Working in a restaurant as a server can be a lot of fun. It can also be extremely hectic. One of the reasons why working in a restaurant is hectic is because you are constantly interacting with people who are in semi-stressful situations.
Behind the kitchen, there are cooks, prep individuals, and a waitstaff that are all under a level of stress. They are looking to prepare orders properly and deliver them in a timely manner. Anyone who has spent any time looking at a restaurant kitchen understands that it is basically organized chaos. And so this organized chaos can produce a little bit of frustration. Thankfully, in most kitchens, the waitstaff, the kitchen staff, and the prep individuals have learned to manage the stress they’re under in a positive way. So while things are a little bit chaotic, they don’t go out of control.
One of the things that can up the level of frustration felt in a kitchen is when things are not working as they should. Having a refrigerator go on the fritz, having a deep fryer not work, or having a stove not turn on can slow production down and cause unbelievable frustration. It is awesome when a restaurant owner has access to commercial kitchen parts when they need them. The better they keep their kitchen equipment working, the more effective their staff is going to be, the less stress there will be inside the restaurant, and the happier both the staff and the guests will be.
Some frustration is generated by interacting with challenging customers. However, a good server will understand that customers may be on edge because they are in uncomfortable situations. For example, a man and a woman who are on a first date are going to be a little bit uneasy. And some of the nervousness they feel may be transmitted to their server. The same is true when individuals are there for a business meeting, when parents are taking their children out for a special party, or when friends are getting together for the first time after not seeing each other.
A good server understands where frustration may come from, be it in the front of the house or the back of the house, and they adjusted their personality and their technique to minimize any stress they might feel.
