Although restaurant reputation often hinges on the kitchen, the dining room experience, heavily influenced by servers, plays an equally crucial role in customer satisfaction and, ultimately, profitability. Even with exceptional food and ambiance, subpar service can quickly tarnish a restaurant’s image and impact a server’s earnings. Servers are the face of the restaurant, and their interactions directly shape the customer’s perception and willingness to return.
Recently, while dining out, an experience highlighted the delicate balance of good service and how easily it can be disrupted. During an otherwise pleasant meal with attentive service, a server abruptly placed the check on the table, asking, “you don’t want dessert, do you?” This simple act negated the positive experience, eliminated the opportunity for additional sales, and undoubtedly reduced the server’s tip. This incident underscores the importance of server awareness and training in maintaining excellent service.
Reflecting on this, it’s clear that certain server behaviors can significantly deter customers from leaving generous tips, regardless of food quality. To help restaurant servers and management understand common pitfalls, here are critical behaviors to avoid that can negatively impact tips and the overall dining experience.
Common Restaurant Server Errors That Impact Tips
1. The Unkempt Server: Neglecting Personal Hygiene and Uniform Standards
First impressions matter, and a server’s appearance is a customer’s initial visual cue. A server who is not well-groomed or wears a stained, wrinkled, or faded uniform can create a negative impression of the entire establishment. Imagine a server with visibly dirty fingernails handling your food – it immediately raises concerns about hygiene standards beyond just the server. Restaurant management should enforce strict grooming and uniform policies to ensure servers present a professional and clean image.
2. Excessive Personal Adornments: Visible Tattoos and Piercings
While personal expression is valued, in a restaurant setting, excessive tattoos and multiple piercings, especially facial piercings, can be distracting or off-putting to some customers. Restaurants should consider their target demographic and brand image when establishing policies on visible tattoos and piercings for front-of-house staff. While some modern establishments may embrace a more relaxed approach, fine dining or family-oriented restaurants might prefer a more conservative presentation to align with customer expectations.
3. Overpowering Fragrances: Heavy Perfume or Cologne
The dining experience is a multi-sensory event, and the aroma of food should be central. Servers wearing heavy perfume, cologne, or after-shave can overwhelm the subtle fragrances of the dishes and detract from the customer’s enjoyment. Restaurants should advise servers to minimize or avoid strong fragrances to ensure a pleasant and focused sensory experience for diners, allowing the food’s aromas to take center stage.
4. The Disinterested Server: Lack of Engagement and Warmth
Customers visit restaurants not just for food, but also for an experience. A server who appears bored, rushed, or bothered can make guests feel unwelcome and undervalued. Lack of eye contact, curt responses, and an overall demeanor of disinterest signal to customers that their presence is an inconvenience. Servers should be trained to greet guests warmly, maintain eye contact, and project genuine enthusiasm to create a positive and inviting atmosphere from the moment guests are seated.
5. Casual and Incorrect Address: Using Informal Language
While approachability is positive, overly casual language, such as addressing an entire table as “you guys,” can be perceived as unprofessional, especially in more formal settings. It can also be insensitive if the group includes women who are incorrectly addressed as “guys.” Servers should be trained to use inclusive and respectful language, such as “How is everyone doing this evening?” or “May I assist you all?” to ensure every guest feels acknowledged and respected.
6. Prejudgment and Neglect: Assuming Low Spending Capacity
Servers should provide consistent, high-quality service to every guest, regardless of perceived spending habits. Judging customers based on appearance or initial orders and offering subpar service can be a costly mistake. For example, neglecting a table ordering only dessert and coffee can lead to lost opportunities for upselling and a negative lasting impression. Every guest deserves attentive service, and servers should focus on providing excellent hospitality to all, regardless of order size.
7. Mishandling Complaints: Managerial Missteps in Customer Service
When complaints arise, especially regarding server errors, the manager’s handling is crucial. Publicly reprimanding a server in front of customers is unprofessional and embarrassing for both the server and the guests witnessing the scene. While addressing the issue is necessary, it should be done discreetly and professionally. Similarly, servers offering a string of excuses for poor service, even if heartfelt, can sound unprofessional and further damage the customer’s perception. Managers should train servers on proper complaint resolution and handle escalations with grace and discretion, focusing on solutions and customer satisfaction.
8. Arrogance and Dismissiveness: Haughty Server Attitude
Servers should be attentive and helpful, even when order misunderstandings occur. A haughty or dismissive attitude, especially when correcting an order mistake, is unacceptable. For example, a server who becomes angry or refuses to rectify a simple order confusion, such as mishearing a dish name, demonstrates poor customer service and damages the restaurant’s reputation. Servers should be trained to handle order discrepancies with patience and a willingness to correct errors promptly and politely, prioritizing customer satisfaction.
9. Overly Familiar Demeanor: Inappropriate Informality
While friendliness is valued, servers should maintain a professional boundary. Actions like sitting down at a customer’s table to take an order, unless in a very casual dining environment, can be overly familiar and unprofessional in many restaurant settings. Servers should be trained to gauge the appropriate level of formality based on the restaurant’s style and maintain a respectful and professional distance while still being approachable and friendly.
10. Menu Ignorance: Lack of Product Knowledge
Servers are expected to be knowledgeable about the menu, including food ingredients, preparation methods, and beverage selections. Being unable to answer basic menu questions or offer recommendations demonstrates a lack of preparedness and reduces the server’s helpfulness. Phrases like “I don’t know” are unhelpful and missed opportunities for suggestive selling. Restaurants must invest in comprehensive menu training, including tastings and detailed descriptions, to equip servers to confidently guide guests and enhance their dining experience.
11. Premature Check Delivery: Rushing the Dining Experience
Presenting the check before guests have finished eating or inquiring about dessert is a clear signal that the server is rushing them to leave. Phrases like “You don’t want any dessert, do you?” are presumptive and can cut short a potentially longer and more profitable dining experience. Servers should wait until guests have clearly finished their main course and then politely inquire if they would like to see a dessert menu or order coffee, allowing them to dictate the pace of their meal.
12. Presumptuous Change Handling: Assuming “Keep the Change”
When returning change, servers should avoid presumptuous questions like “Do you require change?” This phrasing implies that keeping the change is expected, which can be off-putting. Servers should simply return the change politely and allow the customer to decide on the tip amount. Good service should earn a tip; it shouldn’t be implied or expected.
13. Inconvenient Change Presentation: Large Bills for Small Change
Presenting change in large bills, rather than smaller denominations, can be inconvenient for customers intending to leave a tip. While seemingly minor, this detail can subtly influence the tip amount. Servers should aim to return change in a mix of bills and coins that make it easy for customers to leave a tip of their choosing. This shows consideration for the customer’s convenience and subtly encourages appropriate tipping.
Restaurant owners and managers must proactively train their serving staff to avoid these common pitfalls. Focusing on comprehensive training, clear service standards, and ongoing feedback are essential to cultivating excellent restaurant service. Ultimately, attentive and professional service not only benefits the server through better tips but also enhances the restaurant’s reputation, fostering customer loyalty and long-term success.
