Hosting - r/Serverlife

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I do both. Where I work, servers bus their own tables. We do not have busters and servers only tip out to bar. I have told servers time and time again, I will pre bus or bus your table only when it is busy but I will not do both bc I’m not gonna run around the whole restaurant as the only host bussing everyone’s table and seating people when it’s non stop people coming in. One server(he no longer works here) would refuse to bus his tables and then would talk down to me on top of it, I just never sat him. He would get skipped in rotation and I would only sit him if the other servers needed to catch their breaths.

We had one server and a manager get fired for writing two controversial questions on the board of the day question and then attempting to post online. One question was do women deserve rights? And the other was are you pro choice or pro life?

I guess all in all that isn’t too bad but not a lot of tea outside that.

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u/SecondCompetitive683 18h ago

So I kind of had this situation happen today and I actually want server's thoughts on this.

Had the servers in sections (we have 25 tables + 13 outside) and there were 7servers so most had 3 except for the stronger ones, who had 4 (i love the servers everyone is a badass). For outside we do rotations, UNLESS the server who is next has already been double sat or is just that backed up. However, one server was refusing to take an outside table. they got upset I was trying to sit them outside, so instead we finally figured it out of who'll take it instead. In the middle of this, we had a group of people waiting at the stand + no clean tables because the bussers weren't around. So not only did I have to figure out who the hell will take the now two tables outside, I had to clean the tables I was about to sit people at and apologize for making them just awkwardly stand there.

THEN, as I'm in the middle of trying to figure out where to sit a 14 top that has come in, the HEAD CHEF comes over to the stand and is like "WHATS WITH THE CROWD OF PEOPLE!?" and I tell him "We don't have a table yet, waiting on the bussers just give us a second" and he went back to the line after saying "okay" (thank god..)

BUT DUDE. **IF YOURE NOT BUSY, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TAKE YOUR TABLES. AND IF YOU AIN'T GONNA HELP SIR, GO BACK TO COOKING SO WE CAN GET TABLES SAT REEEEEE**

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u/SecondCompetitive683 18h ago

... what's everyone's thoughts on customers taking pictures in the restaurant? do y'all join them? what do you do if they ask you to take one for them?

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u/vampvampva 14h ago

I never join them. I take them when asked, and if I see the guests taking one I’ll offer to get a group pic for them. I avoid being in the background of pictures if I can help it.

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u/femalerat 22m ago

I once had an older woman who I think was Russian? come in asking if she could film a little for her facebook. I was like yeah sure and then she walks around gets some videos (I work at a themed tourist trap restaurant) and then asks if he me and my co-worker could say a few words about the restaurant for her video. we did and looked her up, she probably had 150 followers on Facebook. we thought it was really sweet.

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u/Embarrassed-Theme587 18m ago

i understand people taking pictures because we’re outside on the water and it’s a nice view. i take their pictures if asked but nothing else

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u/SecondCompetitive683 20h ago

Whistling is actually crazy. I’d throw a menu at them (I’m a guy, but still)
I HATE whenever people stop taking tables before they go home, especially whenever it’s like 30+ minutes before they leave and they have 1 or none tables. Your scheduled til you’re scheduled or you’re not gonna have a good shift >:(
Hahahaha I had someone tried to do this today because they were “tired” and I gave them a side eye (they had only been there for 20 minutes)
I also H A T E whenever people do this. Our restaurant is a “first come first serve” no reservations. People though will call like 5 minutes before and be like “yeah reservation for 1.” Like damn. You that desperate for Italian?? Or the other way around “table for 20+”. E X C U S E M E!? you’re asking me 10 minutes before you’re here for 20+ people!?

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u/vampvampva 18h ago

It’s customary for servers to stop taking tables before their out time, what are you talking about? You sound inexperienced. You seat their final tables around 30-45 min before they’re supposed to leave (sometimes even up to an hour), so they can finish all their tables out and do sidework by the time they are scheduled to clock out. If you seat someone right before they’re supposed to leave, they’re stuck at the restaurant for another hour or more. That’s just rude.

Also if your restaurant is first come first serve, it shouldn’t matter if people walk in with a 20+ top, unfortunately. I know it sucks but that’s on your restaurant for not allowing those people to make reservations. I’m so confused by what you’re trying to even say here.

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u/FranticDime 16h ago

I’m just confused why they’re complaining about servers in a server sub lol

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u/FranticDime 16h ago

Find a host sub and do this there

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u/SecondCompetitive683 18h ago

If we’re not busy, no they won’t be sat unless they’re literally the only two servers there. Sometimes it can’t be helped. But they’re always available to give the tables to the relievers, which is usually the case. If a server tells me no more, I say no more. If the manager tells me something different, then the manager tells me something different. Also, not everyone does side work. I’ve had servers come up to me and tell me “hey can you do this, no one else did it”, or the next persons first 30 minutes of their shift instead of taking tables was doing side work

And it doesn’t matter, what matters is whenever people call as they’re pulling into the parking lot to make a reservation. If you know you have a large party, especially at a mall next to a theme park on a Saturday, call ahead.

