Quote:
Originally Posted by nonseniorresident
Most restaurants hire a food runner to deliver items for all the Servers to make sure they are paying more attention to their guests rather than standing by the kitchen waiting for the food. The food runner will receive a percentage of all the Servers' total sales at the end of the night (which comes out of the tips). Also, in a well-run establishment, all servers work as a team so don't feel offended if someone besides your designated Server gives you attention. It isn't your Server being lazy or neglecting you, it is just team service. I know this isn't the classic way of service that a lot of people are used to but restaurants have adjusted and changed other the years to ensure efficiency. It's all done in the best interest of you and other valued guests  |
A lot of chain restaurants have "other servers running each other's food", not food runners.
Even when they have true food runners, because they have an AUTOMATIC tip of a certain percentage sales(NOT TIP) at the end, there's no INCENTIVE to check the food.
Some manager told me at one restaurant they have on the ticket seat 1, seat 2, even which side they would be sitting as to who gets what. If that is the case with all restaurants, a lot of food runners or other servers are lazy, because I find they have a lot of servers that don't know who had what all the time and even more that my order is wrong more times when another server runs the food than when my server runs the food. Obviously, not counting if the customer moved of course.
I don't find it's a good way, because since there's an automatic tip rather than an EARNED one, the person running the food doesn't care *WHAT* they are bringing out for obvious mistakes. It's also unfair to the server if the customers stiff or leave a low tip because they were cheap where the server may have to literally PAY to serve the customers.
I think it's not a good thing to have other people running the food. I'd rather have my food sit under a heat lamp and wait for my server to bring me my food personally, even if it takes 5 extra minutes, it's better that it's obviously correct than it wrong. Plus, you wouldn't believe sometimes I would ask to order something from this other server or food runner that would bring out the food and they would REFUSE to get it, for real. There's not much teamwork if the tip is automatic or the tip is non-existant(other server's running each other's food).