Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Catching the waiter's eye

Can't catch the waiters eye? Here's why.

A study in Buenos Aires found that waiters are very good at delivering the right drinks order to the right person. Part of their technique is that on the way to give the order to the bar waiters protect their memory by not looking at other customers. So the waiter isn't ignoring you, he's trying to keep his orders straight.

Thanks to Mind Hacks for this information.

14 COMMENTS:

Sarah Laurenson said...

I wondered about that last night at the restaurant when the server did not write down our order and then screwed it up. Someone must have distracted her.

fairyhedgehog said...

I'm not sure why there's such a premium on remembering it. It seems much more sensible to write it down.

JaneyV said...

Yes but if you have Peter Dudley with you to raise his finger in the air that all goes out the window. ;0)

fairyhedgehog said...

I'll bear that in mind next time we eat out.

Whirlochre said...

What matters most is the end result of the remembering.

So often, in France, it's a gleefully delivered voila!

At my local Toby Carvery, it's typically, 'was it Stella or extra mashed pertaters? I'll be as quick as I can but the chef's done his back in and if you're having ice cream for pudding you can't 'cos the freezer's packed up...'

fairyhedgehog said...

You've caught the national characters perfectly, Whirl.

Robin S. said...

Ha! Whirl, FH is right - you've got it, buck-o. Felt like I was in this pub in Newton and it was around dinnertime and I was wondering why the hell nothing was happening long after we'd been to the bar to give our orders. Long after. And then we find out when everyone else has been (sorta) served that they're out of jacket potatoes but they've just sent someone to the Tesco's to pick up potatoes so...(and you see some lady shortly thereafter, scurrying away, looking at a list...)

Anyway, I never thought about that - about the not-looking having any meaning other than they were being obnoxious or dense. Good to know.

fairyhedgehog said...

I've never heard of having to wait for the potatoes to be bought at Tesco's. You just can't make up anything that's weirder than real life.

Sophie in the Moonlight said...

I worked in snooty restaurants for almost 10 years & Mind Hacks is totally right. We all had our own memory tricks, but they do require concentration especially when the waiter is "slammed" and the orders are big.

For what it's worth, most waiters do see the little hand-up attention grabber (please don't wave it frantically unless you must, it's rude) in their peripherals. The hand and the table from whence it motioned are noted and filed in the To-Do Immediately list. This is much more effective than trying to catch your waiters eye.

P.S. Please remember that the hand motion is for the whole hand-no hands with just one finger up please. =)

fairyhedgehog said...

That's a useful tip, Sophie.

Ana said...

That is definetly one way of looking at it. :)

fairyhedgehog said...

Hi Ana! I like to find alternative ways of looking at things.

Jessi said...

I always feel bad trying to get a waiter's attention when they're obviously focusing or are really busy. Sometimes it's necessary, but usually I just wait it out until they get a break to come check on my table.

fairyhedgehog said...

Hi Jessi! I bet they wish that more customers were like you.

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