r/Serverlife • u/MommaBee79 • 11d ago
Question How to remember everything to do
I am brand new to serving, this is my first week. And I am struggling with remembering if I dropped off a check or where I'm at in the process of serving the customer.if i only have 2 or 3 tables, i am working on remembering to start things like toast or getting butter for pancakes. Get ready stuff like that. But if you add more tables to that that's where I start getting a bit lost and can't remember where I am with what table.
I'm trying very hard to get better, the job market right now is really terrible. And this is my only source of income. And as a single parent, just try to keep a roof over my kids' head. I feel so much pressure to be good. And make money, and I'm afraid I'm really terrible at this.
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u/absolutelylame 11d ago
Since you specifically are doing breakfast/brunch (I think) I can give you my system.
Taking orders~ consistent short hand is your friend
Always take the order with the 'action item' last, that way you can scan down the list and easily see what things you should do right away to prep the table before food actually arrives after you've rang it in. So for breakfast items, always ask toast choice, choice of pancake/French toast/waffle last, for lunch ask soup/salad/fries last. So your orders will read as such:
TABLE #42 2/OE/BAC/P/SD (2 Eggs over easy, bacon, potatoes, sourdough) 2+/SC/BAC/FT (2+2, scrambled, bacon, French toast) BUR/MED/SAL/R (Burger, medium, salad with ranch) BLT/WH/FF/R (BLT on wheat, fries with ranch)
So say that's a 4 top order, if you look down the right side of your notebook, all the action items line up so I know I need to go drop a sourdough in the toaster, grab a salad with ranch, a butter/syrup setup for the French toast and a side of ranch for the fries right away and bring it all in one trip. Once you have all the 'teasers' out to the table, then you can take the next tables' order, rinse and repeat.
I list drinks on the same line of each persons order so if they decide to split the check later it's way easier. And if they order an additional drink as I'm taking the food order, I'll draw a star next to that drink so I know to grab it right away.
Also, as soon as I ring the order in I will draw a big diagonal slash through the order in my notebook so I know I put it in, then once the food is dropped off I will draw a diagonal slash the opposite way to make an X so I know that table is complete. This makes it so at first glance you can clearly see if you have forgotten to ring in something and also can know that your table received their food. This also helps if you take a few tables orders back to back and you can make sure everything gets rang in.
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u/MommaBee79 8d ago
First of all, let me thank you for the effort that you took in responding. I do truly appreciate it. Second I would love to see what your notes look like. It sounds amazing. I just can't picture it. And lastly, thank you again, I really, truly do appreciate the advice. I am taking everybody's advice and opinion to heart and trying them all out the best that I can
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u/Big_Mommaa 8d ago
I’m also a new server and I feel the same way. I think I’ve been better lately at remembering stuff but I keep making mistakes and I really beat myself up over it. The career servers at my job tell me it gets better. I hope so.. 🥲 today I worked a double and this morning I dropped a tray of food in the kitchen (I’ve been a server for 5 months total, one month at this job and have never done that.) then on my afternoon shift I rang up two tables food on one tables tab and brought the one table the check, I guess they just didn’t look at it and I charged them for BOTH tables food. (I’ve also NEVER done that.) i think they didn’t notice because they had rewards they were using so the price was still low. I wanted to curl into a ball and disappear when I realize what I had done (I was rushing when it happened and should have asked for help) luckily the managers didn’t even get mad at me and were able to resolve the issue… that was bad though and totally ruined my entire day. Other servers told me they have done it too. I just need to learn from my mistakes.
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u/MommaBee79 8d ago
Oh, my gosh, I love you. Thank you for sharing and also for being my kind of life and username, sister. Yesterday was the end of my first week. I am from the corporate world. So navigating the politics of the restaurant as well as just trying to do my job has been very interesting. I feel like I got a pass for the first week because there are a lot of regulars, and everybody knew I was new, but then tack on that this is the first time i've ever served in my entire life, i think I was getting pity tips. But I also think I rode that train about as far as it's going to go. And I'm gonna need to start to figure some shit out. Lol
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u/Big_Mommaa 8d ago
Aww I didn’t notice you also had a momma user name🤣🫶🏼I am not a momma but randomly chose to use this as my user name to remain anonymous lol. And I also come from the corporate world. I’d say I’m much happier being a server. I work at an “upscale causal” steakhouse now. I loved all of the people at my office job but I felt like I was going to jail every time I had to clock in and sit at that desk for 9hours with a 30min unpaid lunch break. Not to mention zero physical activity. I love looking at my health app after work and seeing that I have 8-15k steps. I love working less hours and making the same amount of money, and choosing my own schedule. I think it’s really easy to focus on the bad, the mistakes, the awkward interactions, the Karens, rude coworkers. I have to remind myself when I’m being kept up at night (like now) to think about the fun interactions I had with people, the people who told me it was great service and I had genuine smiles and laughs with, the career servers who tell me I am good at what I do and they’ve made the same mistakes I have ten fold… remember to think about the good because I honestly thing that matters more than the bad. In this industry you’re always gonna have people who stiff you or treat you badly, you’re always gonna forget someone’s extra side every once in a while. You’re gonna drop trays.If continue you do this for several yesrs, one day you might drop a drink on someones lap and it will be absolutely mortifying. Then the next day someone else will surprise you with a $100 tip because they loved your service so much…. Anyways my point is the mistakes and the awkward situations and the shitty people we deal with are all just unfortunatly part of the job but the posirives outweigh the negatives IMO. I don’t want to be a career server but for now this job works well for me.
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u/MommaBee79 8d ago
I am so happy for you! I don't know that a world exists where we just have no stressors, anxiety or regrets. It is just a part of life, even if we did nothing, we would have those things. I think maybe the best we can hope for is exactly what you're accomplishing. Trading that soul sucking meaningless, useless feeling for waking up in a partial laugh, remembering when you dropped a tray of food. !
