As a server, if you can squeeze out a couple more dollars from each of your tables, you can take a good day and make it great—or at least good enough to cover a new pair of fancy arch support inserts.
Melanie (@melanienicolestone) recently posted a small, seemingly innocuous table-management tip to TikTok. It’s got the internet in an uproar. The server says there’s a time-saving maneuver that can buy a server extra time without killing the vibe at the table. Her video has been viewed over 83,400 times.
Cheers, Everyone!
“When you’re dropping off their drinks, and you know they’re gonna wanna order, but you don’t have time,” says Melanie. “Literally drop off the drinks.”
Then she shares what to tell them, saying, “I’m gonna give you a moment to ‘cheers’ check on something in the back, and I’ll be back in 1 minute.”
That’s it. Then she goes to tend to another quick task and returns to the table, able to focus.
In more than a decade serving, she says she’s never had a table say, “‘No, we want to order now.'”
According to her, guest salways say, “OK.” She thinks it’s just because they’ve been told what to expect.
Besides, toasting friends and family is fun.
‘You Run Your Tables. They Don’t Run You’
But this trick doesn’t always work, and the internet has the receipts.
“I’m a manager and often when a server is a little behind I will greet tables and say your server will be over in a moment but can I start your drinks for you…at least half the time they say they’re ready now. It kills me every time,” said Jamie (@jcaraballo1017).
Kristina (@kristinnnaaaaaaa81) has another tactic, writing, ” I always take an empty check presenter with a pen in it with me and say, ‘I’ve got to drop this card back off and I’ll be back in a second.'”
And Katie Mccallum (KatieMccallum940) chimed in with, “You run your tables. They don’t run you.”
But Makayla (@beeniebaby) said she goes for transparency, writing, “Girl, I don’t lie to my tables. I just tell them I gotta take care of another table and then I’ll be right with them. They love the honesty and it shows that you’re serious about taking care of your tables.”
How Long Should You Wait To Place Your Order?
According to St. Louis Magazine, which has a dedicated “dining” section covering everything from etiquette to the best bread for a BLT, it’s less about time and more about timing. “Most restaurant training manuals say that a guest is to be acknowledged by a server “immediately, if possible.” An order for beverages should be taken within five minutes,” the outlet reports.
However, that presupposes ideal conditions. So look around and assess what is happening in the restaurant. Are they slammed, understaffed or possibly just ignoring your table? Then, make an informed decision. Are you going to leave payment on the table and relocate, or, are you going to wait and eat? Because the meal will really be worth it (or you’re just that hungry)?
Also, if you think there’s a problem with the pacing of the meal, like the appetizers come out with the main course and the salad never showed up, then it might be time to let your inner Karen out (respectfully). If nothing else, they’ll take the salads off of the check, and they might send out a dessert as an apology. The truth is, everyone is going to have sub-par dining experiences at one time or another. And how you choose to deal with it impacts you more than anyone else.
So whether it’s a chronically rude Burger King employee or the chef who doesn’t allow any substitutions on his menu, you can always just excuse yourself from the situation. Bonus: If you do so politely, you preserve your calm and your dignity and hopefully won’t end up in a server’s online crashout.
BroBible reached out to Melanie via email and through TikTok’s direct messaging. We will update this article if she gets back to us.
@melanienicolestone When you’re in the weeds you can earn back some time #serverlife #servertok #increaseyourtips #serverproblems #tippingculture