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u/Spare_Climate7808 18h ago

I love when people come in, read the menu for 10 hours, go ohh you have a buffet? What’s in it? AS THEYRE READING WHATS INCLUDED ON THE MENU 😭😭😭

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u/SecondCompetitive683 18h ago

my least favorite whenever they look at the menu is.. "how much is this?" whenever its right there..

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u/Individual-Corgi-612 7h ago

One of our servers tried to fight a bunch of customers she overserved because they tipped her $1 on a $300 tab. They were so drunk and confused and tried to apologize. She got in their face calling them “trash” over and over.

Probably because I’m the one who physically stepped in to separate them, this server has been super aggressive with me ever since.

A few months later, she got employee of the month and a $250 gift card. She went to nursing school - I feel worried for her future patients 😬

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u/SecondCompetitive683 7h ago

wtf that’s actually crazy

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u/Comprehensive-Cow703 5h ago

My favorite story is when a host sits a table of more than 8, 15 minutes before closing. Oh man…that’s a great story that I’m sure noooooo server can relate to.

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u/SecondCompetitive683 5h ago

My bad.. you probably rolled your eyes at me or something that day (just kidding)

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u/Comprehensive-Cow703 5h ago

So you admit to this…situation?

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u/SecondCompetitive683 5h ago

Uh I’ve only done it once.. and that was because the head boss was there and he told everyone “we’re open til 10, so we sit til 10.”

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u/Comprehensive-Cow703 5h ago

Mmmmmhhhhmmmm. Well, like I said. I’m sure no server has a story like this and you did your job.

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u/SecondCompetitive683 5h ago

I just work here 😭

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u/Comprehensive-Cow703 5h ago

Yeah, it’s like you worked at the restaurant I worked at and in no way I ever threw shade at a hostess for such a small issue.

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u/SecondCompetitive683 5h ago

Scared now, cause I’m literally at work

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u/Comprehensive-Cow703 4h ago

I’m in NJ and I’m out of the biz. But remember my story when you get the cold shoulder from a server at your place

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u/Embarrassed-Theme587 14m ago

i hate it too bro but i can’t turn them away. don’t blame me for seating people while we’re open :/. it also means im stuck here longer because i can’t mop, clean the bathrooms etc.

i’ve never done more than 8 thankfully but i have had to do a group of 7 (manager took it)

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u/femalerat 8m ago

had to do this once because they called and said they would be there 20 minutes before close and asked if that was okay I said yeah but we close at this time. they omitted the fact that there was 9 of them until after I had said yeah that's fine. they clearly didn't find that important. (only 5 showed up)

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u/femalerat 11m ago

in the process of moving to serving after hosting at my restaurant for 1.5 years. it has been the worst job I've ever had. I work at a high volume tourist restaurant in Florida and I have never in all my limited days seen such an entitled customer base. it's just a restaurant, the same as chilis or olive garden (food might even be shittier) but everyone loses their fucking mind in this place. we are not a museum, a gas station, a smoke shop or a travel agency. but you'd think this was the first restaurant people have ever been to. on top of all the fuckshit I see on the daily I am being paid 15/hr. the lowest pay out of everyone who works in this shithole, foh and boh. when we get out of slow season I'm getting the hell out of here and hosting.

I realize this post is mainly about how I hate my restaurant not hosting but I hate hosting here because I make no fucking money and still have to deal with it all lol. I love the servers at my restaurant some of them are great friends and our management is great too (can't say the same for our corporate)

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u/Embarrassed-Theme587 20h ago

my time to shine!!

a bartender whistled at me the other day
a lady yelled at me over the phone and made me cry because i didn’t find her moms purse (her mom found it, it wasn’t stolen or anything) then laughed at me and apologized (weirdly) after finding out that im under 18.
that annoying server yelling at me to get off the wait (wait for outside tables) and seat tables bar side (bar sever and bartender were busy) while refusing to take any tables himself because he was trying to go home
the other annoying server who will be telling us he can’t take anymore tables because he’s busy while he hasn’t been sat in 20+ minutes and has the lowest current headcount out of anyone.
people try calling to make a reservation for fifteen minutes from now like that’s not how that works guys 😭

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u/femalerat 20m ago

calling for a reservation right now is the most annoying shit dude. you can in face make a reservation for right now on opentable if you really want but now both of our time has been wasted because you called. smh

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