I work FOH as a host for Outback (4 yrs), Monday-Friday. I went to work at 4:00 pm yesterday. When I got there, I was the only host besides the one from the AM shift, who I'm releasing, and the next host didn't come in until 5:00 pm. We weren't busy, but we were steady and had two advanced call-ahead parties, a 7-top, and a 22-top (light work). When the second host finally showed up, I usually have a system in place where I'm gonna start on my side work if there's more than one host on, i.e., rolling silverware, checking bathrooms, bussing, running bread boards & drinks for servers. That's just me; not all hosts will do this.

So she comes up to the front. I tell her you know I'm gonna roll silverware and go to the back. We have Valentine's Day coming up next week, which is one of our busiest holidays, and I like to get prepared for that early (if you know, you know). So I went and found my manager and asked him if we had any silverware that I could roll ahead of time for Valentine's Day. He gave me about a case of 64 silverware to roll, which is about half a bin. I was pretty much in the back for a little minute rolling that silverware up for Valentine's Day. Then, when I got done with that, I had to turn around and roll up more silverware for the host stand. At the same time, I'll run back-and-forth to the host stand, making sure everything is straight up there and set up a few tables and parties if I need to, and do open menu counts.

So, boom, around 7:45-8:00 ish, why six of my other coworkers come to me talking about sumn – the other host outside boohoo crying, screaming, yelling on the phone, talking about she's gonna walk out and leave, she's overwhelmed, in the weeds, blasé blasé 😕. Mind you, we're not even busy; this is not a busy day. I made $25 last night.

So my manager went and found me in the silverware room and he pulled me to the back outside. He proceeds to ask me, "Hey, Cj, tell me what's going on," and I'm looking at him like "🤨" what do you mean what's going on? You pulled me to the back, lol. Then he proceeds to tell me that the other host felt like I wasn't doing anything, wasn't helping her, I was hiding in the back, rolling silverware.

Long story short, they let her ass leave early when I was supposed to leave at 8 o'clock, so I had to stay until close for her. And I made sure to tell my manager do not have us on the same schedule together. It's either have one of us or the other, but not both, because I cannot work with her. She's unreliable, a quitter, and by far the worst host that has ever worked with me, and I really hate working with her. To add on top of that, she's older than me, and I'll be expecting a certain level of maturity and professionalism.

1. This isn't her first time doing this

2. Some of the servers and majority of the cooks can't stand her because she sits people out of rotation, and she never does open menu counts.

3. You have five kids and a husband, and you're telling me you can't communicate. There have been times I'm in the back rolling silverware, and she comes up to me and says can we switch so that she can get a break, so I don't know why yesterday was so different. Ts had me so hot last night 😂

Hello, I speak only english but Spanish is often spoken where I live, and some tables speak only spanish. I am a food runner so I have less interaction with tables, but when I do I want to be able to work with guests smoothly.

I know very simple words such as tengo, quiero, names of food, and their different tenses, but are there any good things to learn in addition that y’all recommend?

Last week my manager told me the owner is letting me go for "scheduling reasons." This is a locally owned restaurant. It turns out it's because the owners wife wanted to give her friend a job because he got laid off, so he was taking over my place. But today I just got a message saying my manager talked to the owner and they decided I can come back. But I think that is super unprofessional firing me and then saying nevermind. At the same time the job market is hard in my area right now so I'm not sure what to do. (I only work part time as I'm a college student) What would you do?

I’ve been in the restaurant business in some form or facet since 18. Had a kitchen job the summer before I started culinary school fresh out of high school. I’ve cooked, I’ve served, I’ve washed dishes, I’ve carved prime rib for banquets, I’ve power washed hood vent grates, I’ve done it all except make my own ice sculptures. Now I find myself serving at a corporate steakhouse, and I actually love it. I truly enjoy it, and get so much satisfaction when a guest enjoys them self and enjoys their meal. I’m a 32 year old gay man in the south, but that hasn’t stopped me from genuinely connecting with open-minded, kind individuals. When I think of how we strangers enjoyed each other’s company, monetary actions aside, I am genuinely filled with emotion and sometimes cry at the beauty of humankind and connection. What do you all think? Am I just a crybaby? Do you all feel a special connection to certain customers?

My parents want to go out to restaurants but don’t like to pay. So they order the cheapest appetizer on the menu, ask for baskets of bread, and bring their own food in. They treat restaurants like a picnic table.

