Low Olive Garden Server Scores, Bad Training, and My Potential Options
I've been working as a server at Olive Garden for the past two or so months and have never served prior to this. I've gotten to the point where I can have good days where I'm doing three tables, getting over 20% tips by the end of the night, and have people that go out of their way to let the hosts know how much they like me.
That being said, my server scores are below 80, currently around a 78 or so last time I saw. I've tried asking management for tips for improvement and they said they'd talk to my tables and keep an eye out for ways I can improve. They've said that several times and I've worked hard to implement all of their suggestions they had. I bring the appropriate amount of bread out so it doesn't get cold on them. I have tables set within 10 minutes of them arriving. I ask for help when I need it. I bus my tables. I make sure my uniform is clean and washed.
When I ask other servers for advice, they say to just be myself and not to stress about it too hard. I got a few good suggestions and use them regularly. I've done and continue to do all of this and yet my server score is still low. I almost feel like it's a failure to be properly trained at this point. Management said if I didn't get my server score up by the Monday (yesterday), I'd be down to two tables indefinitely while we try to figure it out. I tried out the two table strategy last week and my server score just went down from a 79 to a 78 as a result. So at this point I'm frustrated and thinking about moving on to other restaurants.
I've been thinking of trying to get into fine dining for a whole, but I keep wondering about things. Is two months of working over 50 hours a week at an Olive Garden enough experience to apply to a fine dining establishment? Are these low server scores going to hinder my ability to get a job at a different place? I know a lot of places are hiring right now due to staff shortages, but I'm unsure of the right moves. I like the money I make from waiting tables, so I'd like to stay in the industry for a while, at least while I go to school. Thoughts?
Posted Aug 24, 2021, 11:08 PM UTC