How should a restaurant server handle food orders?
I received an E-mail from a reader who gave me permission to post it and answer here:
- Drawing from www.wikipic.com.
“Hi Claire, was wondering if you have an opinion on this. When you go to a nice restaurant do you expect the waiter to write down your order? Should he repeat it back to you? I was just at a ‘high end’ restaurant where the waiter did not write down the order and I ended up getting the wrong entree. I even asked if he wanted to write it down and he said ‘No, I’ve got it.’ Then he brought me the wrong plate and had the gall to argue with me. Seems like he would have to write it down at some point to give it to the chef anyway…maybe they just punch things in a computer now?”
People who know me also know that I come up with opinions pretty quickly, and here are mine. Being old school when it comes to service (though very receptive to new foods and cooking techniques), I am still surprised when a waiter or waitress does not write down an order. In a nice restaurant, it seems as if it should remain part of the ritual, like holding a napkin in front of the water glass as it is being filled or bringing cocktails or wineglasses out on a tray rather than one in each mitt — I mean, hand. However, for a party of two, I can understand an experienced server remembering everything. It would not occur to me to actually ask a server to do that.
What a cannot understand is a waiter who did not acknowledge a mistake, apologize and rectify it. Arguing with a guest should never happen, particularly in a high end restaurant. Not ever. In the end, did he bring you the correct order — graciously? Did he make any kind of adjustment to the bill? If not, did you bring this matter to the attention of a headwaiter, manager or even host(ess)? My last extremely poor service experience was in a French restaurant in New York’s Theater District, which I blogged about here.
I can’t really opine about whether this particular restaurant has a computer system that the waitstaff uses a computer system of some sort to put orders in to the kitchen, but no matter how that is done, the order should have been correct — and if it wasn’t correct, your first complaint should have fixed the situation.
I’m starting to envision a future where there are no waiters, just servers. Perhaps there will be tablet devices built into the table and you just tap on what you want and then click the “order” button. It could total your bill, split it up (if necessary), and take your credit card too. Of course you loose the human touch but young people spend half their time looking at cell phones anyway. At least there would be no arrogant waiters with attitudes.
For me an incompetent waiter can ruin the whole evening. I expect somebody professional and polite. I am not interested in his family problems nor do I want him to interrupt my conversations. A waiter should never argue with a customer. The customer is always right. The restaurant wants the returning business.
I am not really interested in how the waiter remembers my order, but I would prefer for him to wright it down. I expect the right dish served to me. That’s all. I am totally with you.
I am sorry about your experience.