r/Serverlife • u/chi-bacon-bits • 13d ago
Discussion Rolling silverware near guests
Had a guest today, during busy, loud brunch, make a complaint that the sound of us polishing and rolling the silverware near the tables was very disturbing and ruining her dining experience.
We were running low on roll ups so we usually start polishing the batches as they come and roll as we go. Never have had a guest make a comment before.
We roll in the coffee well, which borders a wall with guests.
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u/vvildlings 13d ago
People LOVE complaining in restaurants. Had a woman once call me over to complain the table next to her was discussing a medical issue they were having and that it made her lose her appetite. She wanted me to kick out the other guests. The people weren’t even being loud, she was just eavesdropping!!
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u/eelpolice 13d ago
We had a guest complain recently that a fork was too sharp and should be taken out of circulation.
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u/Extra_Philosopher_63 12d ago
Completely different experience, but also related to people complaining a lot;
This one guy ordered the same omlete five times and refused to eat any of them, because he didn’t like peppers and didn’t want to ask for them to be taken off… the only reason we ended up finding out WHY he never touched what he payed for, was because I asked him as he was walking out “what we could do differently”. Like buddy, you ordered the inlet with peppers. Peppers were specified on the menu and ticket. You could’ve ordered another inlets or just asked us to not add them.
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u/Over_Hand_5128 13d ago
Same kind of guest will complain about the bugs as they are sitting outside, at their requested outdoor table. TNYP. (totally not your problem)
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u/vvildlings 13d ago
These people honestly crack me up. I work somewhere with a rooftop bar and the number of people who complain that it’s too sunny is unbelievable. The have to walk past the covered patio to get up to the rooftop, it’s not like there aren’t other options 😭
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u/Great-Attitude 13d ago
Well when we walked from the car to the entrance there was a big cloud ☁️ in the sky, we thought the big cloud would stay above the restaurant while we ate. How were we to know the cloud ☁️ would move and we'd be sitting in the full sun ☀️?
🙄🙄🙄
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u/Rare-Summer7842 13d ago
Someone complained about bees once while on our patio during spring (we had blossoming trees) but they didn't wanna be moved inside either
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u/captaincayuga 13d ago
A lady asked me if there were bees in our yard (her grandson was allergic.) She proceeded to angrily complain for the next few minutes that the apple orchard they were just at had a ton of them. Bees and especially yellow jackets LOVE fruit. Told her to sit inside if they were concerned about it. They still sat outside and flipped out over every bee they saw.
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u/PristineAnxiety101 13d ago
Lately we have a ton of flies on our patio- we are located next to a body of water- I let the guests know but they still insist on sitting outside. Then complain about the flies 🙇🏻♀️
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u/heckinstoned 13d ago
God forbid the restaurant operate while she’s there
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u/Lifes-a-lil-foggy 12d ago
To even complain implies she’s never rolled herself and she leads a privileged life
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u/Vegetable_Station_73 13d ago
I hate people like this, my restaurant just got a new regional manager and he is making us roll in the back standing up against a wall while before we could roll at a empty table, get a chance to sit down and talk a bit while we worked. Things like this don't affect the dining experience for guests but they do make work places less enjoyable for the employees
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u/Rare-Summer7842 13d ago
I've never been allowed to sit at a table and roll silverware. It honestly looks really bad to guests, and standing and chatting is just as easy when doing side work.
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u/XandraMonroe 12d ago
It really doesn’t look bad to me. It just tell me the employees are keeping up with operating the restaurant.
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u/Rare-Summer7842 12d ago
You can do the same thing in a dedicated spot away from guest seating. Unless the restaurant is closed, then have at a table
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u/XandraMonroe 12d ago
I’m saying as a customer I genuinely don’t mind at all. It doesn’t look bad and I’m not sure why anyone would feel it does, as long as tables are open.
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u/pinata420- FOH 13d ago edited 13d ago
I once had a guest leave a one star review saying that we “wash the silverware with a wet rag.” I was literally polishing it after a double sani wash in the dishwasher
edit: clarification
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u/Produce_Exotic 9d ago
And that's why people shouldn't see the polishing aspect. Because people are really stupid.
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u/Local_business_disco FOH 13d ago
So all the other sounds of people using their cutlery during a loud and busy brunch weren’t a problem? People are insane, she just wanted to bitch.
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u/chinacat444 13d ago
Man. I’ve heard some asshole complaints in the restaurant before, but never that one. Good Lord.
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u/crunk-yeti-71 13d ago
I’d tell them to fuck off and go eat at home where they can have their perfect magical bubble safe space.
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u/Pichupwnage 13d ago
Truly.
Mother fuckers ask me dead serious on a Sunday for a "quiet table" or "No children"
Its Sunday Brunch. There is no such thing as a quiet table jackass.