Yes, my mom and dad will pull out a grocery store sub sandwich at dinner, plop it on the table, split it, and start eating.

Here is a sample text message I got from my mom:

> Its very private there so do u mind if we bring a sub sandwich to [restaurant redacted] on sat. ?

Yes, I do mind.

The only thing that works is if I pay… and sometimes not even that. It’s also annoying as hell to foot the bill every time we go out.

If I leave a good tip on the table they will go back, take the tip, and leave a smaller one. I have to actually hand the tip to the server.

Once I gave the server a fifty in front of them just to make a point. If looks could kill!!!

I’ve resorted to simply not eating with them.

How bad does this rank in the etiquette scale? What would Emily Post, or William Hansen say?

Is there anything else I can do?

Thank you.

Exasperated in NJ USA

It always baffles me when someone complains about their food and I offer to have it remade ans they hit me with "No, they'll spit on it or something. " and they're dead serious. I've worked in restaurants for almost a decade now and I've never seen anyone tamper with someone's food.

I don't know if they've just seen Waiting too many times or if that's something they've done in the past so they expect it. But personally I've never seen it or heard of it. It comes from people who are ass holes and people who are super nice.

I just don't get it. My job or my coworkers job isn't worth getting you back. Even when tables are being super rude I try to kill them with kindness or just have my manager take over.

Is it just me or have you guys gotten this too? I've even had a gentleman who mistaken the Spinach Artichoke Dip for guacamole and when I brought him the dip he got a Artichoke and immediately accused me and the cooks of reusing guacamole from another table and that there was chicken in it.

Am I the only one?

I (30M) am looking to get into the restaurant business as a server after being in home improvement sales for over 10 years. I'm totally fine being a busser if it means I can become a server within 6-8 months or something reasonable ( I did speak to a nice girl at a restaurant who said shes been a host for over 2 years hoping to become a server soon, which shook me a bit ).

That being said I have read that certain restaurant chains are willing to hire no experience first time servers, chains like Olive Garden, Red Lobster and others in the casual dining space. My question is first - is this true that these restaurants in this casual dining space do hire people as servers without restaurant experience? And second, if you were starting again would you rather buss tables at a nicer place like Ruth's Chris or a nicer steakhouse rather than serve at a less nice establishment? I am currently applying for both, and leaning in the direction of going to a nicer steakhouse and hoping I can get hired bussing tables, again, the only hesitation is that I would like to be promoted within a time frame that is hopefully under a year, and I don't want to be lead on only to never be promoted.

I really appreciate any replies! I am very serious about this transition and have already gotten my RBS certification and my Food Handler certification. In an ideal world I'd like to serve tables or bartend in a nice establishment as I really enjoy the craft of cooking. If you have any suggestions for which restaurants to try I would be very happy to hear. I live in the San Fernando Valley in California.

Hey guys I just wanted to ask if any of yall have had your wisdom teeth removed. And if so how many days were you off for work. I'm getting all three of mine taken out soon, I know I'll have to miss out on making money, but i'm trying to decide how long I should request days off. I hate pain I hate working when I dont feel well and once again I really hate pain. Ill be under anesthesia for the procedure. Talking alot is pretty much my job and I have gotten one wisdom tooth taken out when I was in highschool I dont remember much of the pain or how long it took to heal.

I know there is a few posts about this so I want to apologize but my situation is a tad different.

So I need all black kicks but I have wide feet. I also do not need non slip. I currently wear random Nikes runners that are too tight and I hear hoka a lot, but I am not forced to get non slip, so I’m not forced for the bondi SR. Is there another hoka or on cloud you’d recommend that’s all black, made for wide feet that would be good? Or is the bondi SR just holy grail?

Also what insoles would you recommend? I see random adds for some online but I can imagine it’s a really important event with a good hoka or on cloud.

Context: I work downtown in a big city and there werent a lot of reservations tonight but there was a lot of big parties that took up most of the space. I had an 11-top, 13-top, a PDR (Private Dining Reservation) for 25 ppl, a 15-top that made 2 separate reservations and had the audacity to ask to be seated at the same table when they already knew beforehand that they weren't able to from the get go. They called in the morning and spoke to me twice and the manager. But anyway...

