Jun 01, 2001 05:38 PM
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Many, many years were spent as a Day-care Worker, but I was also a part-time waitress by night. When I think about it they really were hand-in-hand when it came to dealing with children. As a waitress, I have worked in a few family restaurants. This is what I would like to talk about both to waitresses and to parents, as far as ideas to make a family's night out, a GREAT one!
Some waiters/waitresses dread the thoughts of a family coming into the restaurant, especially during busy hours. I never felt that way both before and after having my own children(but more so after). I had some hostesses who would place the families with smaller children in my section, even if it was not my turn for a table and other servers wouldn't complain. One Italian restaurant where I worked with a waiter alone on a Monday night, would pay me to take ALL the kids.
Here's what I did:
I would always take soda crackers over to the table but asked the parents if they were welcomed(some didn't want them). This helped to tie the children over until the meal came. Drinks weren't mentioned unless asked for by the parents of small children as some didn't like their children to have drinks before a meal and my mentioning the BAD word, would in most cases cause a fuss. I would say something like would you like something before ordering or before the meal but not use the word d-r-i-n-k.Another great pre-meal idea is crayons to color with to keep the little ones busy before the meal.
Next I would always suggest the children's menu. If I wouldn't serve something on that menu to my children I would recommend it to others either. Many times I would suggest the children's order be placed first so it could be started before their meal. The reason for this was if the meals all came out at the same time(with very small children) by the time they set-up, cut up and started the children eating, their food was cold and not as enjoyable. If they had a baby I always tried to make sure they had a high chair or let them know with smaller babies, I could heat a bottle for them. Extra napkins, wet-wipes and directions to the washrooms were always on my mind when a young family came in.
Once the children's orders were taken, I would inform the kitchen, it was for little people and in MOST cases the chefs/cooks were good about it(giving it priority). To those who would be angered by this I would explain 'happy kids in the dining room meant happy patrons and staff'. Most agreed. I also asked(in some cases) not to add garnish to the plates as this wasn't needed and just added to the mess of the table. Kids don't care if parsley was added(now if they wanted to add garnish put a slice of orange). If soup was ordered I reminded the parents of how hot it would come.
I tried to keep the table cleared throughout the meal so there was a sense of the Mom being pampered, it always bothered me when servers neglected young families, yet they(to me) were the most deserving of pampering. I loved to talk to the children as well. Spills were not played up but rather played down. I simply cleaned it and informed them it was my job to clean it and that big people made messes too!
When the children were finished and if the parents were still eating, I would clear away things and offer the children a chance to draw me a picture. I never offered dessert but rather asked if anything else was wanted. Desserts were usually an added cost for young families and once mentioned it was wanted by the little patrons. I made that the parent's choice. I had a boss yell at me for not pushing dessert in this situation, I tried to explain, the parents would continue coming if they liked how things were handled.
I only offered candy with the bill if the parents wanted it(after spelling it out c-a-n-d-y). Small children couldn't eat hard candy and lollipops made a terrible mess in the car. I never gave out balloons to small children under 5 as they are dangerous(they can break and a piece be swallowed). A child can die from a very small piece of the balloon(when swallowed the more the child tries to breath the more the balloon swells and the child suffocates). This happened to a 4 yr. old girl in our area while visiting her Grandmother. Something you might want to keep in mind.
If you are the parent, work with the server and vice versa. All will benefit from the experience. There usually wasn't a big tip after the meal and that was also the reason why some never like serving such tables but as a struggling parent, I understood why money was there just for a basic meal and these parents deserved a night out too. I didn't expect it! I enjoyed my job and I enjoyed kids, so I felt what goes around comes around. I wanted to be treated well so I served well. I wasn't the greatest waitress but I did the best I could and that made life easier(I hope) for everyone concerned.
Have you eaten out lately, as a family?
