Tips on How to Get Better Tips as a Waiter

Anybody who knows anything about being a waiter or waitress at a restaurant knows that tips are essentially what servers truly live off of. The $3.25 or however much is required by law that employers are to pay servers is there for taxing purposes. This is sometimes a very frustrating fact for servers, especially during any "slow season".

Although business may be slow, tips can still stay up by providing better service to customers. There are always the basics of what the customer wants to order and making sure that the order is correct. In addition to asking if they want to add a salad for whatever extra price or if they want a better quality tequila for their margarita, try to think outside the box for your customers. Do more than what someone else would do. With taking one or two extra steps you can keep your income level where you know it should be.

1. Inquire any information you can about your customers. Why are they choosing your restaurant that evening? Is it a special evening? Are they on a trip? Getting them to talk makes them feel very comfortable and wanted. Everybody wants to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Caution: If they are on a business trip or reading or studying, do not talk to them too much, you don't want to be a distraction.

2. Do NOT talk about yourself. If your customer asks you specific questions, keep your answers short and to the point. Your customer did not go out to eat to hear about your day. They're enjoying their day or escaping their day.

3. What exactly do they want? If your customer doesn't know "medium, medium-well, etc.." for their steak, ask them about specific color / doneness, explain to the cook word-for-word what the customer says and how you interpreted it. Just because you're not cooking the steak does not mean you have zero responsibility of how it turns out. Did they mention they prefer food with spice or might they have allergies? At the end of the meal, might your customer want coffee?

4. Do not forget about them. If you happen to get busy, keep a mental checklist of the tasks you need to do for your customer and the priorities. If you cannot immediately stop to take an order for a new table, stop to tell them you will be with them shortly. Remember, they do not want to feel left out or like the hostess sat them to "get rid of them".

If business slow and you decide to kill time by chatting with a coworker or getting something you might need later in the shift, keep your customer a top priority. If you expect to be gone for a period of time away from the table, complete the task later or ask a fellow server to keep an eye on your table.

5. One more step. Are your customers from out of town? If your restaurant keeps city maps around for tourists feel free to grab them one even if the map is already on their way out. One less task for them could just be a few more dollars in your pocket. If they're in a hurry to leave, might they want a cup to take the rest of their beverage with them? What about mints or the wet-naps for their hands? What if the weather is very chilly outside but your customer does not drink coffee, is hot chocolate an option?

This is not a complete list of every single thing you can do to keep busy and keep your customers in bliss, but they might be surprised to get better-than-normal service. This is to give a very generalized idea of how to give better service. If you're lucky, you might just provide business for your future. Some customers will only return to a restaurant if they get a specific server. Could that server be you?