After years spent traveling and eating at restaurants of many different calibers and ethnicities, I’ve come to realize that training for wait staff at many restaurants could be, well … better. 

So, based on input from veteran wait staff professionals, here are three tips that servers can use to differentiate themselves from the average food service professional. (addtional suggestions can be found at websites such as restaurantowner.com.)

1. Anticipate. A good server responds quickly to customer requests. An excellent server pays attention to the customer’s dining experience and provides the need before being asked.

Example: Never, ever wait to be asked to refill someone’s water glass or coffee cup. Unless the beverage is “pay by the glass,” bottomless drinks should be refilled as soon as they’re about 2/3 empty. As for drinks being bought by the glass, an excellent server offers to get another drink at the same 2/3 mark.

Also, items such as breads, creamers, and other table condiments should never run out.

2. Tune in on the customer’s mood. Some people want to talk with the server, others want to be left alone.  A good server is friendly and engaging with everyone. An excellent server pays attention to verbal and visual cues and gauges a customer’s responsiveness to conversation.

Example: If customers are looking at the table and providing short, terse answers, they’re not in a talking mood. Same with couples looking for romantic dinners or patrons who’ve got their head buried in the newspaper.

3. Raise your standard of communication. A dining experience consists of much more than how the food tastes. A good server inquires about the quality of the food, an excellent server inquires about the entire dining experience.

Example: A great number of servers ask “Does your food taste okay?” Better to ask “Is everything to your liking?”

By asking the broader question, a server makes it easier for patrons to request other items or services to enhance their dining experience.  This could be adjusting air conditioning or heat, providing speedier service if a customer is in a hurry, or getting any additional items a customer may want with the meal.

Bottom line, these three key strategies make a huge difference in a customer’s total dining experience.

Accordingly, if a patron’s dining experience is better, the server’s tips will be better. And, as an added bonus, excellent service does a better job of bringing customers back for an encore experience.

Who wins? Everyone.

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