Restaurant training covers the menu, the computer system and where the clean napkins are kept. According to one server, it skips some of the most important lessons. In a TikTok video, @hannah__lynn16, who says she has worked in the restaurant industry for six years, shares four rules she wishes every new server knew before their first shift, and the first one is about as basic as it gets.
“I’ve been in the restaurant industry for six years, let me give you some tips and tricks,” she begins, promising lessons that new hires will not pick up in their training shifts.
Her Four Rules for the Floor
Number one: keep up with basic hygiene. She says she has worked alongside many people who smelled bad or had bad breath, and in a job where you are talking to people and handling their food, that is a real problem. “Nobody wants to go out to a restaurant and have someone that smells bad handling their meal,” she says. Her advice is blunt. “Take a shower before work.”
Number two: your attitude speaks louder than your words. “Your attitude and your demeanor while you are at work says a lot more than your words do,” she says. Guests and coworkers pick up on a sour mood long before you say anything.
Number three: learn to read a table. Some guests want to order, eat and leave without small talk. Others come in ready to have a great time and want to chat with their server. Picking up on those cues, she says, is how servers make their money.
Number four: keep it in perspective. “You are a server. You are not a doctor, you’re not a surgeon, you’re not responsible for keeping people alive,” she says. “It is a restaurant job. It is not that serious.” When you get “weeded,” restaurant slang for falling behind with too many tables at once, she says the answer is to keep a positive attitude because it is really not that big of a deal.
@hannah__lynn16
Why Her Advice Holds Up
None of her rules are complicated, which is exactly why they are easy to overlook. Restaurant work is physical, fast and close up. Servers lean over tables, set down plates inches from guests and talk face to face all night. Hygiene that might go unnoticed at a desk job is front and center on a dining room floor.
Her point about reading a table is the one veteran servers mention most. The family celebrating a birthday may love jokes and stories. The couple on a lunch break may just want their food quickly and their check without asking. The older diner eating alone may appreciate a few minutes of friendly conversation. A good server adjusts, and guests tend to show their thanks in the tip.
Her last rule may be the most useful of all. Every server gets slammed sometimes. The ones who last are usually the ones who stay calm, apologize for the wait, and keep moving instead of letting a bad rush ruin the whole shift.
Thinking About a Serving Job Later in Life?
Plenty of people in their 50s and 60s pick up restaurant shifts for extra income, social contact or something to do after retirement. Her rules apply to anyone, but a few extra tips can help if you are starting out or returning after many years:
- Invest in good shoes. Slip resistant, cushioned work shoes are worth every penny when you are on your feet for six hours on a slick floor.
- Start with a slower shift. Ask about lunch or weekday shifts while you learn the menu and the computer system. Weekend dinner rushes are a lot to absorb in your first week.
- Carry a notepad. Even experienced servers write orders down. It cuts mistakes and frees your memory for drink refills and special requests.
- Learn the menu by tasting it. Ask if staff can try dishes. Describing food you have eaten yourself is easier and more convincing.
- Use your life experience. Patience, manners and the ability to talk with all kinds of people are exactly what reading a table requires, and many older workers already have them in spades.
- Take care of your body. Keep a water bottle in the back, eat something before your shift, and take your breaks when they are offered. Running on empty makes a rush feel twice as long.
- Know how you will be paid. Ask how the restaurant handles tips, whether tips are pooled or shared with bussers and bartenders, and what the hourly base pay is before you accept the job.
For diners, her video is a nice peek behind the swinging kitchen door. The next time a server leaves you alone to enjoy your conversation, or stops to chat when you seem in the mood, it is probably not an accident. Reading the table is a skill, and good servers practice it on every shift.
And if your server seems flustered on a packed Friday night, remember her fourth rule. They are doing their best in a busy room, and a little patience from the table makes the job easier for everyone.
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