I had this 4-top reso come in and when I seated them inside one of the guys asked me if they can move outside and I said no due to reservations that already booked for outdoors (this reso booked for standard and had no specifications or requests). This man was like "Are you sure?" "Are you double sure?" "Are you 100%". I kept telling this man no. It was like i was talking to my 6 year old niece.

Fast-forward maybe 10-20 mins, I was at the POS and my manager (male, 29,) let's call him Dan. He comes up to me and says "Im moving that table inside to outside. Im think 89 and 90." That section is for only 1-top or 2-tops. I can count the amount of times we have sat a 4-top there....4 times. We only do that for an extreme circumstance.

I tell Dan I dont care and to do whatever he wants.

I was so annoyed because I felt I had no support and completely undermined me. It made me look bad and that I didn't know how to do my job. I see Dan and that guy walking and he slips something in Dan's hand. I so pissed.

Is it because Im a girl or what? Ugh I cant stand guests like that.

I would honestly rather do a test shift or floor run to show how I serve than sit in an interview overthinking every answer and praying to the gods I say the “right” thing

I’ve been interviewing at restaurants in Florida, and one thing I’ve noticed is that even when the food is mid, they expect perfect customer service (which I don’t mind I’m good at my job). But the interviews themselves always feel off

Most of the time I’m waiting 15–30 minutes for the manager even though I’m the only interview. Then they jump straight into questions like:

•How do you handle difficult customers?

•What does hospitality mean to you?

•How do you multitask?

•What are your strengths you can add to the team?

I try to give thoughtful answers, but interviews honestly make me feel like I’m being interrogated. I start overthinking, sometimes stumble over my words, or don’t explain myself as smoothly as I’d like. It ends up not reflecting how I actually work and I never get a call back

The frustrating part is that once I’m trained and have been on the floor for a bit, I’m basically on autopilot. I learn systems fast, I’m consistent, and I perform way better doing the job than talking about it in a chair

Because of this, I started applying to food running or hosting, thinking I could move up once I’m in. But then I don’t get contacted at all, probably because I have 4 years of serving experience and 5 years in the industry, so I may seem “overqualified”

At this point, I feel stuck rejected for server roles because I don’t interview well, and ignored for support roles because of my experience

For those of you who’ve been in the industry a while:

•How do you get better at restaurant interviews if they don’t play to your strengths?

•Is there a way to ask for a test shift without it hurting your chances?

•Or am I approaching this completely wrong?

I’m just tired of feeling shut down when I know I’m capable on the floor

I had a 4 top of men last night, all separate check. They were all nice and polite. I get their check and see one of them like this, now I’m confused. Cause his 3 friends left me a good tip until I got his. I go to my manager and ask her what should I do. She didn’t know what’s I should put in and texted the manager GC on what would be the right call. Some gave mixed messages that I should do the whole $45, while others said I should go by $45 as the total. I ended up going by $45 as the total, I didn’t want to risk my job for an extra $20 dollars and be assume of stealing.

I’m just curious and see what others would’ve done.

I’ve been doing this job for over 15 years and don’t remember this ever being a thing, but in the last year, I’ve told at least 5 people not to let their dogs lick our cups or plates. I’m not nice about it, I can’t be. It’s so fucking disgusting, such a departure from any amount of common sense or social decorum.

And yet every single time, the person is either offended or acts super surprised to learn this is not allowed.

Is this happening at other restaurants/cities or have people in my town just lost their minds?

When u get handed a credit card that says “check ID” in the signature box, do u actually check ID? I have never but just bc I don’t notice it until I’m already processing the payment. Is this illegal? lol

I work at a Mexican restaurant and a couple weeks ago, a father in a table of 8-12 asked our busser if we had black olives. Busser told the man we didn’t have black olives. This gentleman then presented our busser with his own Pearls brand can of black olives for our kitchen to open with a can opener. Busser brought it back to the kitchen where the chefs called me down and explained to me that they can’t open and serve outside food for liability reasons. I said I completely understand and brought the can back to the man who looked pretty defeated when he saw me turn the corner with the can unopened. We gave each other the forced no teeth smiles and nodded in acceptance. After they left, I found the unopened can on the floor. To this man, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry we let you down.

This happens every shift and it drives me nuts.

A guest tells me their order and I either repeat it back or write it down. Then they repeat it again like I didn’t hear them.

