(Not) Writing It Down

On my only visit to Le Francais, the food was, of course, spectacular. But my most vivid memory of the place will always be our captain who, solely from memory, took the entire order for our table of six, then served it flawlessly.
I never experienced something like that again until my wife and I visited Ambria. Similarly, the waiter listened attentively to our choices, sans paper and pencil, then served it all exactly as we had requested. Obviously, at some point he had to write it down for the kitchen and to generate the bill. Still, I was impressed with his attentiveness.
Let me ask those of you accustomed to fine dining-- is this common at that level? Do you consider servers taking orders without writing them down a sign of refinement, or just a parlor trick?

I've seen at at restaurants that weren't so high level, if the wait staff was experienced enough, but I have seen it most often in fine dining establishments.

Wherever it happens, it always impresses me. It's a great way to make a diner feel special. And I'm sure I couldn't do it.

Back in the day, when I was serving tables, unless I was training a new server I would almost never write anything down. I often found it easier and faster to remember and repeat the orders back, than to write the order down

Flip

If it's a table of more than two people, I hate it when the orders are not written down--regardless of the type of place it is. Two reasons for this: the obvious potential for a screwed up order, and also the fact that I don't like waiting and worrying that it might very probably be screwed up once it arrives. Not a relaxing way to have a meal, in my opinion. I confess that I often tweak what I order or ask for something a special way, and when I do so and see the server isn't writing it down, I know my order will be 100% guaranteed wrong in some way.

I once witnessed a paperless order for a table of six arrive impressively without a mis-step--until the server began a recitation of that horrible thing some call a "food auction," i.e., "who had the lamb chops?"

I do have a complete appreciation for the high degree of difficulty of being a server. To be able to do it even marginally well takes real smarts, since it's not unlike three-dimensional chess.

That's why I think it's good practice to commit an order to writing. No one at a table would ever think twice to see it done, since it's so common, and it helps minimize problems. The parlor-trick positive of not writing is far outweighed by all the potential negatives.

Tell you what tho - I've been in plenty of places where the server writes the orders down, and then brings out incorrect orders. Kitchen mix up, or order taking mix up? Probably a few instances of each.

I waited tables for years and the longer I was in the business...at the same establishment...the less likely I was to write down every little item. It got easier and easier to remember orders and deviations from the menu really weren't all that complex. it did take a lot of practice but, honestly after years and years at the same place I'd seen about every variation a customer could invent.

Frankly servers who hold "auctions" either were never trained on how to orient themselves at table (position one at 12 o'clock, etc.) or the food runners aren't trained on how to arrange plates on a tray, or the server is just double checking. It was common practice in my restaurant to place a dish in front of a patron and repeat the order..."Steak sandwich, medium rare"

I do hate auctions but blame management. Good service requires good training...just like every other profession.

There's a similar debate in the classical music world. It looks impressive as hell when a pianist plays a two hour concert from memory, but the potential for screw-ups is great, and the anxiety may actually hamper the performance.

Nice summary of the issue here.

Of course, I've been at plenty of tables-for-twelve where within seconds after the waiter takes the order -- paper or not -- it's suddenly a game of musical chair where Betty gets up to powder her nose and Veronica decides it's time to sit in that seat to next to Reggie to find out what's going on with the sale of the Chok-lit Shoppe, Midge and Moose shift one seat down, so when Betty comes back she's now across from Jughead.

If a server can get those orders right, without an auction, it's a miracle.

Count me in the camp that hates this. I also get anxious about potential mistakes, and it makes me uncomfortable. I realize this is my problem and not the server's.

Back in the day, when Buffalo was the undesputed leader of North Side Ice Cream, the high school kids who took the orders NEVER wrote anything down. That was part of the charm of going to The Buffalo. No matter how large and/or crazy the table was, the orders always came out right.

HI,

In the movie Tampopo had one story thread about learning how to run a proper soup noodle stand. Part of the instruction was keeping up and delivering accurately people's orders by memory. This was conducted at a busy train station with orders and soup bowls delivered at a very brisk pace.

