Being a waiter involves hard work. It requires much physical energy and the ability to work long hours. Although the job of a waiter is quite demanding, the pay is not that great. Most waiters or waitresses get minimum wage as their base pay. Why do so many people like this job you might ask? It's the tips. The wages paid by the restaurant are just the bottom of the bucket for a waiter or waitress. The real money is made from pleasing the customer who repays their service with a tip or gratuity. If a waiter or waitress is outstanding at their job, there is no telling exactly what they could make in tips.



So how important is it for a waiter to always write down the order? It is imperative! When relying on the customer to tip a waiter, there is no room for mistakes. A mistake might cost him or her ten dollars, a mistake he or she can't afford to make. Most errors are made due to miscommunication with the customer. Either the waiter or waitress didn't hear the customer right or he or she didn't get the correct order to the waitress pad. Either way, the customer is always right.

When writing an order on a waitress pad, the waiter should make sure he understands the customer completely. If he or she has specific requests or instructions pertaining to their meal, the waiter is responsible to note it and make sure these requests are met. If a meal comes back to the customer and is not satisfactory, the waiter or waitress will be at fault or at least that is what the customer thinks. It is essential to gather all details from the guest regarding his meal. Once again if the customer feels the waiter or waitress didn't do their job, there'll be no tip.

If the order is not written down correctly on the waitress pad, there will very likely be a mistake on the guest check as well. As the customer reviews his check he or she is making sure they are not being over-charged or billed for something they did not have. If this should happen there will be problems, more often than naught for the waiter or waitress. And again the waiter or waitress goes home with five or ten dollars less in his or her pocket. This is disturbing when the waiter or waitress realizes the mistake was made because they didn't write the order down correctly on the waitress pad and because of this the guest check was incorrect. As a waiter or waitress it pays to be always listening and making sure to always write down the order and not just jot it down but write it down correctly.

If you have worked as a waiter for very long, you have probably heard this proverbial anecdote: Why did the customer only leave a 9 cent tip? Because the waiter wasn't worth a dime. Don't let this be you. It's a simple matter to write the entire order down with all special requests. Keep the customer happy, and they will keep you happy.