Harmony in a restaurant is an under-estimated key to the success for both staff and owner of the establishment. It is an important element to have a good relationship with your guests when serving them, but it’s just as important to have good relationships with your work colleagues.
I have talked about this here on howtobeagoodserver.com in a few blog posts before, but I want to emphasize how vital it is for both you and for the restaurant you’re working in.
A servers attitude has to be positive and lively, we are always on “display” to our guests and if we are not in the right mindset or mood then it becomes very transparent. Our attitudes can be altered in many ways (fatigue, health, stress, anxiety, hangovers and more), some are controllable (yes hangovers are controllable, it’s called refusing that 3rd shot at the bar :)) and others are not. One thing that is very much in our control is the relationships with our co-workers.
Like I mention in Support staff a great team makes a great restaurant, if you have staff fighting or bickering with each other then things aren’t going to run as best as it should. Some people take their personal problems with other staff and will bring into the business. These broken relationships start to affect business, which as a result affects a guests experience. If a bartender is fighting with a server, they may delay making their drinks by making other server’s tables drinks first, or the quality of the drink (if it’s a cocktail/mixed drink) may be poor because it’s their way of getting back at them (the same can occur with servers and kitchen staff). The unfortunate thing is that everyone suffers from this.
For whatever reason, if you have a problem with a fellow worker then try and leave it outside of work (obviously trying to fix the problem would be ideal) but leaving your problems at the door when you come into the restaurant and focusing on your job is the approach you should take when you are at work.
This may be a lot easier said than done, but if you are the bigger person and can do this then you can serve your guests the way they should be served, by providing a great attitude, professionalism, and efficiency. It may take some effort to put on a smile and have a great attitude, but in reality, we are being paid to do a job and to be in this frame of mind to show our guests a great time.
Don’t let the diners in your restaurant suffer because of this.
Keep the peace 🙂
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.