Top 5 Restaurant Etiquette Tips for Staff and Owners

While dining out the other day, a staff member of the restaurant came by our table with a carpet sweeper as she made her way around the restaurant during a busy lunch hour. It was rather unappetizing to have the floor serviced while dining.

While dining out, I've noticed other faux pas that can ruin the dining experience for guests. Here are the Top 5 Restaurant Etiquette Tips for Staff and Owners that will improve your guests' dining experience:

• Avoid sweeping the carpet while guests are present, especially while they are dining.
• Avoid clearing plates until all guests at the table have finished. It is inappropriate for guests to have to say, "please wait until everyone is finished" as it makes all guests at the table uncomfortable, feel rushed, and makes the staff person look inept.
• Avoid placing a soiled napkin back on the table when a guest excuses him/herself momentarily. Some restaurants find that folding the napkin that has been placed on the chair and placing it back on the table to be a "nice thing to do" and "classy." However, as the napkin has been off the table and in ones lap, it should not be placed back on the table while food is present. Rather, simply remove the soiled napkin and bring a clean napkin for the diner.
• Place both a salad knife and fork, and a main entree knife and fork for each diner. Many restaurants only provide one knife with two forks and put staff in the awkward position of saying to "keep your knife," and the diners in the uncomfortable position of using a knife (now soiled) meant for the salad with their main entree.
• At a brunch buffet, avoid asking diners to use their soiled silverware with their second or more passes through the brunch buffet line. Diners know not to place their soiled silverware on the table linens, yet staff often ask them to keep their silverware leaving diners looking around the table for a place with which to set the soiled silverware. Simply remove the soiled silverware when removing the used plates, and bring fresh silverware for the diners for each of their trips to the buffet.

These tips will ensure that your guests experience a much more pleasant dining experience, and ensure that your staff aren't placed in these awkward and avoidable situations.

  

Name Badge Etiquette: Right Side

I was reading the Variety section of the Sunday paper this morning. There is a section titled "Face Time" which showcases scenes from events around the metro area.

 In reviewing the pictures of a recent event, I noticed that the majority of individuals had their name badges placed on the wrong (left) side. Of those where the name badges were visible, 11 out of 16 (almost 70%) had it placed incorrectly.

Name badges are placed on the Right side. As we shake hands with our right hand, our eyes naturally gravitate to the right shoulder. Avoid making the other person search for your name tag by placing it on your right shoulder. This small nuance can help in building the comfort level of both you and the individual you are meeting.

And by all means, never place the name badge in the center or on a hip pocket which causes the other person to look to your nether regions for your name. Oh my!

Workplace Civility and Negativity

Is it raining in your workplace? You may be familiar with the saying, "Don't rain on my parade!" Have you ever rained on someones parade, either intentionally or unintentionally? Has someone rained on your parade?

At work, some examples of this "rain" are: negatively responding to an idea for an improved process, interrupting others, not listening, having sidebar conversations while someone is presenting, checking text messages while in a face-to-face conversation, speaking down to another, speaking ill of someone behind their back, taking a superior attitude, being demanding, belittling, or intimidating others, and much more.

"Negativity is a little like rain. When there's just a little, you can go out for a walk in it and put up with the inconvenience of a slight dampening process. When the water is bucketing down, especially if accompanied by thunder and lightening, it is hard to find any shelter from which you can completely ignore the prevailing climate." (Jonathan Cainer)

What type of climate do you experience in your workplace? Are you the rain or the shelter?

Six Tips to Creating Workplace Civility and Respect

What some may view as little things in the workplace can be larger things to someone else. Here are six seemingly "small" behaviors that that individuals have within their control to enhance and encourage a respectful workplace:
 1.  arriving on time to meetings
 2.  dressing appropriately
 3.  saying "thank you", "I'm sorry"
 4.  giving praise publicly and criticism privately
 5.  considering impact of words and actions on others
 6.  keeping volume down when speaking near others workspaces

You needn't wait for someone else to "make the first move" to create a better work environment. You can take the first step.

Civility isn't one "grandiose event", rather it is many small things that when lacking, stand out like a sore thumb.

For additional reading on workplace civility and civility in general, see the book, The Power of Civility.

Fathers Don't Miss Opportunity to Teach Manners: No Kicking Soccer Balls in Panera

As Father's Day is approaching, I thought about how a father's (and mother's) duty is to teach their child manners. This is in all areas: at home, at school, in the community, when out and about, including at restaurants (however informal the venue), and many other areas of their lives.

While visiting Panera in Maple Grove, MN yesterday, I saw a young teen kicking a soccer ball around in the restaurant. What was surprising was (1) he was with his father who said/did nothing to stop the behavior, and (2) Panera staff said/did nothing to stop the behavior.

When I looked at the teen kicking the ball, and then to his father, his father simply pulled the teen out of the main walkway while still allowing his child to continue kicking the ball around.

It is important for parents to be proud of their children and provide encouragement for their child's talents. However, kicking a soccer ball around in a restaurant is not only impolite, it is dangerous.

Unfortunately for this teen, his father missed an opportunity in teaching his son the basics of courtesy toward other patrons and toward staff.

If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or other key adult in a child's life, don't let opportunities to help a young person learn civility and respect pass you by.

June Birthstone

Sometimes Nature provides us with perfect examples of recognizing and respecting differences in others. For example, gemstones. Gemstones come in many varieties and compositions.

June birthstones are pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.

I especially love pearls...they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, with imperfections and quirks, just like people! To learn more, about June's birthstones, see: The American Gem Society.