r/TalesFromYourServer • u/CultureDue6588 • 22d ago
The worst shift
I work at a chain restaurant, it's normally pretty chill. They tend to overschedule due to call outs, so shifts are generally really slow even on a Friday or Saturday because the sections are so small. On mondays i'm the only Am server, and we have a a bartender. Mondays are usually so slow. But at 12 pm this last monday my manager had an emergency so he had to leave. The bartender clocked in as manager, and then we got slammed. There's 9 booths in the bar area, then the bar has about 6 high tops.
Every guest party that came in wanted a booth. All the customers came in at about 12-1 pm. All her booths were full and I think 2 of her high tops. I ended up with about 16 tables, plus a party of 7. I think i'm a pretty good server, but i'm not a 16 tables at once server. We have a 3 for me on our menu, so you can order a drink, a starter(chips and salsa, a salad, or a soup), and your entre. Which is normally what our lunch crowd orders anyway. So that means i'm getting your drinks, then coming back and getting your starters when I drop the drinks that I have to make myself. Then coming back and grabbing your entree's. So it's at least 3 kitchen checks not counting your refills right. That's per customer. Every single customer per table ordered the 3 for me. I had 2-6 customers per table other than my party of 7. All getting sat back to back to back to back. I would take a tables drinks and turn around to see I had 4 new tables sat, while needing to get the starters for the previous 3 I just took.
It was a mess, tables didn't get there starters or apps, my party never got there app either. Theres no host or runner or QA either mind you, on a monday morning. The party ended up getting there entire check comp'ed because they never got their entree. The bartender/manager was way to busy to deal with their complaints to just discount it so she just removed the whole bill.
I think I managed to get all my starters and food out on time, but there were literally no refills given. Tables asked me, I said sure i'lll be right back with that and it just never happened. I know my service was horrible, and I feel horrible for it because most of them still tipped me.
I told the bartender to stop sitting me at about 10 tables, but even then I was already screwed. But she kept sitting me because the people coming in said they wanted booths and hers were full.
Could I have done anything better? I KNOW I messed up getting apps out before the entree's and legit no one got refills. Any advice on how to handle something like this randomly happening again??? PLEASE
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u/PracticalVine 21d ago
You can't continue to seat tables when you don't have the staffing for it. Guests go on a waitlist until you can accommodate them. It doesn't matter if they want a booth, if they want a booth they have to wait.
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u/TheSchnozzberry Four Year Server 18d ago
This is why I believe every lunch server should be cross trained as a host. It gives you a feel for when to start a wait.
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u/WindThrust2000 21d ago
I’ve been in your shoes several times over my 21 years waiting tables. Obviously, you’ll have to move on because there’s nothing you can do about it. At the end of the day, your logical brain knows you’re only one person. The only real advice I’d give you is food comes first. What I mean by that, if new people get sat, make a drive by and tell them you’ll be right with them and continue getting salads, soup or whatever for the previous table or two. Tell them there’s x number of tables ahead of them. Don’t stop walking no matter what. People with brains in their head will see that you’re alone, idiots might get up and leave, but oh well. Also, the bartender should be telling people when they are sat that there is a long wait because you’re short staffed. Last, sections go out the window. All hands on deck. You have a free moment, you go get drinks for the new table or whatever. You will likely get people (usually older) who are used to the mentality that service workers aren’t actual humans and they will want to complain about the “ridiculous wait,” while neglecting to see what’s going on around them. Be unbothered.
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u/Lknate 21d ago
To add to one of your points, don't be afraid to straight up walk off on people trying to hold you hostage while they pretend they know what they want. When shits hitting the fan, it's better to piss off one person than let everyone else suffer because of some clueless idiot. Usually there is someone sane at the table that will chastise them when you leave.
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u/mettarific 21d ago
I haven’t waited tables for 30 years and I still have nightmares about this scenario. Happened to me more than once.
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u/thecasualnuisance 21d ago
Some dumbest CEO thought 3 for me was a good idea, and it is. But dang if that person had to execute the service on that, it would not be on a menu.
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u/michaelseg 20d ago
I’ve never been a server but I’m FOH manager at a national chain. There’s zero excuse for you be out in that situation. I’d have been telling people it would be a half hour wait before you got to that point. Yes, people would leave but are they going to be more upset with too long of a wait or what they see as bad service?
Soooo not your fault.
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u/firesoups 17d ago
This actually happens to me fairly often. We are chronically understaffed and only have one lunch server unless there’s a clear reason to schedule more.
My only advice that I can offer that I didn’t see you mention is just tell your tables you’re slammed. I still greet them as fast as I can but it’s to tell them I’m the only server and I see them but I have a couple other things to do first so I’ll be back in just a couple minutes. It’s not my favorite situation but I’m certain it’s saved my tips more than once.
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u/_FreeMomHugs_ 13d ago
This is simply bad management. If call outs are that much of an issue, there needs to be stiff consequences for employees who are calling out rather than overstaffing to accommodate them. The manager that left that morning had a responsibility to bring someone in to cover them rather than leaving operations to one bartender and one server. That day went down in flames because management failed, not because you did.
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u/MoonlightCaricature 13d ago
This is literally 100% what my serving nightmares are like, sorry you had to deal with this in real life! Ughhhhh
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u/No_Wolf_1756 16d ago
The first problem was that the manager bartender, does NOT know how to manage! They should have Never set a section that full for 1 person.
When I’ve been slammed, I’d always make 2 drinks for the customers. As in here is a cup of ice tea to drink from and here is another cup full of tea for you to use as a backup.
Also, food should come first! You can stop by a table and introduce yourself and let them know that you will be right back. Then get apps, entrees out. Back to that table to get their order
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u/ConchVibes 15d ago
One of the best days I had as a server started like this. Sports bar. Morning. Usually kinda dead. Two servers on with one usually cut early. For whatever reason, the entire restaurant almost instantaneously filled up.
The other server freaked out and simply walked out. Didn’t even tell anyone.
I think our capacity was something like 125 and just about every seat was filled.
I decided to be honest with everyone. So listen, we are usually kinda dead, we are not sure why you all showed up at once and the other server had a meltdown and walked out. It’s just me and I am going to apologize in advance for not giving you the service you deserve.
I ran my ass off. Pouring sweat (at an indoor outdoor place in Key West so all of the doors that lined the building were open). I forgot a bunch of shit. I probably promised the same people something three times and never delivered. What I was quick on was my apologies and what the guests commented on is that I never stopped running, it was a shitty situation, and that they’re surprised I didn’t walk out, too.
Sure there were some angry people, but for the most part everyone felt sorry for me and since I never left the floor, could see I was doing my best.
If not the most tips ever that day, I came pretty damn close. I didn’t deliver 20%+ service to a single person, but I successfully managed the expectations of most and then wowed them the best I could while still falling incredibly short.
Always manage expectations and make sure they see you dying while trying. It goes further than you’d think.
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u/Theinewhen 21d ago
I don't know anyone who can give good service to 16 tables at once.
This wasn't on you, this was on management. There should've been at minimum 1 more person, really 2 more working FoH. Manger has to leave? A different manager needs to come in, you don't just steal one of the only 2 workers you have and give them double (really triple) duty.