The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-28
TRICKS OF ARTFUL WATERS.
RESTAURANT DIPLOMACY THAT
GUESTS DON'T KNOW or.
Power Of . waiter TO Secure Good Gus
tomers-Also to'Get Rid OF Undesira.
bic Ones-Business Men and women
NJ Lunch-Pronts Of the waiter.

expectant waiter.
I'm hanged If I've anything but ten cents
and some L. tickets. Not even my check
book by George he said.
The waiter bowed and murmured
That's all right. sir. To-morrow-the
next time you come in. sir"
take my card TO the head waiter or the
cashier"
Not at all sir. Entirely unnecessary.
You are Mr. Blank Of the National Securities
Company. II is all right. sir
The attendant held up his customers
overcoat. and then. with polite bow. opened
the door for him. This ceremony over he
marched back to the table and carried of
the soiled dishes with the air Of conquering
hero.
From his point Of view the waiter had
scored triumph He had performed a
service which cost him nothing and meant
much to man whose tips had always been
liberal
And he tckled the customers pride by
showing him that while they had never
exchanged word Of personal conversation.
he had discovered the customers name and
his financial standing. 1t is brand Of
fattery which the clever waiter keeps always
on tap.
The head waiter. who witnessed the in
cident, had this 10 say:
A waiter like that il worth money to us.
He knows his place and keeps it, yet il
ob-ervant and can give Us points on all
his regular customers. Now, had MIR.
Blank been called upon to explain his posi-
ton to our cashier, he would have settled
his account by sending the money by mes
songcr. but hardly think he would have
patronized the restaurant again The
memory of to-day's experience would have
embarrassed him. The walters quick wit
saved him any annoyance and won us a
good regular customer.
why could the waiter do this without
consulting his superior? Simply because
he works on a percentage. So much of
each order charged up to him remains
in his pocket. 1t is his commission, in
lieu of a salary.
MANY of the hest restaurants in the
financial district pay their walters a COM
mission instead of salary. 1t is to the
employers interest to do so. A waiter
who works on a commission, il he Is at
tentive, and keen at making up menus. will
increase his commission at the expense of
his customers, to be sure, but he makes
business brisk.
For instance, a nervous, over-worked
man whose digestion is out Of order. comes
in with no definite idea of what he wants.
Before he is fairly seated at the table he
has some papers spread before him, and
he regards the Introduction of a menu as
a highly irritating interruption,
-Your observant waiter knows this and
dscreetly suggests something particularly
delicate and appetizing. selected from the
entrees or game list. The customer mods
his head, and the waiter continues to build
up luncheon that sounds good the custo-
mer not even looking at the price list.
His check may surprise him at the end
of the meal but he does not complain,
because the lunch has tasted good and he
feels better than when he came in. The
to line his own purse.
Business men who want the best service
usually patronage one cafe quite regularly
and have their favorte waiter. Their tips
NAV not be so large as those Of some tran
silent customers, but the waiter learns TO
| depend upon them as part Of his steady
income.
in consequence, the regular customer
| gets more than a polite bow Of recognition
ard prompt attention, In fact, he secures
small favors which he does not fully reali.
which the uninitiated never receive.
For instance. when he orders oyster
! cocktails, his attendant, appreciative Of
past favors and hopeful for the future,
| docs not send this order to the kitchen. He
orders raw oysters and carefully mixes the
| cocktail sauce himself from condiments
selected from the dining-room table.
what difference does this make? Oyster
| cocktails mixed in the kitchen as a rule
contain seconds instead Of frsts: in other
words. oysters smaller than those served
on the haf-shel. The condiments in the
kitchen are also seconds. while only the
best sauces and favorings are set forth
in the dining room. That is just one of
the regular walters little tricks to favor the
Gust omer he likes.
"Thc walters great ambition is to estab-
lish and hold line Of customers. When
d'h6te dinners and theatre snppers are feat
urcs of the trade, l remember one waiter
who was often driven to his wits end 20 ac-
commodate his regular customers.
He had charge OF three small tables,
| believe ne could have filed one side of
| the dining room with People who liked
| him TO serve them. Patrons actually
waited half an hour to secure place at
| his tables.
did We raise his salary? That was not
necessary. His customers saw TO that
We paid him 81 a week. His income ran
| from $40 to $40 And he earned il.
Il was told by well-dressed woman
the other day that when she came down
| town she always unched here with her
husband, because, as she explained it quite
| naivelv, her husbands waiter always re-
members her fondness for branded cherries
| She never drinks cocktails, but once in the
| presence OF this waiter she remarked that
| she would like to take them just for the
sake of the cherries. Now, whenever the
wife accompanies her husband, the waiter
| thoughtfully adds couple of extra cherries
to the cocktail, and these the wife care
fully fishes out with toothpick.
| A diplomatic waiter is useful to us in
| many ways. He can sometimes rid us
| of undesirable customers.
| Last summer a man OF considerable
| wealth and eccentric habits came here
each day for lunch. He sat at that small
table opposite you, and the first thing he
did after sitting down was to take OF his
shoes. There he sat day after day. with
one shoeless foot resting on a stool and
stuck ON in full view OF our oth her Gust omers
'The matter called forth unpleasant
comment. but We did not know what TO do
Finally one Of the walters remarked: II
YOU agree to stand by me I'll get rid Of
| that man.
'We agreed, and the nest day the waitel
came down the aisls with q cup Of coffee
in his hand, Just pefor4 he reached the