In the spirit of similar posts floating around the interweb, I'm adding some thoughts on my own. The idea behind these is that when the average guest walks into the average drinking/eating establishment, there are a number of things they just don't know about their server. My list will probably not be comprehensive, and while I'm aiming for universal points, they won't apply equally to all servers.
Part One: General Points
I genuinely want you to have a good time while you are at my bar.
As soon as you walk through the door and sit down at my table, I do what I can to ensure you are enjoying yourself. The logic is simple - you enjoy your visit, then you leave me a 15%-20% tip (anything above and beyond that is always appreciated). You see, though it may seem that we're both in it for ourselves, the truth is that we both have a common goal which means we're really working together here. Keep this in mind for the rest of the list, because following these points generally means a better visit for you.
Some things are beyond my control.
While I will do everything under my power to help you enjoy your visit, not everything is under my power. Things which I usually can do nothing about: your fellow patrons, the temperature, what's playing on the jukebox, how quickly your food is prepared, the prices of what you order, the selection of what we have available to you, and when the kitchen closes. Remember, my goal is for you to have a good time, so when I tell you we're out of mint and therefore cannot make mojitos, know that I'm not saying so just to be perverse. If you have a concern or problem, please let me know and I'll either do something about it or regret to inform you that I cannot. However, if you don't speak, I don't know, because...
I am not psychic.
It may seem obvious, but if you don't tell me, I don't know. While this caveat applies to many things, most important of all is that I do not know what you would like to drink or eat. When you come in, sit down, and ask me what you should order, I have no answer for you. I work in a bar, yes. However, I hate beer, can't stand wine, and loathe tequila. What I like is very likely not what you like. If you don't know what kind of alcohol you would like to have, please feel free to read the drink menu, confer with your friends (who know you and your tastes), or order a Coke.
I'm happy to help you make your decision by describing the differences between two of our tap beers, or pointing out that one of our entrees is served hot while another is served cold. This is part of my job. Making your decision for you is not, especially because there's a good chance you won't care for what I choose for you.
I won't speak to you if you're on a cell phone.
When you walk in and sit down my goal is to get to your table as quickly as possible. When I go out, I like service to be speedy and the quicker the server makes it to my table, the happier I am. Not all places are equally suited for having a server to the table as soon as you are, but my bar is well suited for it and I act accordingly. Now, when you sit down at a table while having a cell phone conversation, I make an exception. One reason is that it would be rude of me to interrupt your conversation. Another reason is that I have no patience for standing at your table staring at you while you finish your conversation.
Side note: if you go out with a friend(s) and spend the night on your cell phone, this means you are ignoring your friend(s). Don't be rude. Either the phone call can wait, or it can be brief. When I see someone out with a friend, talking on their phone for twenty minutes while their companion stares into their drink, I want to smack the offender on their friend's behalf.
If you want to run a tab, I'll probably ask for your credit card.
This isn't personal. I don't believe you'll run out on your tab. I do believe that it is easy, especially with a table of twelve, for your tab to quickly hit triple digits. I do believe that people can be forgetful and think they've paid their tab when they haven't. I do believe this is even easier when patrons have been consuming alcohol. I work in a bar. After every weekend, we have at least one person (and sometimes many more than that) walk out and leave their credit card behind, which means they haven't paid their tab. This happens every single weekend. Without holding cards for tabs, the bar would lose a great deal of money every single weekend. It's no insult to your character, nor any implicit mistrust. It's just math.
That said, if you're not comfortable giving your credit card to a complete stranger for a few hours, I understand. In your position, I don't know that I'd be all that quick to hand over my credit card either. If you'd rather not, I don't mind. However, if you're not willing to give me your credit card for a tab, you need to be willing to pay per-round.
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