Manners Matter

Dear Mary Pat,

I am a waitress and I keep running into the same irritating situation again and again. When I approach tables to take an order, more often than not someone is on their cell phone. Not wanting to interrupt, I say “I’ll come back in a minute to take your order.” They usually say, “No, no, it’s okay, we’re ready.” That would be fine if they would actually end their phone conversation or put their call on hold for a second, but they usually keep on talking. I end up standing there waiting and it becomes awkward since I don’t want to interrupt again. Instead of doing my job, I end up wasting time which can ultimately throw me off schedule with my other customers. My boss is thinking of having a no cell phones sign posted near the dining room entrance and I’m all for it.

Signed,
Waiting Impatiently
Sister Bay, WI

Dear Waiting Impatiently,

It’s frustrating when you cannot do your job properly. Just as it’s frustrating when people cannot seem to be clued in to common courtesy. As I’ve said before, good manners basically come down to being aware of the needs of others. Your customers are oblivious to those around them, in this case you, and that is rude. When people sit down at a restaurant table, at some point they are going to need to place their orders with a server. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to patrons nor does it take any amount of time to say, “I’ll have the salmon please.” I suppose there are dressing selections and side choices to order, but what are we talking about here? 10 seconds? 20 seconds? 45 at best? PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN WHEN THE WAIT STAFF VISITS YOUR TABLE!

To be fair to customers sitting down to dine, they can’t control when their phones are going to ring, but they can put their phones on silent or vibrate. They can also, pay attention here, elect not to take a call. I know we are trained to answer phones right away, but more often than not, calls can be ignored at restaurants. I don’t know if your boss will be able to honestly ban cell phones, but I would encourage him or her to have a sign reminding patrons to be mindful of others while taking cell calls. For example “To ensure that all of our guests enjoy their dining experience, please keep your cell phones on silent and take your calls away from the table.” A little reminder couldn’t hurt.

Good luck,
Mary Pat