So, Whaddya Want?

So I started a part time waitressing job at Elizabeth's English Bakery & Tea House. It's just a few blocks from the house & not quite a full-on waitressing job. It's more like a cafe, it has a limited menu of bakery items, some other lunch type foods and basically just tea. The servers have to prepare the food- make the little cucumber sandwiches or heat the meat pies, as well as prepare the drinks and bring them to customers.

Now that I've finished my second week there, averaging about 14 hours a week, I think my table-side manner has improved a bit.

Because it's more of cafe than restaurant, people come in, look in the pastry cases and we greet them as they browse the treats and look at the chalkboard menus. It's a little ambiguous if we're waitresses, there's no one seating them, no official paper menus and people don't leave us good tips as though we were true waitresses, so my first day was kind of feeling out what is expected of me in that respect. It was pretty busy, it was a bit of a trial by fire. I noticed one girl had been sitting at a table for a few minutes & it didn't look like anyone had taken her order. The servers don't have sections really either, it's a team effort and the staff just divides and conquers based on where help is needed. So I went up to this girl, and as I'm walking there, a friend she apparently was waiting for arrived. The girl that was waiting sees me, and sees that I'm coming to take her order, so I can't turn around at this point! We made eye contact, she knows I'm coming, but at the same time she stands up to hug her friend and before they can even sit back down, I'm standing next to then and I just blurt,

"So do you know what you want?"

Obviously not, the girl hasn't sat down yet.

Idiot.

And how about a, "Hello" first? Geeze.

Anyways, I think I've improved my approach since, I at least haven't done that again!