I'll offer some insight here, but please feel free to ask any questions you may have. If I don't know the answer off the top of my head, I should be able to figure it out without too much trouble. I have worked in every area of this type of restaurant. In a supervisory capacity, I worked as a server, host, bartender, bar-back, manager, and expediter. I opened the restaurant, closed the restaurant, checked out the servers, ran the paperwork, etc. Later in my career, I worked exclusively in the kitchen. I worked as the outside expo, inside expo, prep cook, grille cook, sautee cook, fry cook, you name it.
I'm going to try to stick to fine dining, or at least upscale casual restaurants as it's hard to quantify good service at say Waffle House.
[ul][li]If your food arrives at your table on a hot plate, that means your food was sitting up in the window for long enough for the plate to get hot from the heat lamp. This happens when the kitchen gets behind or some entrees at your table were done long before others. While it may not be a big deal to you, it means your food is not as fresh as it should be. The kitchen knows how long each item takes to prepare and they are supposed to be ready at the same time. This is common in high-volume restaurants, but should not be tolerated where standards are higher such as a fine dining environment.[/li][/ul][ul][li]At a fine restaurant, you should not have to ask for things that have clearly run out. Your drinks should be refilled before they are empty. Your bread/rolls/bruschetta/whatever should be replenished before you have to ask for more.[/li][/ul][ul][li]When your food arrives at your table, your order should be placed in front of you. The server (or food runner) should not call out "So who had the pork chops?". This is known as auctioning food and is unacceptable in an upscale restaurant (is even frowned upon in many mid-scale restaurants). When your order is taken, your server is supposed to note your position at the table. At many fine restaurants, servers are not even permitted to write down your order. This is a sight to see at a table of ten or more.[/li][/ul]A bit of general information about tipping:
Servers typically don't make anything other than their tips. At the last restaurant I worked at, servers made $2.13/hr which didn't even cover taxes. With that in mind, the amount of the tip should be proportional to the quality of the work. I like to start at 20% and go up or down from their depending on the service. If the service is decent, with no major issues, I'll tip 20%. If the service had a few issues, I may tip 15%. I very seldom go below that, but there are times where it's warranted. If the service is better than average, I'll gladly tip more than my average (20%). If the server does an excellent job, especially while very busy or facing other challenges, don't be afraid to show them your appreciation by tipping generously. On the other hand, I feel it's important to understand a busy restaurant is not an acceptable excuse for poor service. The door controls how and when tables are sat, and it is their responsibility to ensure the kitchen is not overwhelmed. Similarly, a server that can only handle three tables at a time should not be given six. You should not be made to suffer because of mismanagement. It is easy for me to isolate the cause of these type of issues. If you are unsure who is responsible for your poor service, reconsider your small tip as it may have nothing to do with your server.
. That's my point exactly, it's just lazy.
