Just as your server doesn't barge into your cubicle to tell you that you should be using more Outlook reminders so that you won't forget those pointless meetings you attend, restaurant patrons probably shouldn't demand that their servers take their order with a pen and pad. Today's Post describes the practice of waitstaff memorizing their customers' as "all the rage," and describes the effects of such lawlessness on diner psyche, as one tells them "Every time a waiter doesn't write anything down I think three things: One, she or he is definitely going to forget. Two, since when does being a good waiter mean having a steel-trap memory? Show me the pad! And three: I feel anxious." Wait, could you repeat those last two? We weren't listening.
Defender's of the practice say that "it's a more hospitable experience," because "it's easier to make a recommendation or suggestion," and you can look customers in the eye. One server says that "it puts your guests at ease knowing that you're in control of the situation." Not so, according to the Post, as one waiter tells them "One time I pulled out a notepad and a girl was like, 'Oh thank God—it always makes me so nervous.'"
Nervous? Anxious? Based on personal experience, forgoing the pen and pad shows the customer that you are a person too, who's capable of the thinking necessary to choose a wine based on their customers' tastes or recommend a spot in the neighborhood after dinner, not simply an order-taking automaton. Besides, writing things down takes a lot longer, and when your 13-table section is full, it's a waste of time to go through the charade of pulling out parchment. A good server will always return to the table and—GASP—confirm a forgotten or mangled order. What do you think: may servers memorize their customers' order or should they keep their heads down in their notepad, scribbling away for 15%?
