Rant: Restaurants Need Servers!

Speak to any group of chefs and they'll likely tell you that they have been having trouble finding good servers. Pass by any group of restaurants and you may see a number of Help Wanted signs. If you dine at a restaurant, you might the find that the restaurant doesn't have as many servers as maybe they once did. You might also find some servers who aren't as experienced, who may make minor mistakes during the course of your meal. 

You'll also find numerous news articles detailing the restaurant server shortage. For example, the National Restaurant Association has noted that 62% of restaurants indicate they don't have sufficient staff to meet demand. And the cost of labor has increased as well, often leading to increased menu prices.

These server shortages can negatively affect a customer's restaurant experience, which indicates the importance of these restaurant employees. And when you visit a restaurant, which has a proper amount of servers who are all well trained, you clearly see how much those servers enhance your overall dining experience. Not enough customers consider the importance of servers, and primarily only talk about servers when they have a complaint. 

These issues came to mind recently while I was dining at Il Ponte, an Italian restaurant in Woburn. It only seats about 50 people, but has numerous servers, all keeping their eyes on the various tables, to ensure they could immediately react to any customer situation. The servers are all knowledgeable and personable, and their hospitality seems genuine. When they weren't tending to a customer, some servers were wiping down menus. They always seemed to be busy, with a smile on their faces. And this type of service truly elevated the dining experience. 

I also recently dined at a newly opened, high-end restaurant, and the food and drink was amazing. However, some of the servers seemed somewhat inexperienced and unconfident. That detracted from the overall experience, especially when you expect high-end restaurants to provide more professional service. Once has to consider that this restaurant is new, and needs some time for all of their servers to fully get up to speed, especially in these times of server shortages. 

It's important for diners to understand the current server shortage, and to give some leeway to restaurants which are having trouble finding proper staff. And if you's seeking a job, consider being a server in the restaurant industry. When you dine out, please also remember to tip properly.