How do you become a really excellent waitress?

Question

I have an interview with a nice restaurant tomorrow and I don't know what to do. I am 21, and have experience with retail, daycare, and fast food. What kinds of things is he going to ask me, and how am I supposed to answer the questions?

How do you become an excellent waitress or waiter?

Help.

Answer 1

wear hooker heels

Answer 2

  just relax and I can tell you how to be great in anything with one word...practice

Answer 3

great customer service and always making sure the customer has everything he/she needs.  

Answer 4

Treat your section as one big table. Never walk into or out of the kitchen with empty hands.  Pre bus, pre bus pre bus.  The faster you can turn a table the better.  Don't wait for busboys to bus your table.  After a table is sat don't let them sit there for more than 30 sec with out talking to them.  Gets drinks  down in under 2min.  learn children's name and age write them down and use them during the interaction.  Know your menu inside and out.  Up sell drinks to everyone every time.  Push apps and forget about desert.  Apps get people eating fast and adds to tickets.  desert keeps people sitting in your section remember you want to turn tables not make campers.If you can up sell salads or onion rings ask everyone every time.  The bigger the ticket the better.  If you joint sells wine make sure you know your stuff.  do nightly side work when your last table is still sitting there.  Good luck and smile.

Answer 5

Evan O totally works at Red Robin.  If you are applying at a high end restaurant make sure you know about the specials, the ingrediants, and the wines and drinks.  Always give people the proper utensils for things.  Don't put trays on tables if you have to run your own food.  Carry yourself professionally and speak very proper to your guests.  Look clean and nice but not like a hooker.  

I also work at Red Robin and a lot of what Evan O. said was great advice.  But paying attention to details is more important in an expensive restaurant.  If this is a place where you can expect the bill to be at least $100 per person don't worry about the tables "camping" you want to make sure they get and enjoy all of their courses.

Answer 6

Well, I've never been a waitress, but in my travel/tourism class we studied etiquette and restaurant service. The waitress should always be courteous and be attentive to the customer, no matter what. The customer could just be going through a rough time and be rude, but just remember "the customer is always right"  

Answer 7

He will ask you about how you work under pressure (and you have GREAT experience with fast food and retail at christmas!) as well as customer service.

The best way to be excellent?  Find someone you admire who is good and ask them to mentor you giving you pointers and expanding on what you were trained on.  You'll do great!