r/Waiters

Hey all, so I just got my first job serving in a fine dining restaurant. I have 5 years previous experience serving, but most of that time was spent in casual restaurants. I've got most of the basics down, but I'm looking for your best advice when it comes to memorizing the menu, specifically all of the ingredients in each dish. The menu Isn't huge, which is a blessing, but there are an excessive amount of ingredients in each dish. I want to be able to commit them to memory as quickly as possible while in training.

What was your best study method? My instinct is to gamify the process using a chatGPT prompt. (Im hopeful it'll stick easier if it's a bit fun.) Has anyone used this method, and was it successful for you? I'll also be looking for methods to memorize the cocktail and wine list as well as all the info that comes with learning wines like origin, tasting notes, pairings, etc. But I want to master the menu itself first.

Looking for any and all advice, tips, and tricks! Thanks in advance and I hope you all make massive tips all week ❤️

I have been working in restauration for 1 year now and i really want to be a waitress but it seems impossible to move up or to get hired as one without actual serving experience. I started off as a hostess and im now an amazing busgirl. I know how to run plates and make drinks but i still cant manage to convince anyone to put me bartender or as a waitress. Any advice? How do i hear so many stories about people starting as a server with little experience?

I am looking for a job. I don’t care as much if it’s a bartending job. I will take server and busesr jobs as well as runner jobs. I haven’t waited tables in ten years since college. Any advice in applying? What restaurants/ bars while hire asap? I used to be a barback but that was so long ago I’m not sure I should put it on my resume. Do I bother applying to the website/indeed or go directly in the place?

I have a career in education btw.

I was serving the customer , they had asked me to pour water into there glass. I had just finished surgery and my hands will constantly shake Without Warning. I told the customer about the problem, which they shutdown with ‘ I’m the paying customer’ . That statement in the hospitality industry is a big one . I didn’t want my boss to look so I adamantly agreed and poured it. While I was pouring it , I spilled a little bit on the table. The customer Jumped up like he had just been bit by a Dog and Screamed out at me ‘Useless!’ . I turned red immediately and attempted to clean it or do some sort of anything to draw attention away from me. Everyone burst out laughing. What do I do!!!

40f- I work fulltime in an office but I am desparate for a flexible, decent paying second job.

I think serving might be the way to go, the issue is I am 40 with ZERO restaurant experience. Would it be hopeless to even try? Will restaurant managers laugh at me for even asking?

I'm 17, from Malaysia and born in 2009. Earlier this year, before entering university, I got a job as a waiter in a cafe from Jan to Feb. Everything went fine. There are perks like free food and drinks for staff.

I don't know why, but sometimes whenever I do a little mistake, some of the people who worked with me before are just stupid ass dickheads. One of them literally just yelled and threatened me for small things which aren't even that deep. He literally dragged me in the room and yelled at me more that it left an emotional scar.

Then there was this other senior who kept scolding me even when I'm trying to be friendly. He said hurtful things with bad words in it, and I've been trying to let go ever since this traumatic experience. On the last day, I was scolded again with foul language and got compared to a new worker. Like what? That's so unfair!

These two were nice and fun to the other workers, but treated me like shit. It's like I'm the punching bag of the workforce! Luckily I quit at the end of Feb!

Anyways, wanna share any traumatic experiences you had before as a waiter?

Hi! I’m curious about handling the service tray. I originally learned to carry it with my dominant hand because I lacked the strength in the other hans, but I recently learned to carry it with my non-dominant hand since that actually makes it easier to unload though I’m not sure how common it is to know how to carry it with both hands.

Hey I’m a 28 yo M that is seriously considering getting back into serving part time. I’ve done it for years before in the past and didn’t love the work but found that it was a good way to be social and meet new people while making money.

The hangup now is I feel like I’m going to be looking for friends/possible relationships more than just to make extra $$.

I feel dumb and guilty about it and was wondering if anyone else has had similar issues.

