Everyone who is fortunate enough to go out to eat on a regular basis knows the routine of being served. You walk in, get seated, order drinks, appetizers, food, desert, and pay your bill. Now that last step in the routine is key to your server, as he or she more than likely depends on the tip you leave. While the ultimate goal of a dining experience is to provide the guest with the best experience possible in that restaurant, many guests walk into a restaurant immediately inclined to another opinion.

Now I just mentioned a guest may be, "immediately inclined to another opinion." What I will share with some of you is an explanation of things that some servers often see, something that guests will find absolutely absurd. Yes, we have amazing guests who come in and treat us with so much respect and they are so nice to us. Those same guests treat us very generously in our tips and often in guest compliments to our owners as well. Yet still, there are also other guests who immediately come in scoping out what they can complain about in an attempt to get free food or their bill discounted.

We serve because we want to be there for you. Some servers work to pay bills and others to pay their way through school. We work very long shifts in some cases and while the work is not difficult, it becomes repetitive. Those great guests that we do have make it worthwhile, while those more difficult guests make it more of a hassle for us to push through that day. As many say, you never know what someone is going through. That goes the same for servers, you do not know what kind of day they have had or how their last table treated them.

Here below are six things you might not have known about the restaurant industry, some of the things servers see, or things about your server.

Let us greet you!

Servers love people and we love to welcome them in. We want to serve you and we fully understand the industry. We love introducing ourselves, talking, and giving you all the information we think you need to know to get the most out of your dining experience. It is very frustrating when we begin speaking to a new table and they cut us off by saying "Water" or asking a new question without letting us finish greet them.

We Do Not Make The Rules

Whether you are working in a corporate establishment or a franchise it goes the same: WE DO NOT MAKE THE RULES. With that being said we have no control on what the prices are, if your coupon remains valid or not, or what other restaurants are doing. Each restaurant is individual in itself. Just because you go to one restaurant and they perform modifications for you does not mean that the restaurant you are at now is inclined to do the same. Servers do not have any control over the prices on the menu so when guests make comments asking about prices and complaining, it does nothing but make your server uncomfortable. My final point, if your coupon is expired or does not apply and you know it - do not try it. If it is questionable your server will gladly check for you; once a decision is made through management arguing with your server does nothing but take away from your guest experience.

Sit Where We Seat You

This is something I think every server can agree with. There is a rotational order in every restaurant in an attempt to spread the tips out evenly between servers. Going in order allows everyone the opportunity to have the same amount of tables and have a fair chance at the money during their shift. Sure you might want that booth in the opposite corner instead of the booth or table in the corner the host needs to seat you in, but just try to remember that maybe a particular server has not had very many tables that evening. Another server might be overwhelmed with too many tables as well. Maybe a section is already closed off for the evening. I explain this because many people do not understand why we do our seating the way we do and they do not understand the effect it can have on us.

If You Ask For Something Extra, Be Prepared To Pay Something Extra

Whether it be extra salsa, ranch, chips, nonrefillable drinks, sauce, or pickles, if you ask for "extra" something do not get upset with your server when there is an "extra" charge. Restaurants cannot afford to hand items out for free, contrary to what many people might believe. Unless something says "bottomless" what you receive is portioned out to what you are supposed to get.

Tip Out

As servers whether we have bartenders, table bussers, or both, we have to tip out a portion of our tips to them. For bartenders particularly their tip out is based off of our net sales. This means that if you do not tip us for our services, you are putting us in the negative. Your bill is still raising our sales and we will still have to tip out the bartender the same for your table out of our own money if you did not tip us. Just some food for thought.

Read The Menu

I promise you everything you need to know about a menu is located, surprisingly, in the menu. Read through the menu and the descriptions of the items you are choosing to eat. Then, when you decide you have an additional question your server should be more than happy to help out. It places an added burden on a server when you stop them for 10 extra minutes to ask questions about the menu that you could have read about if you actually opened it.

Our Checks Are Not What They Seem

Depending on the restaurant servers might receive a very small wage around $2/hr or they might not receive a check at all because that small wage is being collected as taxes. Regardless, we do not decide. I have heard many tables saying that they were not going to tip because we are receiving a wage....they thought wrong. Your bill is to pay for your meal, our services are completely different and that is why we rely on your generous tips!

This short list is just some of the things servers experience on a daily basis that a regular person might never consider. Next time you are dining in, make sure you keep some of these things in mind to get the most out of your own dining experience.