Not on purpose mind you, but almost out of a sheer emotional reflex we remove the title of person from them and insist they meet our demands or expectations with no consideration for their feelings or emotional well being. It is an American idiosyncrasy that should cause us all a bit of consternation.
Today I will be focusing on service staff. Whether it be the college guy who gets us our double tall latté or the single mom who brings a hot plate of bacon and eggs, we need to acknowledge these people as, well, people.
Yes, they are getting paid to do a job and yes, that job includes serving us. But that does not mean they aren’t human.
It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve even the most basic of our social niceties. So here are some tips that can help both you and your server have a great night:
Greet them back when they greet you…
A quick introduction and a kind greeting can go along way to establishing a friendly atmosphere for the remainder of the evening…
Please and Thank You are still Magic…
“Gimme” “I want” and “I need” are still rude. “May I have” “I would like” “Please bring me” are much better ways to ask for what you want. And add a thank you when your drinks and food are brought to you.
Complain Tactfully
Servers, cooks and clerks are bound to make mistakes. Be tactful with your complaints. “Pardon me, my food is a little cold, would you please warm it up for me?” will go over much better than “This food tastes like crap”. One is a request, the other is a just infantile style whining.
Pre-Bus Your Table/Clean your Area
The old motto “Leave it cleaner than you found it” is a good one. It seems so simple, but it goes a long way towards showing the kind of person you are. If you leave napkins, cups, and empty wrappers all over the place, it makes more work for the staff and makes you look lazy and uncaring.
If, however, you clean up after yourself, it shows you care and leaves a very good taste in the mouth of the staff. They are more likely to give you even better service when you return, so it actually helps you in the long run.
These are just a few tips on how you can help out both yourself and service staff. It will make for a more pleasant evening for everyone and will be demonstrating the principle of treating others the way you wish to be treated.