(I’m not an incredibly extroverted person but I work really well with others and am great at service work, it’s what I do primarily for my main job)

I start as a waitress in a weeks time at this lakeside pub near where I live in the UK. (16F) The interview went well except my boss mentioned that im quite quiet and that it can get very busy in the summer when I'll be working. Im quite a reserved and shy person and did have a waitressing job last summer but only in a small cafe, and my boss mentioned then to other workers that she thought i was unenthusiastic because i was quiet. I also suffer from social anxiety and anxiety a lot, so im worried i wont do well in the job and will be too quiet and get fired.

Any tips or advice on how to improve my confidence or anything like that will be greatly appreciated

I’m a restaurant server. A twelve‑hour workday feels way too long for me. My boss exploits our labor. Every day I deal with all kinds of customers, and sometimes I run into unreasonable ones who just like to make trouble.

Hi, my restaurant does autograt for large parties, which is cool and all, but if the party pays the bill in cash then toast accounts for my autograt tip as part of the cash I owe at the end of the shift. When I brought this up to
Management they told me this is to account for SA and bar tipouts and it would be unfair for it not to account towards tipout, even though I'm already accounting towards tipout with my CC tips.

I've never worked in a restaurant with autograt before this, is this normal?

I've been working at a Japanese restaurant for about five months now. The restaurant layout is a bit unusual: the sushi bar and the front counter are right next to each other, while the hot kitchen is in a separate room. The pass for the sushi station and the kitchen are perpendicular to each other, both near but face different directions.

The other day, I had the last customer of the lunch shift. I was abit bored so I wandered around the resto and I looked through the pass into the hot kitchen and could see the chef was basically finishing the order. He was just squeezing the plating sauce onto the dish, so I figured it would be ready in a few seconds.

I then looked over at the sushi station because the customer also had a sushi order. As soon as I looked over, the sushi chef said, "I haven't dinged yet."

I was confused and just replied, "Huh?"

He said sternly, "I haven't dinged the bell. That means I haven't called you and it's not done yet. No matter how you look, it's not going to be done."

I was honestly shocked and said, "I'm just looking?"

He replied, "Yeah, well, I'm not done yet."

This isn't the first time he's spoken to me like this—it's the second.

What confuses me is that I've never once asked him to rush an order. In the five months I've worked there, I've never told him to hurry up, asked him to expedite something, or complained about waiting. I was literally just looking because I knew the hot kitchen order was almost finished and wanted to see if the sushi was ready too.

I don't know if I'm missing some kind of kitchen etiquette or if this is just unnecessarily hostile. Is it considered rude for FOH to look over at the sushi station to check on an order, or was his reaction out of line?

I'd appreciate hearing from people who've worked in restaurants, especially Japanese restaurants, because I'm genuinely trying to understand if I did something wrong.

Well guys we’re in the slowest time of year and with unexpected bad weather and slow season it’s definitely hitting our town hard. What do you guys do as extra side jobs? DoorDash is always an option but does cause wear and tear on my car quicker so what else do you guys like to do?

Hi neighbors.
I won’t name drop but there’s a lovely hookah bar/lounge/restaurant/sports bar I felt very lucky to have and comfortable with. I made good tips, made good friends, etc. It’s my second week.

I made nearly 800$ in tips last night especially during FIFA. At the end of my shift 8 hours later, I went to check out with the manager who’s only there 2 times a week but not a nice person towards me for some reason.

Well, he told me I have to tip the chefs, the charcoal guys (literally who just do the same hookah job I did as a 15 year old) and “the house”. The house??? Like a strip club would?

I not only waitress, I bartend, I do dishes, I am barista, I’m literally everything. And ultimately 70% of my tips (on a min. wage thankless job) were taken back from me last night. Even the cash that was gifted to be by regulars who love me.

I had change from a weed dispensary in my wallet from night prior, and they counted that as tips when it wasn’t. I got a harsh text in return last night saying not to come back today.

Is this normal or am I blowing things out of proportion?

Thanks guys.