The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-08

PATRONS FAvORITE ATTENDANT
GIVES HIM BEST OF EVERYTHING.
tiers to His Wishes-HOw Good
Waiter Works Up Trade.

showed under his neatly cropped side
whiskers, and he raised his eyes to meet
those Of the expectant waiter.
I'm hanged if I've anything but 10 cents
and some Il tickets. Not even my check
book, by George"
The waiter bowed obsequiously and muir
INJURED:
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 Sc
curities Company. 1t is all right sir
The attendant held up his customers
overcoat. and then. with a polite bow,
opened the door for him. This ceremony
over. he marched back to the table and
carried off the soiled dishes with the air
Of a conquering hero.
From his point Of view the waiter had
scored a triumph. He had performed a
service which cost him nothing and which
meant much to a man whose tips had al
ways been liberal. And he had tickled
the customers pride by showing him that
while they had never exchanged a word
of personal conversation, he had discovered
the customers name and his financial
standing. 1t is a brand of flattery which
the clever downtown waiter keeps always
on tap.
The head waiter, who had witnessed the
incident. had this to say:
"A waiter like that is worth money to
us. He knows his place and keeps ii, yet
Is observing and can give us points on
all his regular customers. Now, had Mr..
Blank been called upon to explain his
position to our cashier, he would have
settled his account by sending the money
by messenger, but / hardly think he
would have patroniZed this restaurant
again. The memory of to-day's contre-
temps would have embarrassed him. The
walters quick wit saved him any annoy
ance and won us a good regular GUS
toner.
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. Ii Is his commission. in lieu of
salary. Many of the best restaurants in the
financial district pay their walters COM
mission instead OF salary. 1t is to the
employers interest to do so. A waiter who
works on a commission, if he is attentive
and keen at making up menus, will in
crease his commission at the expense of
business brisk.
For instance, nervous, overworked
man whose digestion is out of order comes
in with no definite idea of what he wants
mas some paper spread before him, and he
regards the introduction of a menu as a
highly irritating interruption. Your OBJ
servant waiter knows this and discreetly
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 customer 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 waiter is an artist at
menus and knows how to line his own
purse.
TRICKS OF WALTERS.
Business men who want the best service
usually patronize one cafe quite regularly
and have their favorite waiter. Their tips
may not be so large as those of some tran
silent customers. but the waiter learns to
depend upon them as part of his steady in
come. In consequence the regular custom
er gets more than a polite bow of recogni-
ton and prompt attention. In fact, he Sc
cures small favors which he does not fully
realize and which the uninitiate never re-
ceive.
For instance, when he orders oyster
cocktails his attendant, appreciative of past
favors and hopeful for the future, does not
send this order to the kitchen. He orders
raw oysters, and carefully mixes the cock
tail sauce himself from condiments selected
from the dining-room table. What differ
the world to the connoisseur in shellfish.
Oyster cocktails mixed in the kitchen, as
rule, contain seconds instead of 'firsts; In
other words, oysters that are smaller than
those served on the half shell. The con-
diments in the kitchen are also seconds
while only the best sauces and fiavorings
set forth in the dining room. That is
just one of the regular walters little tricks
TO favor the customer he likes.
1.-The walters great ambition Is to estab
lish and hold line of customers. When
II Cd in mt fn yhar taIl Ia
d'hote dinners and theater suppers
features of the trade, i remember one wait
er who was often driven to his wits end
to accommodate his regular customers. He
had charge of three small tables, and If we
could have given him assistants l believe
he could have filled 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 table.
Did we raise his salary? That was not
necessary. His customers saw to that. We
paid him 81 a week. His income ran from
$50 to $40. And he earned ii.
This waiter was a born diplomat, and we
turned cranks over to him as matter of
course. restaurant crank is a character
worth studying. He will try waiter after
waiter until he finds one who suits him;
why, no one. the waiter least of all. can un-
derstand. BY some miracle the waiter hap
pens, in lucky moment, to please the man
either by tricks of serving or by tickling his
jaded palate with some happy combination
of dishes. And from that moment the
crank is converted. He swears by this
waiter, and swears after another fashion If
his favorite is not on hand when he ar
rives. Trifes like pneumonia or appendicitis
cannot excuse his absence, and. rather than
be served by any one else, L know
crank who seeks another restaurant until
his favorite returns, calmly informing us
that all the rest OF our employees are cows
for awkwardness and cads for bad man.
ners
Speaking of manners, your successful
waiter knows just how far to go in recog-
nizing his customers. He is never obse-
quious or familiar. He takes your coat
and hat and pulls out your chair with
certain CLEAN OF recognition in his eye,
bat, though you may choose to pass the
time of day with him he will not presume
on your pleasantly and enter into CONVEX
sation. He gives you just the right sense
of Importance, then stops. And he never
forgets your favorite dish, your particular
brand of liquor, and your selection in
cigars He would consider it an unpardon-
sort of appetizer you will have. Ii Is his
province to remember all these things.
Il was told by well-dressed woman the
other day that when she came down town
she always lunched here with her husband
because. as she explained il quite naively
her husbands waiter always remembers
her fondness for branded cherries She
presence of this waiter she remarked that
she would like TO take them lust for the
sake of the cherries Now whenever the
wife accompanies her husband the waiter
thoughtfully adds couple of extra cher
ries 10 the cocktail. and these the wife
carefully fishes out with "A toothpick When
the husband comes alone he takes his cock
tails dry, and Harry never makes the mis-
take OF giving him cherries There is al
a twinkle in the mans ewes urba,, ~