Mannerific

Mannerific offers this list of suggestions to create a pleasant dining experience for all:

• Please remember your server is a person.  This person might make a mistake.  This person has feelings. Treat the server with respect and consideration.

• You are not your server’s only table. Particularly at busy times, he may have four or five other tables who also need his attention.

• Do not snap your fingers at your server or touch your server. The polite way to get your server’s attention is to make eye contact, or to say, “Excuse me, please.”

• Please don’t forget to say, “please” when making a request, and “thank you” when your server brings you food, drink, utensils or anything else you have requested.

• Make up your mind.  If the server comes to take your order and you don’t know, tell her you need more time.  Don’t make her stand there. This is a waste of her time and unfair when she has other tables waiting for her.

• Don’t keep springing one more thing on the server.  Ask for everything all at once.  Servers put on many miles during a shift and get quite footsore, and it’s not nice to make them do laps to the kitchen for single items.

• Please try not to make a huge mess.  If you want crackers for the baby, fine, but try to minimize the debris on the floor.

• If you are using a coupon or gift certificate or special, please tip based on the original amount of the bill. The service you were provided is not any less simply because you have a way of reducing the total.

• Be aware that if a place is very busy, you may not get perfect service.  This is not an excuse to stiff the server on the tip.

• Do not park at a table for hours.  Servers are expected to turn those tables in a reasonable amount of time.  While you sit there drinking cup after cup of coffee or asking for endless free soda refills, other tables are going to a different server’s section.  If you do linger, tip accordingly.

Thanks to HelenT70 of the Miss Manners Board for help compiling this list. Watch this space for tips on how to be a polite server.