Restaurants and restaurant settings are nothing new to me. I have been working in restaurants since i have been old enough to work. Cooking, serving, expediting… you name it, i have done it. I would say most of my time has been spent in the front of the house serving or bartending, quite frankly, because it is a good way to make some fast cash and a great way to meet people. Through repetition and practice of approaching a table, there is less and less to worry about and you don’t really get nervous anymore about talking to people about what they are going to eat. Especially when you know more about the food they are about to eat, you should probably feel more relaxed then they are.
Last night in the cafe, we took a walk-in table past the usual time we should. It was only a two top, and this really did not bother me, since i figured we could turn and burn through the courses with only two people and be on our way. This was not the case. The couple sat down and we served their first course; she had the salad and he had the soup. For some reason unbeknownst to us in the cafe, he would not allow us to clear his plates until she had finished. Now this might be some old fashioned type of chivalry that i am not accustomed to, but this was quite odd for us in the cafe. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he was pleasant about it, but he sniped at anyone who approached him. He made it completely uncomfortable for everyone involved to be around him. The second course, she had the filet and he the ribs, was not much better. I had previously told the lady her steak would be served medium rare, and he seemed to enjoy using this to his advantage. His ribs were somewhat cold, and instead of saying politely, “excuse me, my ribs are a little cold. Could i have these a little warmer?” or anything classy, he asks, “What temperature does the chef like his ribs to be served? Can you answer me that?” A real class act statement…
At the end of the night, he writes in his survey that the server had “awkward timing.” I’m sorry but when you do not let anyone approach your table and when they do, you are being unpleasant and rude, you are the one who is making things awkward.
In closing, a few tips for the future…
1. when you make rude and impolite gestures towards those who are trying to do things for your benefit, you are the one who is awkward.
2. i’m sure being polite and nice to those around you would go a lot further than having your dirty dishes linger on the table while your date is still eating would.
3. If you really want to impress her, taking her to a $15 fixed price meal at a cooking school and not being classy enough to even bring a bottle of wine or PAY FOR THE WHOLE MEAL is probably not the way to go, Mr. Dutch Date
