Call me old school, but when a server comes up to the table and asks me if I am ready to order, I want to see a pen and paper in his hand. I find it very unsettling to see someone standing there just staring at me, memorizing (or not memorizing) my order. It seems that “paper free” ordering is a growing trend in restaurants these days and I don’t get it. Is this yet another effort to “go green”, or are we supposed to be impressed at their skill? I mean, if a waiter is such a master of memorization then why doesn’t he memorize a text book on rocket science and go work at NASA? When they don’t write an order down, there is always a lingering worry in the back of my mind that the order is going to come out wrong. Granted, errors occur even when the order is written down, but in these instances the waiter can blame the “kitchen”. If they don’t write it down, I’m placing the blame on the order taker. Some restaurants are even more advanced and use hand held, palmsized computers which eliminate the need to write down the order and enter later in a register. These devices send the orders immediately from table to kitchen. Not only does this eliminate errors, but it cuts down on wait time caused by the multitude of interruptions that could occur from the time you place your order until the time the server can get it entered in a register. Wow, I’d like to see more of these!
I discussed this topic recently with several friends and found that opinions are split down the middle. I decided to go straight to the source and find out what the masses think. As with everything else, this led me to Google, which in turn led me to a great article from this month’s Orlando Magazine 17 Service Slip-Ups That Can Ruin a Meal. He concurs with the need for written documentation of orders. Do you? Let me know!
_Laine
4 comments:
Servers need to write orders down. If nothing else, its one more check on the order itself. If there is an issue, one can go to both the server and the computer to find where the issue occurred.
I have no need to be impressed by my servers' memory. I want my food delivered just the way I ordered it.
WRITE IT DOWN! Or else repeat it out loud before leaving the table, having been on the kitchen end of server errors it is very annoying when the server always has the ten customers who "change their minds" after the food hits the table.
Sorry, I meant "when there is one server who gets the only customers who change their minds."
So, revisiting an older posting because of a bad experience. This week Alex and I dined with a group of 5 at Hell's Kitchen downtown. The server DID NOT write down our orders and a person at the table did not get her food. The server admitted that she 'forgot' to put in the order. Meal came late of course and was taken as a to go. No compensation offered. ARGH!!
_Laine
Post a Comment