Why Everyone Should Work in a Restaurant: Teaching a Positive Experience

It has been my theory since I was about 15 years old that everyone should be mandated to work in the restaurant business at some point in their lives. Restaurant work, like no other, exemplifies the direct relationship between being friendly and nice to getting a positive response in return. 

I had my first waitressing job when I was 15. I had been regularly babysitting for the owner of a local restaurant and approached him about working there. That summer, I waited tables five days each week and continued to babysit for the family on Saturdays. It becomes evident very quickly in the food service business that good service translates into higher tips. I have used the lessons learned that summer in every job I have had since. You can, as they say, attract more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.

In the university setting, we straddle the line with teaching and with customer service. As we develop programs, curricula and classroom policies that will prepare students for their careers after college, we must also remember that they are paying customers. While holding students to high expectations for things like due dates and academic standards, they are paying a lot of money for that privilege.

I was reminded of that lesson this week with a student who was disrespectful to one of the staff members in our office. I found it to be a delicate balance between offering good customer service and the “teachable moment.”

As I was locking my office door and heading out after office hours, a student came up to me in the hallway and said “Can I meet with you to talk about my internship?” I apologized but said that my office hours were over and my ride was waiting. I urged him to talk with Ruth, the staff assistant in our main office who has on-line access to my calendar and who could schedule an appointment to meet with me. Ruth and I pride ourselves on our student-oriented approach to customer service and to supporting students who are planning their internships. Although we are firm about things like pre-requisites and deadlines, we know it can be an anxious time for students and their families. I walked the student out to Ruth (in what is often called the “warm hand over”) and asked her to help him find a time that he could schedule a meeting with me.

As soon as I left, it started. He began complaining loudly to Ruth that I am “never available” and that I don’t ever answer emails or respond to his questions. He said he’s been “trying” to see me but that I’m “never in my office.” After Ruth calmly and politely attempted to find him a time that fits around his class schedule, he stormed out of the office. Several others overheard the interaction and one student even asked Ruth if she was okay. He was apparently unhappy with my customer service.

My first inclination was to lambaste this kid. Did he expect me to unlock the door, take off my coat, turn on the computer and immediately meet his needs? Later on, I reflected on the situation from several perspectives. First, Ruth didn’t deserve to be treated like that and in fact, continued to be positive in the face of someone who was “killing the messenger.”

As a faculty member, I hoped to find a learning opportunity for this student. I wanted to make sure that we heard his concerns and offered the help he felt he wasn’t getting but needed to let him know there are guidelines for expression of frustration in a professional setting. For a student who eventually wants to work in the human services, I wanted to role model the “vinegar-honey” metaphor.

I checked my inbox. I had responded to every one of his emails, none of which had been requests for an appointment. I reviewed my calendar. There were no prior appointments, cancellations or other times he had been scheduled to meet and for which I had not shown up. I checked my notes. He had not used the “walk in” hours that we have every week for students who prefer to pop-in rather than confirm an appointment. Ruth greets everyone who comes into the office and didn’t know the student or remember his name or face as someone she had been unable to schedule.

My response was to email him, explaining that I had heard about the interaction and that I am available to help him. In that email, I also asked that he contact me directly if he had issues with my availability as Ruth was not responsible for my office hours and that I didn’t think it served anyone to unload on her. He quickly responded with an apology for the “misunderstanding” which I suggested that he direct to Ruth. Lesson learned.

This was not the first and certainly won’t be the last in terms of an out of class teaching opportunity for one of my “customers.” I was reminded of an interview I saw several years ago. I think it was Don Henley of the Eagles who said that being a rock star means singing the same song over and over, in the exact same way. Teaching is about the same lectures, the same questions and many of the same behaviors, one semester after the other. Good customer service means repetition, consistency and sometimes, service with a smile.