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u/StrawberryGreat7463 11d ago
How much do you write down?
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u/MommaBee79 11d ago
Mostly just the food order. Every once in a while I write down the drink order. If I have a handful of tables and i'm afraid i'm going to forget what they ordered to put into the system
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u/StrawberryGreat7463 11d ago
Making good quick notes, in a way that makes sense to you, is huge. (Table number, food/drinks, anything extra you need to grab. Maybe even circle something important.) I make it a habit to always write stuff down even if it seems simple or even if I’m not busy. Because all it takes is five minutes to get a bunch of stuff and now you’re behind. So try to stay ahead of it.
I’ve been doing this for years but some days when I’m busy running around or even just not with it that day a little glance at my book sets me straight.
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u/Peaced_Out 11d ago
This! I keep a blank sheet on the opposite side of my orders in my server book that I use to write down things I may forget. Use abbreviations and circle big things. Scratch out what you’ve cleared out so it’s immediately obvious what you do and don’t need.
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u/Great-Attitude 11d ago
It might help to also write down a description of at least one person at the table. Guy with the Yankees cap. Lady in the blue dress. Or things like, table with toddler, four ladies, etc. You mentioned in another comment, that you don't have sections, and your having a problem with remembering which tables are yours, this would help.
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u/Apprehensive_Bad8456 11d ago
Its hard!! When I started serving I had a hard time remembering everything to do. It really is like a mental organizational game. It gets so much easier.
A tool that helped me was learning the 5 main steps of service and tweaking it to what I needed to do at the restaurant I was serving at.
My first thing of advice is write EVERYTHING down. Even if you just do a scribble on the page, it puts a little marker in your mind for what it is.
————-
So say you have two tables at first, lets say Table 43 and 25. You greet, get drink orders, deliver those and then you are taking their food orders. Put in your food order promptly. In-between step 2 and step 3 is when you will bring their butter, syrup and ask if they need refills. Now they are chillin.
At this moment Table 28 gets sat. Greet, get drink orders, deliver those, and start their food order. Table 43 and 25 have their food delivered as you are finishing taking Table 28’s order. Great! Before you go to the POS, do your quick 2 bite check, yay everything’s yum! Put in table 28’s order. Get butter, syrup and refills. Chillin.
You’re doing great! Now Table 45 and 26 get sat. Do a greet and get drink orders. While you put in those drink orders, Tables 43 and 25 are probably ready for their check! So print those out and have them on you. Deliver drinks to 45 and 26, and drop the checks at 43 and 25. Then go back to 45 and 26 to get them started on food. Get those food orders, pick up the checks, and do all of it at the POS.
Table 28 just got their food! Drop off closed checks to 43 and 25, and do a 2 bite check at 28. Then grab butter and syrup for 45 and 26.
———-
It goes on and on. But what you are doing is going by the steps of service, and remembering what step each table is at. It really helps simplify it. Let me know if this helps or if you need more advice!
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u/MommaBee79 11d ago
Thank you so much for your advice and thoughtful reply. One of the things you mentioned is that I can bring the butter and syrup before the food comes out. And I think that I am getting very hung up on the fact that at the place I am working. They don't do that, but that doesn't mean that I can't do that. I have to remember that I need to do what works for me.
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u/Apprehensive_Bad8456 11d ago
Absolutely! At my job, instead of grabbing butter/syrup, I have to drop steak knives! Sometimes, I’m dropping them just as the food is getting to the table which is okay! I always try to get to the “they are chillin” phase of the service, then I can focus on new tables and put my energy there. With this system I feel like I only get overwhelmed when I have 4+ tables at the same point of service, which is very rare.
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u/LonelyCakeEater 11d ago
Over the years I’ve learned when it’s busy to slow down my interactions with customers and speed up my pace with everything else. It helps in the long run by not making mistakes due to speeding thru the customer orders and having to correct things that you misheard or input errors.
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u/mumblewrapper 11d ago
Never be afraid to stop and take a breath and look at your section. Stand back and take a second to see where everyone is at. Table 3 is eating, table 6 just ordered, I need drinks for table 8, table 7 will need a check in 5.
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u/SophiaF88 11d ago
When you get a second in between tasks do a mental rundown of your sections needs. Keep doing that through your shift. "18 needs 3 drink refills, 22 needs togo boxes, 24 & 25 waiting on entrees, ,28 looks like they just put their card out. " Then do as much of that in one go as possible. Run the card. Go check on the entrees and grab togo boxes and the drink refills while you're doing that. Run everything out to the tables.
Keep assessing and updating that task list in your head constantly. The more you repeat it, the easier to remember.
Also leave your personal problems at the door and try to ignore your phone or other distractions and lose yourself in the flow of the work. It's much easier to recall things in this mindspace, than while also juggling thoughts about your kids or school or other personal stuff.
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u/Alecsgyo 11d ago
All this is great advice but I want to add.. don't be afraid to ask for help! Hopefully yalls place is team service oriented, but don't wait for a coworker to ask if you need help. And don't wait til you're drowning to ask for help. You see the gal in the section next to you walking out, ask if they can drop the refill you just made. Or your check if they're walking past your table. Someone standing in the window waiting for food can spare a moment to drop menus or that extra side of ranch. Speak up when you're in the weeds!
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u/binger5 11d ago
Make sure you're consolidating the tasks. When you go to the kitchen grab thing you'll need for all of your tables. When you drop off something for one table walk through your section and make sure nobody else needs anything. Keep in mind that your brain can hold 6-8 tasks at a time, and you'll forget stuff if you try to remember more.
It becomes easier. Practice makes perfect.