Project 1 Draft 3

        A community I find myself with in is a worker in the restaurant business. I am a hostess at an Italian restaurant called Agliolio in West Palm Beach. Some people could say that working in a restaurant seems like a breeze. They don’t understand thought that it is not always easy to impress a customer. Once you are actually on the other side being the worker in a restaurant, you begin to see the more difficult side of it.  As a hostess, I find myself dealing with all sorts of people. It interests me because you get to see the different personalities of those who come into the restaurant. You can see customers face become overwhelmed with joy once you tell them that their favorite table is available to them. But it isn’t always smiles in the restaurant. On a busy Saturday night, we could possibly go up to an hour and a half on our wait time for those without reservations. The customers who were thrilled to be dining at the restaurant on the quiet Monday evening now seem outraged at this wait time on a crowded night. It is hard to satisfy the customer with all of their wants when this happens. Sometimes, huge parties come in and expect to be seated immediately even though they have no reservations and it is hard to accommodate with them due to the limited number of tables available in the restaurant. I have had times when customers have yelled at me for not being able to sit them due to no available seating. To try and prevent this possible anger and disappointment, we allow the hungry customers to call ahead and put their names on the wait list so when they arrive the waiting time will be shorter.

       In our restaurant we try our best to satisfy our customers. A way which us hostesses found is very helpful in doing that is through an app called “Guest Manager.” When we are on a wait, this app allows us to put down the customer’s name who is waiting, their estimated wait time, party size, specific request for a table or server, and also their phone number. This has helped us be able to seat tables in a much quicker way. We put down their estimated wait time to ensure that they are seated with in the time that we estimate. If the wait time goes over, the time will begin to flash orange, meaning we have to get them seated as soon as possible. We make sure we put down the correct party size so we can set up their table and have the correct amount of chairs and silverware ready for them. Specific request for a server or a table, such as an inside or outside table lets us know exactly what the customers want, so we don’t have to ask them after we page them. We make sure to get their phone number because “Guest Manager” sends a text to them once their table is ready. This makes it smoother to find them since we don’t have to run around looking for them once their table is ready. They come up to us once they get their text to be seated.  

       Working in a restaurant has taught me people skills I will need throughout my life. It has helped me realize how important it is to be polite and also that there is more to a restaurant than just eating. People don’t realize that food can take a long time because the chef is backed up and has many orders to fulfil, not because your server is taking their sweet time because the servers do happen to be running back and forth across the restaurant the whole night. Some customers don’t realize all that has to be done. They don’t understand that the waiters have many tables to take care of and that they are not all the server is tending to. Also what I believe is underestimated is the work it takes to clean a table. Sometimes little kids smear their food all over the table and the floor, which we have to be sure is clean quickly so we are able to quickly re-sit the table once that party leaves. Servers have to help take care of this mess while also thinking about the other tables they have to wait on.  

       Being a worker in a restaurant is much more than it seems. As a hostess, my job is to ensure that each server is getting sat tables an equal amount of times throughout the night. I have to make sure no server is being over sat, if this happens, they can get behind on the work they have to do for their tables, and it can result in the table being upset in the service they received which can lead to them leaving a small tip instead of the standard 18-20%. I have to estimate wait times for each table and ensure that they will be accurate. If we have a big party that comes in, I have to consult my manager and decided where we are able to put tables together for them and how long of a wait it will be until we are able to get them sat. I also need to remember that if a customer specifies a certain server to attend to them to correctly mark that table with the specific server. Most importantly, I have to try my hardest to make sure the customers are satisfied.

       Being a member of the restaurant community has taught me social skills and manners which will follow me through life. The experiences I have gained from working in a restaurant will carry on with me. I have learned to treat all people with respect as you do not know what kind of day that they have been through and you don’t realize how you act towards someone can really affect them. Perspectives and views are often different on the outside than the inside as you don’t truly know the amount of work and dedication that goes into a job that you haven’t experienced. Working in a restaurant has showed me another side of people and how their personalities can change based on the experience they have throughout the night. It has shown me how a table which seems serious can leave with huge smiles across their face and even how customers who seemed delighted to be dining in leave upset and angry. Working in the restaurant business has been very important to me and has made me have a different view of the restaurant industry. While working in the restaurant, we try to satisfy everyone and make sure their experience was delightful.