Good Service

My husband and I, along with our two pups, recently took a road trip from the Santa Ynez Valley and up, over and then down the Oregon coast. The coast was beautiful and brash. The mountains majestic. The waterfalls exhilarating. The hiking trails, beaches, galleries and boutiques were all dog-friendly and welcoming.

But at the end of the journey, it’s the people one meets who make the trip most memorable. It’s the precious time spent with a dear friend we rarely see. It’s the delightful couple we stopped for directions who insisted on showing us around the area. It’s our host at a lodging who excelled at hospitality.

And then there were those servers at various restaurants who went beyond the call of duty and made the meal far more than what was on the plate. It was the server who gracefully moved us to another table when he easily recognized that we were uncomfortably seated next to a loudly celebrating group. It was the restaurant manager who warmly welcomed us, recommended the local line-caught halibut, served us an exceptional meal and even threw in a half bottle of wine rather than letting it go to waste at the evening’s end. What a thoughtful and much appreciated treat! And it was the host at yet another eatery who, knowing we were arriving with our dogs, reserved a certain table on the patio where our pups could comfortably stretch out. The food was excellent; the service even better.

Restaurant servers have a demanding job. They work long hours for relatively little pay before tips. They need to wear a constant smile. They need to create a positive dining experience. They need to cater to their customers and make them feel valued. They need to be able to read their customers and meet their needs—whether to engage them or quietly serve them. They must know how to gracefully turn their backs when customers are less than respectful. And they need to make it all appear effortless. It’s a delicate balance. A good server has the ability to stand up to the job with steadiness and poise.

Next time you’re at a restaurant, whether fine dining or a casual café, you might engage your server and recognize that they are there to wait on you, see you, hear you and please you. Service is not to be taken for granted, but to be appreciated.