On MSN.com there is an interesting piece on 10 things your waiter won't tell you. My first thought was everything that came up in a movie called "Waiting..."(highly recommend renting it before dinner at a restaurant)
To my surpise, they took understanding approach. One thing missing from these are the cook's point of view. So since I used to be one a long time ago, I figure that some of my confessions are still valid.
1. By law, we can't give it to you raw. That means give up on trying to get the steak unrealistically rare.
2. If you want to complain, ask to speak to a manager. Remember that we have knives. We're probably chopping something and we are used to each other's voices and if you start yelling, it could be dangerous if we look up and continue chopping.
3. We appreciate tips too. Making a couple dollars an hour over minimum wage doesn't exactly make us high rollers. Tips aren't required, but greatly appreciated.
4. I'm not going to tell you what is in the sauce. Not because it's a company secret or we put something illegal in there. If I do, you'll realize you can make the exact same recipe at home for cheap and you'd never come back.
5. If it's 10 minutes before closing, we're closed. Clean up has already started and things are being moved back to the walk-in fridge. We would love to feed you... tomorrow. Waiters are probably happy to get that last tip and the manager is happy to get the last sale.
6. It's ok to mix and match some things on the menu. We've probably thought of it, also. Unfortunately, our jobs are a little less creative than you see on TV. On a medium or slow night, please switch it up. Most crazy requests need to be cleared through a manager first. If you are a party of 18 or more... just stick to the menu.
7. If you ask for something and your waiter or waitress comes back with it and in a foul mood, we probably did something. In the middle of a lunch or dinner rush, servers may ask for an extra cup of something. Most likely salad dressing or what not. I'm in the middle of preparing dishes and sometimes their request gets moved to the side. This requires them to wait and during a rush, a manager doesn't like to see servers standing around doing nothing. So they probably got yelled at. And it was our fault. And we laughed at their misfortune.
8. Don't ask the chef "What would you consider healthy on the menu and how many calories are in that?" In the words of Paula Dean, I'm not your doctor. I'm your cook.
9. Never ask to be surprised. I left before the guys tested the deep fried garden salad theory. I heard that the Buffalo Wing-Style Salmon was OK, though.
10. We probably didn't make the deserts, but we'll happily take credit for them if you are giving out compliments. Cakes, brownies and pastries are usually prepackaged. If it comes to you hot, it probably just left a wrapper and microwave.
10 Things Your Server Won't Tell You