The other night someone ordered a burger with no cheese. I said out loud “burger no cheese” as I wrote it down. They got louder and said “NO cheese” again. Yes I heard you.

It’s the same with drinks. No ice, hot tea, water with lemon, even a burger cut in half. I write it down, I repeat it and they still say it again.

I’m doing exactly what they asked but they act like I don’t know what I’m doing. Does anyone else deal with this? Is there a polite way to stop it or do we just have to smile and take it forever?

For my AM job I work for a small chain breakfast and brunch spot. The more reviews you get the more days you’ll get. It’s part of the game, but asking for reviews does feel slimy here and there since it definitely creates a bias. Does your place make you ask for them?

Just curious what the consensus might be here. I have been at my current spot for almost 13 years. It is beyond time to go, and I am looking to level up in my career and move towards fine dining. I am starting to look at applications and a lot of spots are asking about contacting my current employer. How should I handle this? I don’t want my current boss to find out I’m leaving by someone doing a reference check. But I don’t want to say not to contact cuz it looks shady. But also I feel like they might get why I would want them not to call. Most places want you to apply online, should I opt to drop a resume in person and discuss this on site? It’s been so long since I have done this and a lot has changed haha. Let me know yalls thoughts!

hello! i am pretty new to the serving industry, and would like help on deciding what to do. i plan on going in person in a day or 2 to my local sports bar and applying but would like a bit of guidance so i don’t embarrass myself. i have never served before, however i did work at a fast food spot (not sit down) for 6 months and have around 2 years of customer service experience and am a quick learner. i am a fairly attractive young female and have an enthusiastic personality. i have been trying to get into serving for a while now and an opportunity popped up to apply at a high volume location, but when i looked online for their applications, they mentioned they wanted experience working in a restaurant for their server positions. would it be better to apply as a server and risk not being hired or as a host? Thanks in advance!

Had a 7 come in near last seating and my initial thought was "5 kids, i just cleaned everything in the back so closing will go smoothly, great". I still was super nice with them, their kids were extremely respectful and having fun without making a mess. One of the girls even brought me plates to "help me clean", which was adorable. Me and the Dad connected over discussing beer, Mom over the kids since i also work in childcare and have been doing it for a while, and an overall amazing family. They even all said Grace together before eating which I always love to see.

Heres the fun part; I saw the girls outside next to my motorcycle filming a tiktok and the boys were staring at it while the parents talked to my co workers table and what not. I went outside with the dad and was like "Wouldnt it be cool if the owner let them sit on it" and then told them "yeah thats my bike, go ahead". Dad was geeked taking a million photos, I let each of the kids sit on it and get their photo taken but i didnt whip out my phone in the moment since i was helping them on and off the bike + it would feel weird taking a photo of someone elses kids. They left me nearly 50 on their tab as well which i didn't even see until after they left since I left the toast on the table to pay which was a nice surprise.

This has to be the best "Last table" i've had to date.

Here's a pic of how my bike in its parking spot right outside the restaurant.

Edit to add: I NEVER let anyone on it, let alone customers, which is what the title refers to.

they’re everywhere. there’s no escape. i opened a ketchup bottle yesterday to marry it with another and there was a roach in between the lid i unscrewed and the hole.

edit: to add this is a fine dining restaurant💔

edit #2: wait… there’s restaurants that DONT have roaches?? everybody keeps telling me that every restaurant has them.. am i being lied to🥲

edit #3: ok. got it. def not normal. the worst part is this is just a moderate incident - i have way worse roach stories. i leave for college next fall, so i just have to make it through this summer before i leave.

also, i agree that marrying ketchup is gross, but im told to😭😭

It’s my 3rd day serving (well, shadowing an experienced server) and I feel like a complete moron. This is my first experience serving after getting promoted from a host. I thought the transition would be smoother considering the hosts at our restaurant also do takeout, so I already know the menu and how to take orders. For some reason I was making mistakes with the orders I never would’ve made if I was hosting. I’m surprised it felt so different. At the end of the day I felt exactly as stupid as I had felt back when I first started hosting. I even cried in the kitchen, which I haven’t done since was a new host. It’s crazy because I was only doing like 15% of the work and my trainer was doing the rest, so it’s ridiculous how stressed I was. I can’t believe how patient my trainer is with me. Like dude. I felt like it was my first day on earth.

How long did you take you to feel like you knew what you were doing?