‘As a customer we need to be okay with the word no.’
You need to fight the desire to request a specific table at a restaurant. Here’s why.
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Oftentimes, when you’re being seated by the host at a restaurant, you see a few tables across the room that are open.
While the host may start leading you to the back of the room, you may see a table by the window that you prefer or maybe a booth that looks more comfortable.
While it’s understandable that you’d want to have a choice between what’s available, it can have a negative domino effect on the staff serving you.
Server speaks out
In a trending video with more than 42,000 views, server Mackenzie (@getreadywithmack) revealed what happens behind the scenes of a restaurant when a customer asks to sit somewhere specific.
She explained that servers are usually assigned a section of the restaurant to take care of for the night.
The host has a board that shows who was just sat and where. Part of the host’s job is to make sure diners are being equally distributed between sections.
“If you’re asking for a section and we just sat that server, they get double sat, which means they get more work, more tables, and more money than other servers,” Mackenzie pointed out.
But she did add that it’s OK to request a specific table if you have specific needs like needing larger seating, more accessible seating, or space for a high chair.
“Do not walk in and act like you get to choose where you’re sitting. If you see a sign and it says, ‘Please see a hostess for seating,’ you should see the hostess for seating,” Mackenzie said.
Diners react
People in the comment section had mixed reactions to Mackenzie’s video.
“It’s my meal that I’m paying for if I don’t like the seat I’m damn sure gonna say something,” a person said.
“I just want a booth every time I go out. I don’t want to sit at a table with hard chairs,” another wrote.
“it’s okay to ask. but as a customer we need to be okay with the word no,” a commenter pointed out.
“As a host, I get yelled at by servers because of the guest wanting a different table. The world doesn’t revolve around you, sit in the table we gave you, it’s the same excact table as the one you want,” a worker added.
Things your servers wish you did
If you’ve never worked as a server, you don’t know the ins and outs of what it’s like to work in the food-based service industry. Here are a few things you can do to be a better guest.
- Tip in cash: Some restaurants like Olive Garden are implementing policies that allow servers to get their tips with their paycheck instead of being paid out at the end of each shift. This can affect their day-to-day cash flow, so tipping in cash is preferable.
- Cancelling reservations: If you’re not going to show up, cancel so that the restaurant isn’t holding your table and you are losing money. When you cancel, do it as soon as you know. Don’t wait until the last minute.
- Tip 15-20%: While many people feel like tipping culture has gotten out of hand, with tip screens coming up in places they didn’t use to, servers historically depend on these tips to make ends meet. Plus, depending on a restaurant’s payment structure (like if they do tip-outs), fully not tipping could make it so it ends up costing the server money out of their pocket to serve you. That doesn’t seem fair now, does it?
- Camping out: You can tell when a server is nudging you to leave. Overstaying your welcome can cost the restaurant money. “With staffing issues and occupancy caps, each table is more important than ever, and timing is everything. Eat, enjoy, get out,” a server told Food & Wine.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mackenzie for comment via email and Instagram direct message.
@getreadywithmack please be kind to those working in the food industry. #psa #serviceindustry #bekind ♬ original sound – mackenzie💗💐
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