There is nothing more annoying for a Server than to walk up to a table and start their greeting, only to notice that one of the customers is having a conversation on their cell phone.
The characteristic that defines a true cell phone talker customer is that he/she chooses to not stop talking on the phone once the Server has reached the table.
As a Server, a few questions about how to handle this situation immediately pop into one’s mind:
- Do I awkwardly stand at the table waiting for the customer to finish what must be the most important call of their life?
- Do I try to over-talk the cell phone talker?
- Do I stop my greeting half way through and walk away feeling defeated?
Unfortunately, the only way to save the situation, and to still get a tip is to apologize for interrupting their conversation.
Being a Server isn’t easy.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
I usually walk up to the table, make eye contact with the person on their phone, then tell the other guests that I’ll be back when the other member of the party is off their phone. I give them a smile and turn to walk away and nine times out of ten they’ll tell the other person to put their phone away.
Good advice Christy, you sound like a pro.
My boyfriend, also a server, greeted a table once of four women, which all of them were on their cells texting away. Fornautely, three of the four women acknowledged his prescence when he came to feature the table about specials that evening. The other woman did not, and to her misfortune chose the wrong server to ignore. My boyfriend, not an easy going guy, said “would you like to me to continue to tell you the features this evening or shall I text them to you?”
Maybe not so on topic but…
I waited a table of two the other night. Well dressed, young, attractive, gave an impression they were on a date. Well, the woman in the pair was constantly on her phone. If she was not talking to someone she was texting or doing something else with her thumbs and staring at the screen.
This made it difficult to get an order, she would not make eye contact and twice waved me away while the poor guy was paying attention, glad to be in our restaurant and just being a normal human being.
Each interaction with the table was delayed by her attention to her phone and it was aparent he was becoming less than interested in her.
At the end of their meal (and ‘their’ is generous) the nice guy orders a desert to share and an expensive coffee drink for her. He then excuses himself to the rest room(to me.)
I deliver the desert and coffe to oblivious. She doesn’t even seem to notice he’s gone. She continues her texting.
Full half hour later she looks up at his empty seat. She wants my help.
Guy walked out on her and left her with the tab. She couldn’t even come up with emotions to be upset. She just sat there texting (maybe her upset?) eventually paid the whole bill and left.
Her nonchalance suggests this may not be the first time this has happened to her. Guy dodged a bullit there. Indifferent left 10%, surprise! surprized she even knew I was there.
I one time had a lady try to order her friend’s food because it was happy hour and her friend would not make it before happy hour. That’s just fine, but it is a busy summer night and I am serving on the patio. She flags me down and says she is ready to order.. she orders, her son orders, then she realizes she does not know what her friend wants… she proceeds to say hold on I’ll call her and pulls out her cell. I tell her I’ll be right back, and she tells me you can just wait for me to be done!
ummmmmmmmmm ok.