Topic #4 on service. Asking for help

The true strength of a good service person is when they ask for help and provide direction to get themselves out of the weeds.

Contrary to many servers beliefs it is not a sign of weakness or that a person can't handle the situation. Situations that come up such as;

1) Being sat 2-3 tables at once.
2) Having food or beverage sitting at the pick-up windows.
3) Sensing table maintenance needs to be done.
4) Initial greetings.

There are endless issues that come up in the service business. Almost any restaurant person will tell you the action comes in waves.

If this happens and suddenly there is a self realization that a server cannot keep up with all the multi-tasking. What is a server to do when that happens, and what are the consequences?

1) If you ask for help, it show you are in sensory command of your area/station and are competent, not weak.
2) If you don't ask for help and the customer feels shortchanged on any of the endless service points they expect, they can feel cheated out of a good experience.

Who can help to make sure it doesn't happen as often?

1) The server, other servers, the host/seating staff and the manager. If a server is seated multiple tables at once, or for whatever reason is backed up on providing good service and does not ask for help and provide direction, the host station and the manager on duty can and should be monitoring this and directing additional staff as necessary to help the server. Until a server is experienced enough to ask for help themselves they will need this assistance. After the shift the manager can discuss the event again with the server to help them understand the behavior.