You know, when a group of diners has finished their meal, enjoyed some coffee or after dinner drinks, then sits there forever just sipping their waters and talking? It's like they are going to pull out sleeping bags and spend the night!
I must say I know it is probably not ill will on their part towards you that keeps them there. In fact, they probably have forgotten all about you. Nevertheless, your professional code of conduct fairly well requires you to stay there until they leave. They may not realize this, and are quite inadvertently inconveniencing you. There may be a gap in understanding. How can we resolve this?
There are a few moves I have tried:
You can bring them the check. They may think it is pretty rude of you to bring it without their having requested it. They may quite willfully ignore the check booklet. You are now pretty much helpless, so this is not a great move to make unless you have reason to believe they will pay promptly, allowing you to close out with the computer and potentially bounce.
You can ask ever so sweetly, "May I bring you folks anything else tonight?" This may remind the customers of your presence/existence, and may shake them from their dream-state enough to realize that the place is totally deserted except for them. Or they may just ask for more water, which is not what you want at all!
You can totally ignore them, allow their water to run out, turn off all the lights in the rest of the place, blow out all the candles except theirs, turn off the music, loudly take out the recycling, talk to the bartender in a loud voice about the class you have in the morning, or the band practice you need to attend that evening.
Yet they still may be completely oblivious.
One technique I have seen work is called salting the table. You get a handful of salt, and just walk past the table subtly sprinking the salt on the floor as you go by. I can't explain why this work, but I have seen it in action and can testify to its apparent success.
If you have any good techniques to make people stop camping out at their table, please write about it in the comments!!!!!!!
this is what it would look like if YOU commented, but it would be something YOU have to say!!!
ReplyDeleteSometimes this is effective - give your table the check, when it is obvious to you that they have not done absolutely anything with it for fifteen plus minutes go and pick up the check. They will usually all jump out of their dream like state and reach for their back pockets, while saying things like, "oh right, the bill!". You furtively make it seem as if you were only trying to make sure they did not linger for their inconvenience. This gets them to pay so you can at the very least run your report. Usually though, they will leave sometime soon after this. Some people call this not being professional. I call it valuing your own time.
ReplyDeleteCrop dusting is the only effective solution
ReplyDeleteSorry to comment so late, but I just stumbled on yr blog. From my one diner's perspective, I *never* think of the check arriving as a non-subtle shove out the door (unless it arrives *with* dessert or something).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have been told on more than one occasion that I'm not a normal diner.
I guess this is just an FYI that sometimes, the table might actually just be sitting there chatting waiting for the check, not wanting to feel like assholes for waving their arms to demand it.
(and honestly, having eaten at most of the restaurants in the Triangle at one time or another, I'd say the check comes out magically, post-dessert, without us asking, at more-or-less the right time, at least half the time)
I think a lot of the time, some of the crossed-up confusion that happens between waitstaff & diners can come because each side assumes that something is going to happen one way, or that something means a certain thing, when the other side assumes something different.
This is doubly tricky because expectations seem to vary from town to town & restaurant to restaurant, so that waitstaff who came up through the business in one town might have certain assumptions that aren't shared in other towns . . . and the exact same thing is true of customers.
I suppose there was a time, 50+ years ago, when things like etiquette were taught formally. Nowadays people think of that whole era as ludicrous, but it seems to me that there are certain "how things work" lessons that could still definitely stand to be taught, for everyone's benefit.
Very good points there, thanks for the input. I definitely agree that there are often differing expectations between the server and the served, and it truly is the job of the professional to negotiate and resolve any such differences.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I will sort of meander by the table trying to catch an eye when I feel people are ready for the check, so they don't have to wave their arms but I am also not bringing it unprompted.
I guess in many ways the purpose of this blog is to serve as an etiquette course for diners and a place to improve communication across the table or bar top.