The Art of the Waiter

Society works and lives for the weekends. Weekends are viewed as a time for working people to relax and enjoy themselves. One way many of these people choose to have a good time is a natural pleasure all humans share. It is something every person enjoys to do at least two, three, maybe even four times a day; although, it becomes something one must limit themselves to as they get older in age. Some prefer to do it in the privacy of their own homes, but most would agree it is a better experience to go somewhere new and unfamiliar to do it. This, of course, is the pleasure of eating, and weekends serve as an opportunity for people to dine out. People flock to new restaurants to try new and exotic dishes, or just to enjoy a meal with the company of others. But how many times has a person been given a meal they didn’t order? Given toppings or side dishes they specifically asked to avoid? How many times in the history of sit-down restaurants has a meal been ruined by the waiter or waitress’ lack of attention to detail?

Everyone has an experience whenever they go out to eat. This experience is made up of not only the food, but the service that came with it. It is important for restaurants to have a strong staff of vibrant, lively, welcoming, attentive, and well-spoken waiters to enhance the pleasure of the experience. However, restaurant staffs are always hampered with unmotivated slackers whose sole purpose seems to be to mess up orders. Waiters from any background, working in any restaurant, can be distinguished into three categories- the Fast, the Slow, and the Sane.

The Fast are a breed that are usually very early on in their service career. They are usually found at lower end restaurants which promote quick service over quality. They are the type that usually seem in such a frantic rush to get everything done, that one is never quite sure of their comprehension of the request. They are the type that, because of this frantic rush, forget the little details that are actually important, that make an ordinary experience special. They are the type that, at the end of the meal, fool the customer into thinking “they hustled, worked hard; I’ll take care of them.” But the customer cannot do that, for any waiter can move fast, breath heavily to give off the illusion that hard work has been done. However, for a waiter, it is not just the physical aspect that is a sign of a job well done, but a mental aspect as well. A mental aspect that the waiter completely understands your request and your desires. A mental aspect, that when taken too far, as to take away from the physical aspect, creates the Slow.