Learning Service Etiquette at White's Restaurant

While working at White’s Restaurant, my new experience was interacting with a variety of customers while trying to provide excellent customer service and gaining acceptance. The “regulars” would have inside jokes and unique orders that were not on the menu, yet Mr. and Mrs. White knew exactly their “usual” order and what they were joking about. Another new experience was preparing food on a large scale and cooking on a professional grill. I enjoy cooking and experimenting with new spices and flavors especially on an outdoor grill, yet I quickly realized that frying eggs on a professional grill is much easier than in a frying pan. My most unusual experience was trying to appease a customer without success who requested her scrambled eggs to be slightly runny yet brown; consequently, after many attempts Mr. White stepped in to fry her eggs. I learned you must be adaptive to meet your customers’ needs and demands because the customer is always right. Additionally, in a small town, word of mouth is the best advertisement, and you need to gain the trust and respect of the clientele and the owners, in other words be accepted as “one of the family.”

They are like funny uncles whom I am able to laugh with and still offer excellent customer service. The work environment is tough during the hours of 7:00 am-9:00 am because this is the time of the breakfast rush. According to TripAdvisor’s reviews, White’s Restaurant is the “best place in town to go for breakfast.” Therefore, most customers come in at the same time, yet everyone needs service as quick and efficient as possible to have time to arrive at work on time. The work environment is neutral between 10:00 am-11:00 am. During this time, there are only a few breakfast customers left allowing us time to begin to prepare for lunch. It is our first real break since we opened the door at 6:00