FOH Faux Pas — Common Mistakes Made By Service Staff (That You Def Want to Avoid)

As such, even small missteps can affect how their meal — and the restaurant — is remembered. Servers often struggle with greeting guests, managing interactions and ending the experience on the right note.

Over my 20-year restaurant and hospitality career, I have opened, operated, managed, licensed and consulted for more than 30 food and beverage venues. I’ve thus spent countless hours observing dining rooms in action. 

I’m also a board advisor to several companies and executive director of industry relations at ICE, where I teach Restaurant & Culinary Management. 

To stay current on evolving service trends, I dine out several times a week, paying close attention to where restaurants succeed and where they fall short. This has made me acutely aware of the nuances that color a diner’s experience.

Here are a few of the service errors I see regularly, along with recommendations for handling them more effectively — and in some cases, avoiding them altogether.

THE GREETING MUST BE [VERY] GOOD

In hospitality, first impressions matter… a lot. How you greet your guests sets the tone for their entire meal, and can influence whether they feel welcomed and valued or disregarded and diminished.

Greeting Faux Pas #1: Asking “Have you been here before?”

Never ask this question unless you know the answer — and only ask if you’re certain the answer is “No.”  Host staff, pre-shift meetings and reservation systems exist to help you track whether it’s the first time or the tenth time a guest is dining with you. While it’s true that you might not catch every guest that walks in for the first time, you should definitely know who has been in before. 

Greeting Faux Pas #2: Failing to Communicate Guest Info with Staff

Don't forget to apprise servers of the guests' reason for their visit.  (i.e. “first time guests,” “repeat visitors,” “regulars,” etc.). Anything short of knowing  and sharing this status represents a failure to properly prepare. 

Greeting Faux Pas #3: Not Acknowledging Special Moments

If you know the reason the diner is there — many reservation systems allow guests to indicate if the meal marks a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion — make sure this information is communicated to staff. 

A few years ago, I went to one of the best restaurants in New York City for a celebratory dinner, and the staff was told in advance that it was my birthday. Unfortunately, I was wished “Happy Anniversary” three times, and I was presented with a “Happy Anniversary” cake. If it had been my anniversary, these gestures would have been thoughtful touches, but as they were incorrect, they had the opposite effect.

Making sure front-of-house teams are informed about their guests can make or break the experience — and when done well, it can turn new diners into regulars.

SERVE WITH SKILL AND SINCERITY

Ordering the actual meal is one of the most important moments of the dining experience. Here, guests rely on servers to help them navigate the menu, answer questions and guide decisions without pressure.

Service Faux Pas #1: Only offering still or sparkling water

Presenting guests with just still and sparkling water options can be perceived as pushy, and even a bit manipulative. That’s because it’s an attempt to upsell by guilting guests into purchasing an expensive version of something that, in many cases, can be provided for free. 

When diners, for example, are with business associates or a first date and don’t want to appear cheap, offering a $12 bottle of water can feel like coercion. Advise servers to always offer tap and filtered water, too. 

Service Faux Pas #2: Over-explaining the menu

I dislike when servers over-explain the menu — whether by detailing small versus large plates or sharing scripted guidance on how much to order. (For example: “The chef suggests you order three dishes from the first section; three from the second section; and two large plates for two people.”)

This is annoying for several reasons. Among these are:

1. Most diners don’t care what the chef suggests — and often, with apologies to my chef and restaurateur friends, these aren’t actual chef recommendations. 
2. When a server suggests a quantity of dishes to order, it often results in guests over-ordering. Here again, is the offensive upsell. 
3. Price point usually gives dish size away. A shrimp dish for $14 is likely much smaller than a chicken dish at $45. 

(Side note: Menu design is a lesson in the Restaurant & Culinary Management program I teach at ICE, where students study the key aspects of a menu including its planning, pricing, layout and design. Find out what else the class covers in the video below.) 

Service Faux Pas #3: Sharing the obvious in response to questions about the menu

When a server is asked questions about the menu, they must provide details about the dish that are informed, specific and additive. The opposite of this happens when a server, in response to a question like “Do you recommend the fish or the pork?” says,  “The fish and pork are very different.”

The server’s reply is neither answering the question nor providing information that can help the guest decide. Worse still, the server’s nonchalant answer could even be perceived as insulting or disrespectful.

To fix this, describe aspects of the dish that aren’t indicated on the menu. This might include things like a unique preparation, a sauce that is particularly complementary to the protein, or the fact of a dish’s exceptional popularity among regular guests.  

Service Faux Pas #4: Asking disingenuous questions when checking on diners

This gaffe happens after the plates arrive at the table and the server is checking on guests. Often, servers will ask something like: “How’s it going? How’s it tasting? Everything okay?” Or, they’ll ask how the burger tastes before you’ve tried it — sometimes even while you’re taking the first bite.

All of these questions come off as disingenuous. The server might already be walking away as you’re answering.

Service Faux Pas #5: Picking up the check before the diner leaves

Not only are you making it obvious that you’d like the guests to leave, they now know that you’re aware of how much you’ve been tipped. Ghosting the table signals to guests that once the restaurant has your money, it has no interest in your presence.

These and many other service principles are covered in the hospitality and service lessons within ICE’s Restaurant & Culinary Management program, where students learn how thoughtful service can deliver memorable guest experiences.