A friend was briefly a waitress. She took drink orders, then returned with a rainbow of cocktails many she didn't even know what they were. She put the tray on the table asking people to identify and take their drinks. She must have been very charming because she got a very good tip from this group.

Regards,

Mostly, I don't notice. I guess I might be impressed if I did notice somebody taking a big order without writing it down, but honestly I don't care. It's up to the servers to do their job however they and their bosses want them to; I'm astonished that some people get anxious about this.

In general, I think servers should be as unobtrusive as possible. I don't mind a little chat here and there, especially about the food, or even a few tangents about the weather or current events, but when I go to a restaurant, the last thing I want to pay attention to is the service.

If the service impinges on my consciousness in any way, that's usually a bad sign. Good service should happen like magic. I should not even have to notice who my server is.

These things should happen without my thinking about them:

- My order should come out correctly.

- My water glass and coffee cup should stay full.

- I should have all the correct utensils and condiments. I should never have to ask for a fork because mine was cleared with a previous course and not replaced. If I order a hamburger, mustard and ketchup should come with it. (The other day I had to ask for maple syrup for my hotcakes in a pancake house!)

- If I do want something, a turn of the head and a lifted eyebrow should summon someone -- and I don't care who -- to my assistance promptly without my having to wait around, wave coffee cups in the air or shout "Garcon!"

- My finished plates should be cleared when everyone at my table has finished that course (and not before) and empty dishes should be taken away without comment. (Given how few people today seem to know how to place their utensils to indicate they've finished eating, I'm forgiving if a plate with food still on it prompts a question, but I hate it when a server or busser interrupts my conversation to ask, "Can I take this?" about a scraped-clean plate.)

- The check should come when I'm ready for it and go away as soon as I've put my money down, without anyone asking "Do you need change?" Waiting around for someone to take my payment makes me consider leaving without paying and almost always reduces the size of the tip I leave.

LAZ wrote:Mostly, I don't notice. I guess I might be impressed if I did notice somebody taking a big order without writing it down, but honestly I don't care. It's up to the servers to do their job however they and their bosses want them to; I'm astonished that some people get anxious about this.

Because, in my experience, they aren't always as good at memorizing orders as they think they are.

Only tangentially related, but I had a friend whose daughter once competed for (and won) the title of fastest bartender in Chicago. The orders were long and complex, and only stated once, and the bartender had to remember everything ordered, prepare it well, and serve it. It was astonishing to see how many drinks could be specified and still have these folks not miss a beat. And this happened round after round of the competition. In the context of this discussion, I don't know that I've ever seen a bartender write down an order.

This thread has gotten slightly perplexing. Everyone agrees that it's good to receive your order as ordered. Everyone would, I'm sure, also agree that orders can get screwed up whether written down or not. We've all seen paperless feats of wonder and disasters which have sprung from the written word. But I fail to see the logic that says unwritten will result in a higher (or even equal) percentage of perfection than written.

Please.

Go to Starbucks some time. They used to do it through some kind of barista magic memory system. Now that they've gotten bigger and busier, the orders are generally written--right on the cups. They've figured out it's more accurate that way.

Also, BTW, I don't agree that customers should be blamed for being customers. Some people do get up and switch seats and chat. Others don't like worrying that their order could go wrong. You may not fit these categories, but they exist. Good restaurants recognize this and train and accommodate appropriately.

LAZ wrote:Mostly, I don't notice. I guess I might be impressed if I did notice somebody taking a big order without writing it down, but honestly I don't care. It's up to the servers to do their job however they and their bosses want them to; I'm astonished that some people get anxious about this.

Dmnkly wrote:Because, in my experience, they aren't always as good at memorizing orders as they think they are.

Oh, I'm not doubting that. I'm just surprised because, of the many things in my life that evoke pessimism and anxiety, it never occurred to me that this should be one of them.

