Waiters in Europe are seen as a profession, most notably France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain - In Australia it's seen as a filler job while studying and to make ends meet. In my experience I've always sought to hire students from these countries as waiting staff as they seem to understand the service levels required with a minimum of attitude and a maximum of diligence. Just last weekend we were at a coastal town and the waiter that served us was a german girl on study leave - suffice it to say we tipped her in a restaurant that required no tipping because she was so good at what she was doing, even though it wouldn't have been her profession.
I think anyone seeking to do waitering should take a leaf out of the Europeans attitude, not only do they feel like they are contributing to the success of the business, but they get the rewards on top of it. My staff (while i won't say i've had issues) tend to get very good tips and i'm only operating a cafe with a high quality but affordable menu aimed at the younger diner.
|