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player ready...In those wobbly first months of a restaurant’s life, a solid service staff can do more for the place’s rep — especially in terms of smoothing out those newbie imperfections — than even the big-name chef who drew customers in the first place.
That’s why so many restaurateurs search for experienced servers who can keep their cool under pressure, defuse tense situations and make diners feel calm and pampered even when things have descended into chaos.
Some of these superservers have become familiar faces on the high-end dining scene; some are in-house pros who train other servers before the opening of a sister restaurant.
We recently chatted with a handful of local wait-staff wonders (who came highly recommended) as well as restaurateurs about what makes a great server, what makes a terrific customer and what to expect — or not — when you dine in a brand-new restaurant.
We also learned a few new phrases, such as, “That place has Wicker Park service.”
To understand these phrases and more, SEE STORY PAGE 7