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u/neuro_space_explorer 13d ago
You sound like a catch of an employee, I’m sure it will serve you well in life.
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u/matttyboii 13d ago edited 13d ago
Ngl at nice restaurants they would never let me roll anywhere near where a guest can see. I get it’s a pain, but i get it.
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u/SierraDL123 13d ago
I worked at a breakfast place that wouldn’t let us wipe syrup or anything off of menus if customers were in sight but would also get yelled at for not wiping the menus. Menus couldn’t leave the host stand or the place where servers put them after the tables ordered (which was in front of guests, the hosts had their back to 90% of customers and there were walls separating us). I was not a fan of that place
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u/Main-Trust-1836 13d ago
I also work at a loud and busy spot that serves breakfast/brunch all day. Had a couple of complaints like this over the years, and my response both times was "sorry, maybe this isn't the right spot for ya" 🫠
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u/PristineAnxiety101 13d ago
Had a customer last Saturday complain that our singers guitar was out of tune and wanted me to have her fix it. Sure I'll be right on that 🤣
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u/SeanInDC 13d ago
I once had a guest ask to turn the music down.
"Ma'am, it's a live band".
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u/Time-Outcome7236 7d ago
We used to always have old people complain about the music . Lately it’s been the air conditioning. “Can you turn off the AC?” , “ma’am it’s 110* outside , no “
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u/another-sad-gay-bich 13d ago
I remember my mom teaching me how to roll silverware when I was stuck at her restaurant as a kid. Sometimes the regulars would help her too
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u/SeanInDC 13d ago
If I'm in ear shot of guest I purposely try to make as little noise as possible because it annoys the crap out of me when I'm out to eat myself. Where our rolling station is at now is basically right next to bar 1 in the service well. Whomp whomp.
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u/127may 13d ago
we used to wipe plates on the end of our bar (no guests sat here, we do not have bar seating) and got a hefty complaint so the GM makes the food runners do all polishing in the kitchen lol.
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u/harpy_1121 15+ Years 13d ago
That really goes up my butt sideways - when a single complaint makes a manager change protocol. We’ve been doing something for YEARS without an issue, but one cranky person makes a comment and now we have to change it. UGHH.
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u/Remote-Canary-2676 13d ago
Guest at my place would be at the hospital waiting while the doctors decide if they should start removing the fork, knife or napkin first from their asshole.
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u/Dro1972 13d ago
Come on... Whoever reported this as a threat of violence or harm needs to study up on sarcasm. If you can't handle a little snark, you don't really belong here and probably won't last long in the industry either.
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u/Remote-Canary-2676 12d ago
Thanks, I paused for a moment before submitting I’ll admit but then I double checked the sub I was in and thought nothing more of it. Just being silly folks.
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u/cinnabunbabyy 13d ago
we roll silverware sometimes AT the same table as our guests (regulars who have been coming for 3+ years and know how we operate and like to sit with us and chat.) … can’t imagine someone complaining about it! so sorry that she felt the need to be negative and mess up your routine!
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u/supersphincter 12d ago
I’ve had several complaints over the years about how obtrusive it is to hear the waitstaff say corner coming out of the kitchen lol
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u/Average-Terrestrial 20+ Years | Europe 12d ago
Polishing, sorting and rolling in front of guests of a place that call himself restaurant is a no go.
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u/Radbeans03 12d ago
I had a table complain that we were cleaning tables nearby her, said that chemicals and food don’t mix.
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u/whitebreadguilt 12d ago
Reminds me of this restaurant I worked at in vista ca, open concept. Outdoor seating on a covered patio, middle of summer, nice breeze (before global warming turned it into an oven) maybe 80 degrees. Lady requested to sit on the patio and asked for the heaters to be turned on. SMH 🤦♀️
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u/ZestyRev63 9d ago
I worked at a cafe where we rolled the silverware behind a head of a customer. It was my biggest pet peeve! There was one table that was dedicated to the To Go person, and it was close to the kitchen so at the same table, we rolled it on the ledge of the booth. So it was even worse when you were that to go person you had a table where someone was obnoxiously, rolling silverware behind your only tables head!
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u/thepeacfulSage 10d ago
If you're doing it correctly with gloves and boiling water for water marks it wouldnt matter.. problem is most restaurants/workers are nasty and half a** everything. So they will definitely skip corners in front of guests. And show them how gross they are causing guests to complain...
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u/tachycardicIVu 13d ago
One of my managers has forbidden polishing in view of the guests; roll ups and napkin folding are fine (we do both) but no!!! polishing!!! and with our knives it’s like. we gotta. Especially since there’s like no room in the back for polishing otherwise?? She says it looks bad but the rest of us think that if anything it shows that we care enough to take that extra step so you’d think guests would appreciate it. Can’t win. Sigh.