Differences in positions

When I first began my job in the restaurant business I was a hostess, after a few years I moved my way up to server. The transitioning of jobs was rather interesting. When I was a hostess I never understood why servers would get upset if I sat them twice in a row, or why they did not want a large party. Now that I have crossed over to the server side of things I have begun to say the same things to the hostess. I am much nicer to them because I have been in their shoes, but I still question the same things. There are times when I get very upset when they seat me multiple tables in a row and I really dislike waiting on large parties. I do understand how they feel though. It is hard when your job is to seat tables and servers try to prevent you from doing that. You have to attempt to please everyone and that is nearly impossible. People do not like to wait and servers do not like to be slammed with guests. As a hostess a happy medium has to be found. Rotation of servers needs to be followed and guests need to be happy. A hostess needs to develop a thick skin because servers will give them a very hard time and a server needs to learn to be more considerate of a hostess who is simply trying to do their job.

Every Restaurant is different

I have worked in a couple different restaurants and it is weird how they are all different but yet the same in many ways. Each restaurant has a different mission statement and goal but they all want the same results, lots of business and happy guests. When I worked at Iguana Mia in Cape Coral the atmosphere was laid back and fun. Families, dates, older and younger people could all come to Iguana Mia and enjoy their meals at anytime of day. You did not have to get dressed up but you could if you wanted to. The homemade margaritas brought in quite a crowd and I think that is what made the restaurant so unique. Working there was more fun then work. I loved all the people I worked with and considered them to be my second family. Now that I live in Tampa my job at Mimi's is very different. The atmosphere is different, not very many young people eat at Mimi's. It is more appealing to the older crowd and families. The people that work there are also quite different. My manager is very uptight and takes life way to seriously. He is a good manager and gets his job done but he is not very much fun to work with. Everyone has to be so serious all the time and it is hard to enjoy working at Mimi's. I think no matter how fancy the restaurant is it should still be an enjoyable place to work. Managers should always make an effort to get to know their employees and they should hope each employee enjoys coming to work everyday.

When Im out to eat

When I'm out to eat I can't help but intensely observe my server and surroundings. Since I work in a restaurant I know how the business goes. Now when I go out to eat I am constantly judging the experience. I take note of how prompt my server is or the way he or she refills my drinks and cleans my table. I notice how the manager acts when he is roaming the store or speaking with my table. If there is ever a problem with my meal I will take note of how it is handled. Did the manager come take care of my problem? Was the issues resolved in a timely manner? I feel like I am under the curse of being a server. No matter where or when I go I will always notice the way my dining experience is, I will still be able to enjoy my meal but I will always be thinking of ways things could be done better.

Restaurants reaching out

I find it really interesting how Applebees has partnered with the Weight Watchers company and has created a Weight Watchers menu. They have several options on the menu with the points of each item listed right next to the description of the item. It is really convienent for people who follow the Weight Watchers plan to be able to eat out and still stay on track. To read more about this click here.

Waiting

The movie "Waiting" has become an icon to those in the restaurant business. The movie shows all the stereotypes of those who work in a restaurant. If you don't work in a restaurant and see this movie you think its all just a joke and people don't really do the things in the movie. When you do work in a restaurant you find the to be movie hilarious and you find yourself saying things like, "Oh my gosh I do that all the time!" The movie is a little more exaggerated then real life (I would hope) but it does hit the nail on the head with some cases. There is a character similar to every person working in almost every restaurant. In the movie there is a woman who is so nice to her tables but when she is in the back she yells and curses about her tables and customers. She is the epitome of every server. We are all so nice when we are on the floor, but when we aren't around our tables we are so quick to say how annoying they are. Working in a restaurant is similar to being an on stage actor. No matter how bad your day was or what kind of mood you are in, when you are in front of a table you will be the happiest person alive. Parts of the movie are also focused around the manager. In the movie he is uptight and very eager to please each and every guest. Most restaurants have this manager. They want to be best friends with all the employees and they want to give very cheesy pep talks to the staff before each shift. This movie makes the pains of working in a restaurant more bearable. After seeing this movie I began to laugh more about things that happened while I was at work. When you realize it isn't just your job and it's not just the place you work that is annoying you can start to enjoy your days more.

Waiting Trailer

Bringing kids out to eat

Before I began to work in the restaurant business I never realized how crazy kids can be. I used to go out to eat with my family all the time when I was a kid. As far as I can remember I was not one of the crazy kids who went running around the restaurant yelling, crying and screaming. I also did not leave all my food on the floor by the end of the meal. When I got my first job as a hostess at Iguana Mia I never understood why some servers did not want me to seat kids in their section. Now that I am a server, I completely understand. Some kids are great, I love watching young kids order their own food, say please and thank you, and be very polite to me. Then there are the other kids who throw their food on the floor, cry, run around the room, spill drinks and yell at me and their parents the entire time. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, it is just really hard when they are so poorly behaved. I then look at the parents and wonder why they are not making more of an attempt to keep their kids under control. My advice to all parents is to keep your kids at the table and try your best to get the meal in their mouth and not on the floor. My world will be a much happier place if all little kids could be perfect angles when eating out!