Dining Guide 2023 

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• Remember the ‘golden rule’ when interacting with service workers.

Step Up for Your Server
Local front-line restaurant workers offer tips on how to be the best customer you can be.
By Erin Moore

A lot has changed in the restaurant world since the pandemic turned everything upside down. QR code menus dot every table, it seems; delivery services have boomed; outside patios are still unfurling up and down sidewalks in the warmer months ... and those "hiring" signs still hang in many windows.

While many customers have gladly returned to dining out, brunching like nothing ever happened, what's it been like for those on the other side of the bar? We talked to a few industry people to get a lay of the land—and left their last names off to keep their positions safe. Read on for some tips on how customers can do their part to make service interactions not just satisfactory for themselves, but positive for workers, too.

'Sup With Social Skills?
Local cafe worker McKay notes something that many may have sensed since the pandemic came along: "I feel like people forgot how to be in public—speak to strangers. But on the flip, I feel some people have been so deprived of social interaction they seem in need of friendship from me and my coworkers."

She also notes, quite frankly, that it often feels like some customers are meaner than ever before. The pandemic surely has taken a lot out of all of us, but should it also have taken kindness?

So, Customers ...
If you're feeling back-to-normal enough to eat out (as many of us apparently are), that means normal social skills are in order, too. Service industry workers are ordinary people who have good and bad days, so when in doubt, remember the golden rule: Treat others as you'd like to be treated.

And if you find yourself in the position of being a regular somewhere, and you feel like the people behind the counter are your homies, it may behoove you to remember that they're your server/bartender/barista first. While service workers are integral parts of any community's vital third spaces, they're also being paid to talk to you—even if you have on-fire repartée, they know your order like the back of their hand and they give you free refills. It should go without saying that if your barista is filling more than your coffee cup on the day-to-day, tip 'em well.

The Struggle Is Still Real
Madison, a local server, offers up a reality check: Workers are dealing with "constant understaffing, insane hours" and management that often responds like everything is fine. As restaurants get busier, workers—already spread thin—are exhausted.

This has resulted, Madison notes, in kitchen staff who lack time for food preparation and presentation and who display high emotions and low motivation across the board. Yet, customers still expect tip-top service. Sounds like a situation destined for disappointment on both ends.

So, Customers ...
Acknowledge all of the above and remember the service industry is still dealing with challenges that include low hourly wages and lack of benefits.

Be patient with service workers, even if they mess up your order, because there's usually a good reason—and especially now—for why service is less-than-perfect. Give grace and give 20%, even if your avocado toast isn't as Insta-worthy as you'd hoped.

Supply Chains and Annoying Apps
For Will, an ex-bartender, it feels like the supply-chain situation has never really improved and that impacts the experience dining establishments are able to offer. Acknowledging that, Will said, "could lead us to rethink sourcing in ways that are more sustainable, more dependable and [which] create a unique food and drink experience."

Since recently transitioning from working in service to becoming a customer himself, Will sees the ethics of eating out from a new perspective, too. "Personally, I'm done eating out unless I really know the place is special and has good service. I don't want to pay for a stressed-out waiter to be mad I'm at the restaurant, and then serve mediocre food. I really think improving working conditions could help customers also feel better."

And another thing? "Delivery and QR-code menu shit has made it all worse," he says.

So, Customers ...
You're probably arriving at the end of this article thinking, "How am I supposed to control things like supply chains, or exploitative bosses who make people "clopen" three times a week?" ("Clopening" is service industry slang for closing, then opening the next day—a common and unpleasant occurrence.)

Make like Will and prioritize eating at those establishments that seem to be reworking how they source for their restaurant menu, or how they sustain an environment that supports staff needs. How do you know if that's happening, you ask? Talk to your servers, especially if you're already a regular somewhere.

Will notes, "A restaurant I love is a small place that takes walk-ins only, with a small menu, and the staff have told me that they're paid well. ... It creates a great social and food experience without pretending that you can source any food all year. It has good service because the staff are happy."

And when it comes to ordering out, instead of ordering through a delivery app—which results in some rando coming through the doors and waving a digital order in servers' faces—order from the business directly if it's an option. By doing so, the business will likely keep more of its own money, and your tip won't be skimmed off the top by an expensive delivery-app middleman.

Did we miss a tip? We hope not—and we hope that you don't miss (giving out generous) tips, either.