I’ve served over 250 thousand fine dining meals and about 175k bottles of wine…over 30 years as a waiter and I enjoyed it….I felt like I was at a party but paid to serve people and keep my patrons happy and well attended to.

Most of the guidelines listed are standard and it could depend on the restaurant and diners to guide some of the guidelines listed….uptight biz lunch…yes, they’ll want a butler…..fun, sporty resort… they’ll want you to help plan their vacation….every restaurant will have a different crowd.

The best restaurants are the ones that hire awesome chef(s)…hands down!
Chef’s have a hard, thankless job in most restaurants….god bless them.

I learned wait staff does very well if they dine at their place of work once in a while and if possible, they should pull a few shifts in the kitchen.

I also learned the wine lists and how to pair foods well…I outsold every wait person in every place I ever worked by my second year…because I was taught by some of the best….know your product..the food and the wine and everyone will do very well.

Some people are “beneath” being a waiter…I never had that problem…I liked it…I made full benefits and about 60k a year for a 32 hour work week….then I was in a vehicular accident and can no longer wait tables….I miss it…I looked forward to going to my job.

I wish you the best and understand your train of thought, unless you’re operating a very high end restaurant you/your wait staff could risk being called too “stiff” if you don’t adapt when needed i. e. I usually clear a dirty plate if it’s in risk of soiling a woman’s designer outfit…but that’s just me!

Restaurants are frought with issues due to the high exposure of personal contact, be realistic and hire a goooooood chef…he’ll make sure the food gets served promptly and looks good all the way to the table…sheesh…it is his/her art afterall! 

Those are just a few thoughts from a 30 year veteran from some very fine places to dine.