If you are in a crowded bar and people
are waiting for their drinks and you don’t like waiting, tip the
bartender up front and let them know that you reward good service.
This usually seems to help them be able to pick you out of a crowd
and remember what you are drinking. If you do spend time waiting
at the bar for your table, don’t forget to tip the bartender. The
tip you leave at the table might not make it back to them.
While you are walking to your table, take
a look around at what others are eating. This will give you a
better idea of what you might want to order and will also show
you the size of the portions the Restaurant serves.
Ask the waiter what types of items on the
menu are the most popular sellers or the specialties of the house.
Take a look at the dessert selections before
deciding on your meal and turning in your menu. You might find
a desert you’ll really want and decide to go with a smaller entrée
to leave some room for that dessert.
Once seated, ask some questions. If you
find yourself wondering about the spices or if you can get it
cooked to order, ask. You may feel like you’re bugging the waiter,
but they would probably rather deal with lots of questions than
have to return food because it wasn’t what you expected.
If you suffer from food allergies, don’t
forget to ask about ingredients and preparations.
If you are making lots of special requests
for substitutions or a unique preparation of the meal, remember
that your waiter is there to be helpful and the better the dining
experience they provide for you should translate into a better
tip for them.
Don’t punish them if they can’t deliver
on all your requests. They can only make an effort and might not
be able to change everything to your liking. For example, some Restaurants
will not serve rare meat because of problems with beef. The Restaurant
has this policy because it is worried about the health of their
patrons. The waiter simply may not be able to change this policy.
