Finishing the meal at hand is a chore to be undergone, a cross to bear. Surely there's something less confrontational or casually familiar or just plain crude that waiters could use to gauge the progress of the dining experience. Or an oil change. Complete sentences never hurt. There are no student waiters, no actors moonlighting by waiting tables until they land that big part.
Young waiters are actually apprentices, learning the ropes, the techniques, from veterans.
They are allowed to play small roles, bringing wine glasses, carrying fresh fish to the kitchen, bringing parmesan to grate. Hand gestures are graceful, walks are purposeful, banter is poised. They are all Ginger Rogers preparing to meet Fred Astaire. If waiting tables were a destination career in this country, more servers would be likely to have respect for their jobs, not to mention a respectable paycheck. We spend a lot of money on training and education.