How To Be A Good Waiter / Waitress
Firsthand Tips From a Miami Server
Are you moving to Miami with dreams of living the vacation life? What, you have never heard of the vacation life, you say? Let me explain, the vacation life is where you sleep in late, go to the gym, and hang out on the beach, waiting for your restaurant to open. Although there is not much job security, the lifestyle does wonders for your psyche and tan.
People often ask me, “how difficult is it to get a waiter job with no experience?” The answer is, not very difficult in South Beach. With so many restaurants nearby, someone is always hiring, but most places will want you to have some experience.
Here are 25 things every good waiter or waitress should know:
1) Do you know the difference between a Gibson and a Gimlet?
Severs must have a basic understanding of the bar. They must know the ingredients in popular drinks, how they are made, and what they are garnished with. Two cocktails that often get confused are the Gibson and the Gimlet. Although the names are similar, the cocktails are very different. A Gibson is gin martini, garnished with an onion. A Gimlet is made with vodka and lime juice and garnished with a lime. With both drinks, it is the waiter’s responsibility to ask the customer if they want it served up or on the rocks.
2) What is the garnish for a Dirty Martini?
A Dirty Martini is garnished with an olive. The cocktail is made by adding olive juice to the mix. Side note: Traditionally, a martini, it is made with gin, but most people order vodka martinis, so, it is the waiter’s responsibility to ask the customer if they want the martini made with gin, or vodka.
3) Can you name 5 brands of vodka, gin, and scotch.
Vodka: Stoli, Absolut, Belvedier, Gray Goose, Ketel One
Gin: Tanqueray, Boodles, Bombay, Beefeater, Gordon’s
Scotch: Johnny Walker, Makers Mark, Dewer’s, Macallan, Glenfiddich
4) When a Spanish-speaking customer asks for “whiskey” what do they usually want?
Scotch. A good way to find out for sure, is by suggesting a recognizable brand like Black Label.
5) Can you suggest 3 good bottles of Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot from your wine list?
Since popular wines are always changing, I’m not going to list any here. If you want to learn about wine, buy a copy of Wine Spectator magazine and do your homework.
6) What type of wine is paired with pork?
Most everyone knows, white wine is served with fish and chicken, and red wine is served with beef. But what does a waiter suggest when a customer orders pork? Either. White wine, or a light red wine, like Pinot Noir can be served with pork.
7) Can you open a bottle of wine in 30 seconds?
If not, you need to learn how. Every good waiter / waitress must be able to open a bottle of wine fast and confidently. You can practice at home with an empty bottle. If you need more help, here is a video that shows how to do it.
8) Do you know the difference between a Magnum and a Jeroboam?
A Magnum is a large wine bottle, which holds the same as two normal bottles of wine. A Jeroboam is a large bottle of wine, which holds four regular wine bottles.
9) Where is Champagne made?
This is a trick question. Most people think Champagne refers to all types of sparkling wine, but this is not correct. For sparkling wine to be called “Champagne” it must be produced in the province of Champagne, France. Sparkling wine made anywhere else cannot legally use the name, Champagne.
10) When opening a bottle of wine, is it customary to sniff the cork?
No, there is no reason for anyone to sniff the cork. If you want to smell the wine, smell it directly from the glass.
11) What do flat, sparkling, and tap refer to?
Water. Flat and sparkling come in bottles that customers pay for. Tap, or iced refer to water that is free.
12) What is a cordial?
A cordial, or liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, nuts, spices, cream, and sugar. Cordials are typically quite sweet; and served after dinner, with coffee and dessert. Popular cordials include: Grand Mariner, Frangelico, Kahlua, and Baily’s.
13) Tawny and Ruby refer to what?
Tawny and Ruby refer to Port wine. Ruby Port is aged for a few years in stainless steel barrels. It has a dark red color and is generally sweet and fruity. Tawny Port is aged much longer in typically wooden barrels. During the aging, Tawny loses it’s red color and turns brown.
14) What do Spanish-speaking people often call coffee?
Most people in Miami call coffee “espresso” or “cafecito.” If someone ask you for a coffee, you should ask them if they want “American” or “espresso” In many restaurants, it is the servers responsibility to also make the coffee. If you are unsure about how to make a proper espresso, here are some easy instructions how to do it.
15) What is an espresso garnished with?
An espresso is always garnished with a lemon peel.
16) What is a 2-top?
A 2-top refers to a table with two people. A 4-top is a table with four persons.
17) When you’re co-worker says, “I’m in the weeds” or “I’m weeded” what should you do?
Help them, if you can. “I’m in the weeds” is restaurant slang for “I’m way too busy and going under, fast.” I’ve only heard phrase used in Miami. Every restaurant has their own slang terms. When you are starting out at a restaurant, learn the slang. Other restaurant-related slang terms include “on the fly,” which means, do it fast, and “86,” which means an item from the menu that the kitchen is out of.
18) Can you carry 3 plates in 2 hands?
This is another skill you can practice at home. The secret is, to point your pinkie finger straight up, so you can balance the second plate on your pinkie and forearm. For hot plates, use a towel as a layer between your hand and the plate. For more instruction, here is a PDF that shows how it’s done.
19) What side of the guest do you serve from?
Serving etiquette calls for customers to be served from the left and cleared from the right. The reason being, to avoid knocking over a glass. However, work around your customers’ needs, and try to never ask a guest to hand you a plate, or glass.
20) When a customer asks for a steak prepared “blue” what do they mean?
Whenever a customer orders a steak, it is the waiter’s responsibility to ask them how they want it prepared. If the customer says “blue,” it means, they want the steak cooked extra, extra rare.
21) What is a good excuse to say to a customer when you forgot to order their meal?
Blame it on the kitchen. You can say something like, the Chef dropped your plate, or the kitchen gave your food to the wrong table.
22) Can you sing “Happy Birthday” with gusto?
If you choose a career in the restaurant industry, be prepared to sing “Happy Birthday” a few times, every night. I understand that singing to a group of strangers can feel embarrassing. The best thing to do, is put a big smile on and just go for it. Singing Tip: start the song off in a low key.
23) When is it OK to argue with a customer?
Never. If you encounter an angry customer, get your manager involved. Good servers enjoy making people happy. If you’re in a bad mood when you come to work, check your attitude at the door.
24) What are the tools of the trade?
Here is my best tip for how to look like a star on your first day of work…show up with all your tools: a wine opener, lighter, pens, table crumber, mini-flashlight.
25) What does T.I.P.S stand for?
To Insure Prompt Service. Before you complain that a customer left you a bad tip, ask yourself if you really deserved a good one.
Have you worked in a restaurant?
What did I miss? Please share your comments below.
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26 Comments on
"How To Be A Good Waiter / Waitress"
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South Ocean says:
Re: #10
It is customary to sniff a wine cork - especially if the cork is a ‘real’ cork - to ensure that the bottle hasn’t been ‘corked,’ spoiled by an interaction of a wine ingredient and the cork itself. The characteristics of a ‘corked’ wine are a wet dog/moldy newspaper/damp basement smell that tends to overpower the aroma/taste of the wine itself.
If the smell is there, even without tasting the wine, it is grounds for returning the wine.
Many higher-end wines are now using ‘corks’ made of artificial materials, or even screw tops, both of which eliminate the possibility of the wine being ‘corked.’
Posted on 02/16/2009 at 8:42 AM