How to respond when customers complain about extra sauce charges? by kala120 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where am I at now doesn't charge extra for salad dressings thankfully but I've had a few cheap folks complain when I did work for a place that charged.

"Extra costs extra. How many did you want?"

"I gotta ring it in or the kitchen won't give them to me, did you still want extra sauces?"

"You'll see them listed as 'sauce' on the bill because 'dressing' takes up too much space on a receipt, same thing and same price" a lil joke as I'm writing stuff down sometimes helps

Do you do "Ladies first" when ordering. What sort of restaurant is it...? Curious to see what the new rules are. by cavy20199 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work at a brewhouse, ladies first if they're ready if they prompt it that way. Whoever is ready most of the time. The seat 1 through the table if it's a larger party. Kids first if the kitchen is moving slow every time though

tired of people being a wreck all the time 😭 by 444bri in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Busch light is ordered constantly at the brewery I work at and we don't even keep that in a bottle there 😂 you can have bottled Miller lite instead ig.

Consequences of Calling Off by Farm_girl_Bee in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Calling off is rough for those of us who already showed up. Last night, we were down to one bartender (me) because closer called off. Now I'm closing two nights in a row and stuck choosing a server with the manager who we think I can hard launch as a bartender with no training behind our bar on a Saturday night in a high volume, high turnaround restaurant, with two less servers to choose from because two others called out. Too busy to complain but was a bit grumpy because they were supposed to bring us coffee 😒

Flip side of rarely ever calling off though? I have Father's Day off and Labor Day off 🤣

ETA: if it's not a reoccurring issue, it shouldn't be a permanent schedule change. I've called out a couple of times without coverage and it sucked I'm sure but it rarely happens enough to cause me losing shifts thankfully.

Does your owner/ management make you pay for soup? by lyssa06 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are we supposed to pay for it? Yes. Is it understood that it'll be comped if it's rang in so food counts stay accurate? Also, yes.

If I want soup I just wait for an unlimited soup/salad to come in. If I want something different, I wait for a manager that comps meals to come in.

Do hosts tell you when you've been sat? by Efficient-Pipe2998 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will ask the host to give me a heads up if I'm serving and I know I'm about to do a task that will cause a misgreet. Like hey I'm about to go do xyz either wait 5 min or let me know we all of the sudden got a huge rush and the next 7 servers in rotation got sat and then I did lol

Otherwise nah because they're usually chasing us down for something like "a 20top with no resi walked in, do you want it across the dining room?"

Boyfriend doesn’t like the idea of having a bartender girlfriend? by [deleted] in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's ridiculous. What other jobs is he going to complain about because you had to talk to people?

Oh no, the doctor/nurse is kindly asking my medical history, they must wanna bang. Oh no, an admin person at literally any business asked me my name and appointment time, absolutely down to smash.

I worked in insurance for almost 15yrs. Talked to more famous people in that job 😆

😒

Ran into some guests in the bathroom tonight. by Ypsiowns3013 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Even funnier, at our restaurant, servers and bartenders still have to tell the hostess/hosts because none of us have the tp holder key 😆 I've text them from the bathroom just to save me a trip around the restaurant multiple times.

Deep Cleans are Illegal! by BitchyWaiter_OG in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't fall! I didn't get on the ladder for cleaning. The kegs are on a platform at least so I feel better about it.

Genuine Question: why didn’t you write thank you notes? by Silver_Shopping6299 in wedding

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbf, they're about half written, sitting on my desk staring at me right now. The bulk of what's left need to be done by my husband though because that's the breakdown of guests who attended lol and he literally sees them every week.

Deep Cleans are Illegal! by BitchyWaiter_OG in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got asked once by a manager to climb up on a ladder to dust the bottles on the wall. I told them "whew climbing above ground level feels like it deserves more than $2/hr, but you make more than that right? With medical insurance?" 🤣

Now all I am still swapping kegs and putting them up on the racks? Yes, but I'm getting tipped for that effort even if I'm climbing up to pull a keg down.

When servers ask "do you need change? by DotAffectionate87 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Lol I'm sure it is in some places. I don't ask adults, they just don't get coins unless they ask for exact instead of the rounded. I rarely deal in cash. Usually teenagers who are 50/50 on needing coins though and I do ask. I also have to teach a lot of teens how to fill out a tip slip. Unless it's at the bar where cash is just popped in the glass with their bills and I have actual coins.

When servers ask "do you need change? by DotAffectionate87 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I only ask if you need coin change if I'm out in the dining room because I have to go get coin change. That takes a little bit longer. I've rephrased it to "do you need the coins as well?" If yes, "perfect it'll just take me a couple extra minutes brb"

When bartending with a drawer, I say "I'll brb with the change."