I guess, when it comes to restaurants, I'm generally optimistic. I hadn't realized that before.

Olde School wrote:This thread has gotten slightly perplexing. Everyone agrees that it's good to receive your order as ordered. Everyone would, I'm sure, also agree that orders can get screwed up whether written down or not. We've all seen paperless feats of wonder and disasters which have sprung from the written word. But I fail to see the logic that says unwritten will result in a higher (or even equal) percentage of perfection than written.

I did not read it that way.

I took it more as: getting your order correct is expected; getting a complex order correct without writing anything down is a virtuoso performance. The latter is absolutely more difficult, with a greater chance of error, but (one would hope that) daring to try it suggests a confidence, even bravado, that implies a (much) greater likelihood of getting it right. I hope the waitperson is confident, even cocky, if they dare to take the order solely by memory.

That bravado makes me more confident in their ability ("I am a professional and sufficiently adept at this that I do not need to write it down.")

But you are right that it is harder to do.

And it is a bit of showmanship. In Tapas bars (the real things in Spain) they mostly do not write anything down - you eat and drink, and then when you leave they quickly jot down a bill. Given that there could be fifty people at the bar, I was impressed that they could track all these people grabbing food willy nilly. And, since the bill is delivered in Spanish for food that I did know the price of before eating it, I gave them a lot of trust. Guess you would not like that, Olde School - but I enjoyed the whole experience.

As the Bride would say, it is a pleasure to watch a true professional in action. And I do not stress about the possibility of failure. Somehow that reminds me of the thread a while back where people objected to the wait staff taking their leftovers to the kitchen to pack up - if they go there who knows what they might put into your container if you are not watching them?

Me, I really want to go to places where they are good at what they do. And I like to trust them to be good at it. Call me Pollyanna, but I want to trust people, and I choose to trust them first. If they screw up, then I was wrong, but I refuse to question everyones' competency or trustworthiness just because I know some people are not competent and/or trustworthy. Not the world I choose to live in.

Most people want to do well, and try to do so. I want to give them that opportunity, and my trust, until they prove otherwise. And if they want to do something that seems difficult to me, I admire and applaud. Part of the show, after all.

dicksond wrote:...snip...

That bravado makes me more confident in their ability ("I am a professional and sufficiently adept at this that I do not need to write it down.")

...snip...

Me, I really want to go to places where they are good at what they do. And I like to trust them to be good at it. Call me Pollyanna, but I want to trust people, and I choose to trust them first. If they screw up, then I was wrong, but I refuse to question everyones' competency or trustworthiness just because I know some people are not competent and/or trustworthy. Not the world I choose to live in.

Most people want to do well, and try to do so. I want to give them that opportunity, and my trust, until they prove otherwise. And if they want to do something that seems difficult to me, I admire and applaud. Part of the show, after all.

On behalf of all servers who take their PROFESSION seriously...Thank you for recoginzing that some of us can apply a modicum of smarts to a job that is often viewed as less than desirable and that, more often than not, barely ranks above that of personal servant.

Thanks to LAZ as well for having such high but appropriate expectations.

Diannie wrote:On behalf of all servers who take their PROFESSION seriously...Thank you for recoginzing that some of us can apply a modicum of smarts to a job that is often viewed as less than desirable and that, more often than not, barely ranks above that of personal servant.

Diannie... please don't misunderstand, I don't have diminished expectations for those in the food service industry... just people in general

If it's a high end restaurant, I've never had a problem with the memorization method. But at a mid-to lower end restaurant, on too many occasions, my order is screwed up, or the server comes back five minutes later, and says, "I'm sorry . . . but I forget . . . did you order the . . ." And to echo some here, I get a little nervous with someone who relies upon memory except when I'm in a high end restaurant where I'm sure someone is flogged if they screw up.

That is not to say that I don't have respect for the industry or that there aren't servers at non-high-end restaurants who cannot successfully rely on memory to take orders. But in my experience, it's iffy, and I'd rather they just wrote it down.