What Parents Want Their Server to Know

By the time I was 13 I was working in a restaurant. I worked in that same restaurant until I was in my mid-20s. It was the most amazing place to work because it was filled with all of my closest friends. It helped fund my shopping habit all through high school and college. It’s also where I learned how to clean a coffee pot.

I started out in the ice cream room and graduated to a hostess. Eventually I tried my hand at waitressing. My very first day I spilled an entire bowl of Brussels sprouts on a woman wearing white pants. I was mortified but she was very gracious. My boss was not happy.

Over the years I learned a lot from working there:

How people who work in the kitchen curse way too much
How to deal with a boss who you love dearly (honestly) but who always yells
How to manage friendships among various groups
How to be efficient and manage your time so you don’t get stuck working way past your shift
How to up-sell
How to wait on a table with kids

That last one may be the most important one. If you can do a good job waiting on a table with kids, you can get a really good tip.

I never was a waitress while I had kids but if I knew then what I know now, I’d have been a lot wealthier.

Here’s what every server should know about waiting on a table with kids:

Ask if we want the food all at once or as it comes out.

— Chances are the food will all come out at the same time. That’s okay. If it doesn’t, we want to be able to choose how we’d like to receive it. Some people want their kids to eat first and some don’t. Let us decide.

Be ready for our whole order at your first visit to the table.

— We’ve already asked the kids what they want to eat and to be honest, we may be dealing with a “racing against the clock” issue to avoid a meltdown. We’re out to eat because our kids are hungry. Feed them quickly or this may turn into a Snickers commercial.

Always bring extra napkins.
— Always. Don’t wait for us to ask for them. If the kids don’t need them, the parents will.

Always bring crayons.
— Even if our kids say no or look too old for crayons, we can use them. Parents utilize them as a fall back to play the dot game or draw pictures.

Ask the kids for their order, not their parents.
— You earn major points if you talk to our kids and treat them respectfully. If they don’t want to talk to you, then you can ask us. We’re teaching them to do things for themselves and that includes asking for what they want.

Don’t roll your eyes or comment about the mess.

— Please don’t do this. This may be the one meal we don’t have to actually clean up. And chances are we’ll clean up before we leave the table anyway. We’re just wired to do it at this point.

Take dishes away as we are done with them.
— We don’t like mess and for once would love someone else to clear the table without having to do it ourselves.