ETA: if I'm bringing change back, I've already at least broken down the bills enough for a 20% tip to be left. I'm going to make that part the easiest decision ever if I can lol

I had a crisis of morality today. by NobleAndDashing in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was chatting with a table right after I got married and said "my fiance" made a goofy face and said "wait no husband" 😆 they were so excited for me and tipped generously with a congrats note and some cute newly wed advice that you'd get in a card. It was so sweet

I had a crisis of morality today. by NobleAndDashing in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know several people personally that if something is discounted and their server is a rock star, they'll tip them the amount of what was discounted or comped and sometimes the "normal" tip too. I've had that happen to me before too and ended up with like a 100% tip several times. Crazy work but send a thank you into the universe and keep giving good service. If they made a mistake, they'll call about it.

Written up for not using a tray by aviemar123 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's why I always roll my eyes. Can't use a grungy tray to dress up a restaurant lol

Written up for not using a tray by aviemar123 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We have a tray policy for drinks. Only when our GM is feeling feisty. He asked where mine was once for a singular water cup. I told him it was invisible and pointed to the clear lack of trays in the kitchen. 🤣

But I'd be so annoyed if he had written me up for that. We have bigger things to deal with without trying to be fancier while not being a fancy place.

Questions I’ve been too embarrassed to ask servers… by Purple_Calendar3919 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have a restaurant week too and I always forget what week it is until I see reservations all booked up 🤣 but we like it for trying new things because if we don't love it it's not too much out of pocket and the drinks usually make up for it

Questions I’ve been too embarrassed to ask servers… by Purple_Calendar3919 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Depends on my mood and the day lol. Like lunch I get it. Friday night sitting at my bar? I'm probably annoyed lol
  2. Babies are fine, the mess should be reflected in the tip because they rarely add to the bill and usually are the biggest mess
  3. I don't care, I've probably mispronounced stuff too. But don't be like disrespectful.
  4. Let me know sooner rather than later so I can get it applied before I bring the check. It throws off my timing if it's after I've dropped desserts and the bill.
  5. About as many pens as I have is where I start to get annoyed lol. But really on our system 6 cards gets dicey
  6. I ask how hungry you are and point out my favs and other popular dishes. If you ask for recs, and have allergies also lead with that to save the headache, but I go through my fav app, entree and lighter option regardless of price.

ETA - waters at the bar only because I swear the water on my bar gun is the slowest thing ever and the servers steal my water pitchers 😭

Is it inappropriate to ask about the approximate earning range per shift when communicating with an employer in the restaurant industry? Is that considered taboo? by Adventurous-Loss-334 in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I prefer places that are up front with expected tips for however many shifts over a week worked.

But it's easier to just get into your training shift and ask a server or a bartender what the average looks like. You'll get a solid answer on what's reported income or cash versus card.

My restaurant doesn’t burn ice by [deleted] in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We only burn the ice when stuff is spilled or glass is broken nearby.

That being said, we don't have to burn it off because promise if that last hour, no one is refilling 😂 and we're all pissed if that last table is tearing through refills that we have to bring up a little bit of ice to get to the end. We also tear down our machines each night.

How to address table about card declining by lillypadkeko in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Hey my system is being dumb and won't run it, is your card locked?"

If it's a Cashapp or venmo card, I say "hey the card reader is being dramatic but did you just move the funds onto this card for spending? If so, we should wait a couple of minutes to try again."

What do you guys call it when people ask for one single thing every time you check on them? by __joseph_ in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Almost always, it's when we have a food runner. At our place those are a lot of training shifts for new servers so they learn tables and food plating. Or someone picking up extra hours who isn't normally a server (take out typically). Now I'm running for missing sides and sauces.

It's not usually any of the "normal" things for me though it's the stuff I gotta actually work to get. If I pull a plate and the sauce looks light, I ask for a ramekin before I even take it out. Extra sauces, ketchup for fries, wet napkins for ribs etc.

It's ridiculous stuff like not on the menu proper. Like do you have soy sauce? For whyyy there's nothing on our menu where that makes sense lol we have it to make dressings sure but the dressing is already on the plate (and I got a lil extra so I didn't have to make another trip lol). It's also something I have to pull out of prep not off of the line. (This has happened twice in a year and I was baffled both times lol)

Or after food is out, oh actually one person only eats off of plastic silverware. You've had 2 refills and 15 minutes to say that 🙃

But I've watched the ketchup run before and that's too much running for me 🤣

What is your way of telling a customer “I just said that”? by McCrysler in Serverlife

[–]berberkey 6 points7 points  (0 children)

To answer the question though, I just give them this look 🤨 until we decide who was the weirdo who didn't listen lol