Make a Lasting Impression

• 1). Introduce yourself by name.
  
  
• 2). Be friendly, because friendly people get better tips. Give your customers a warm, genuine smile. They'll feel good about you, and you'll enjoy your job more.
  
  
• 3). Anticipate the customer's needs, such as ketchup for their burger or extra napkins for families with kids.
  
  
• 4). Use humor if you're comfortable. Disarm your customers with a little joke if you feel it's appropriate.
  
  
• 5). Treat all of your customers as you would want to be treated. Don't allow personal bias to affect the way you treat your customers.
  
  
• 6). Remember your regular customers. Learn their names if you can. Recalling little details, such as sugar for their coffee or salsa for their scrambled eggs, will make a good impression.
  
  
• 7). Try a few gimmicks to help your customers remember you. Wear something unusual like a fancy pin, write thank-you on the check and include a smiley-face, and give them candy.
  
  

Take Orders Like a Pro

• 1). Repeat the customer's order to make sure you've gotten it just the way she wants it and to help you remember any special requests.
  
  
• 2). Squat next to the table to take the order if you're allowed. Squatting gives you eye contact with the customer.
  
  
• 3). Impress your customers by remembering the order without writing it down.
  
  

Keep the Customers Happy

• 1). Check on the order for the customer if the kitchen is slow.
  
  
• 2). Look over each meal as you pick up from the kitchen, and check for accuracy.
  
  
• 3). Fix the kitchen's mistakes before you reach the customer's table with their meals. For example, let the customer know that his steak was accidentally prepared well-done and that a new rare steak is on its way.
  
  

Know How to Handle Tough Customers

• 1). Pay attention to your facial expressions. Don't let it show that you're peeved at the table with the toddler who's spilled three glasses of milk. Put a smile on, do your job extra well, and your patience may be rewarded at the end.
  
  
• 2). Be professional and courteous, no matter the situation. If a customer is becoming upset, your gentle tone may help to calm him down.
  
  
• 3). Know when enough is enough. When a customer picks a fight, harasses you or is extremely rude, step aside and bring in your boss to handle the situation.
  
  

Evaluate Your Performance

• 1). Learn from your low tips, and consider each table a learning experience.
  
  
• 2). Ask yourself whether your service was slow, you may have said something upsetting, ignored a customer's request, or turned the customer off in some other way.
  
  
• 3). Ask a co-worker to tell you where you can improve your service.