Among the many ridiculous questions servers ask is, “Is (insert menu item here) good?” I mean, what do you think we’re going to say? “No. That’s straight trash.”
Patrons, just read over the menu and pick something you want. You’re visiting a restaurant to eat the food the way they prepare it. If you don’t like it, pick something different next time. Whether something is “good” or not, is personal and subjective. I just met you. I don’t know what you like. I don’t know how you like food prepared.
Probably the worst thing you can do is ask if a dish is any good when it’s a food you’ve never eaten before. Do you really want to drop $20 or $30 on food you might be afraid to take a bite of? In this instance, asking me if it’s “any good” is going to serve absolutely no purpose. Don’t do it.
The restaurant I work at makes seafood dishes. I hate seafood. When a table asks me if a seafood dish is any good, I tell them it’s great. You’ll really like it. It might be the best thing on the menu. The only exception to this is when it’s a cheap item. I will likely try to get you to buy a more expensive dish.
Real talk.
Is This Good? Is That Good?,
It frustrates me too sometimes. I work at a Mexican restaurant and I’m a vegetarian. Needless to say, I haven’t eaten 90% of our menu. But, I know the menu well enough that I describe things for people. I explain how it’s prepared, what unique traits our dishes have and what is the most popular. When people ask what I like, I answer honestly but let them know I don’t eat meat so I’m a little biased. For the most part, I don’t ever have customers who are dissatisfied with my recomendations
I don’t ask “is it good?” – that is subjective.
I will sometimes ask, though, “What would you order?” or “What’s a crowd pleaser?” Because sometimes I want the input of someone who works there and knows the what the particularly good dishes are. All restaurants have dishes that are standouts or just “safety” dishes for those with less adventurous – but they aren’t always labeled that way.
It’s not about being indecisive, so much as looking for guidance on a menu where many things do look good to me. I have been steered wrong once or twice, but normally, I get good results.
I found your comment to be informative. I hope you continue to contribute to the site. Thank you.
As a veteran of the industry whenever I have a new server I make it a point to ask them what the worst thing on the menu is. I can usually figure out exactly what type of server I am dealing with with that single question. I can tell by your response that you are burnt out, that you are tired of customers not recognizing your value and as such have stopped providing that value.
It’s no wonder that you have been experiencing less tips and less decent customers; you aren’t trying anymore. You need to focus on customer retention, learn to provide an experience, not just a meal. people recognize and appreciate when you make an effort to understand what they want.
If nothing else stop lying to your customers. I hate risotto, but if I worked a place that served an excellent plate, I would tell people that. Conversely, I would tell them straight up if something is bad. Don’t serve food that isn’t up to par, no matter what your manager says. Never forget you aren’t working for him, you are working for your customers, customers who may just follow you to your next restaurant.
OMG I know what you mean! People are morons when they ask me stupid questions like that. As you mentioned, I have no clue what their tastes are or what they would enjoy. Moreover it does me absolutely NO good to recommend a dish only for them to not like it. Yeah, forget me ever getting a good tip thanks to “my” lousy recommendation. When a person asks me “is this good”?, I simply reply, “What an intriguing question, but I’m really not one to answer that with a simple “yes” or “no”. It’s popular (or not so popular), and the guests I’ve served it to have said that it’s (flavorful, spicy, dry, whatever), but to each his/her own”. On the other hand, I know of one dish that is on our menu that is just flat out weird and tastes horrible (majority concensus), and I wish they’d get rid of it. Many times I will discourage guests from ordering it and let them know that they can get a better version elsewhere. Most guests appreciate my honesty and this shows with good tips!
Thank you!! That happens to me almost everyday! I usually try to find out what they generally like and steer them away from something I think they probably won’t enjoy, but as you already put so well, it’s all so subjective! The last thing I’d ever say is “it’s all good!”, even the guests see through that one! Great blog! Check out similar stories and rants on mine at http://www.clock-off.blogspot.com.
I completely disagree, part of waiting tables is your ability to understand your customers likes and dislikes without much knowledge of their backround. I have no problem telling someone that I do not like a particular item on the menu for my own subjective reasons. ALSO, when they ask that question it is a great opprotunity to upsell an item which is more expensive.
Whenever a customer asks me if a certain dish is good and I haven’t tried it, I’ll tell them that I haven’t eaten it myself, but other customers like it or I’ve never had any complaints about it.