Even before I returned home for the summer after my freshman year of college, I started to think about how I would spend my free time. Correction: I started to think about what type of job I would like to have for three months to help pay for my tuition/rent/online shopping once school started back up. I brainstormed for a little while, and ultimately decided that applying to a restaurant would be a good idea. For the most part, I was happy with my decision, as I ended up landing a job as a hostess at a restaurant in Milwaukee. I had never worked in a restaurant before and I didn’t know quite what to expect. In the long run, I learned many lessons that I never would have had the chance to learn without this job experience.
1. The customer is always right.
This is the rule in any customer service position, but as a hostess, I have witnessed many experiences with this rule firsthand. The customer insists that she made a reservation for tonight even though it does not show up in the system? Simply nod and smile, apologize for “our mistake” and show her to the table as if it is your favorite thing to do.
2. Making friends with the servers and cooks
is extremely important.
How else would I get to eat the leftover cheese curds or the dessert that the customer sent back to the kitchen?
3. Communication is key.
On busy nights, when all of the workers are running around the restaurant like chickens with their heads cut off, effective communication is the only way to keep everyone and everything in order. Everyone needs to know what is going on, and if we don’t communicate and keep each other updated, all hell could break loose. For example, a customer could be waiting too long for a server to come, or the food could get delivered to the wrong table.
4. Multitasking is a great skill to possess.
I’ve learned to have a conversation on the phone while making reservations, while giving a message to my manager, while updating the floor plan, while telling a waiter I just gave him a table. Stressful? Yes. Effective? Hopefully.
5. It’s okay to not be perfect at your job.
We all have days that may be a little “off” for us. As a hostess, I may give one server too many tables for him/her to handle, I may forget to assign a server to a different table, and I may neglect to relay an important message to my manager. Though these mistakes may seem tragic at the time, I have learned from them and come to realize that my coworkers are always there to help fix the messes that I have made.
6. I’ve learned to read people really well.
Analyzing customers as soon as they step in the door has almost become second nature to me, thanks to my hostessing job. Yes, sometimes our inclinations and first thoughts of people end up being wrong, but most of the time we are spot-on. For example, take:
A group of high schoolers: They will most likely order water and burgers, and tip very minimally.
Blind date: The conversation will seem somewhat forced, and they will request to have separate checks.
Grandma and Grandpa’s anniversary: A big loud family will walk in, stay for three hours, request that we turn off the air conditioning about five times (it’s been off for two hours now and the rest of the restaurant is sweating; you’re welcome), but ultimately will leave very full and happy.
The newly-engaged couple: They will sit on the same side of the booth, practically on top of each other. I’m happy for you two, but I don’t think your waitress wants to see you making out all night.
A group of middle-aged women: They will all hug once they all arrive, will probably order salads and many glasses of wine, and stay far longer than usual. Yes, we needed your table two hours ago when we had a half-hour wait, but it’s fine.
7. Be nice.
Of course, I’ve learned this life lesson years ago, but working in a restaurant has further instilled this value in me. We may not always have the kindest customers, and sometimes our coworkers may be having a bad day and take it out on us. However, being nice in return will hopefully cause them to realize that being rude or mean will not get them anywhere.
Though I only worked at a restaurant for three months, I realized that I got a lot more out of the experience than I initially thought I would. I would recommend everyone work at a restaurant at some point in their life, no matter the position. I gained a lot of experience working with different kinds of people and many life lessons - along with a nice paycheck.
