Skilled servers need to be able to read the table in order to control the pace of the meal, suggest additional items and occasionally steer the members away from certain items. A little conversation when the guests are first seated can provide the clues we need to do our job well. It can also give the server notice of the idiosyncracies of the table which could lead them away from a potentially damaging situation.
If done well, everything that happens in the dining room is exactly the same all the time, except for one variable, the members. Every member is different and has different needs. Some need to get to the opera; some want to enjoy a leisurely dinner on the Portal. Some want a four-course dinner with pairings; others prefer to nibble on appetizers and bar snacks; still others have restrictive dietary preferences.
In addition to words, servers can make use of nonverbal hints, such as body language, to better serve the members. When guests peek at their watches, scan the room searching for something or someone, pick at their food, toys with a somewhat empty glass, they are sending signals that they are in need of something. If the member tastes the food then pushes the plate away something is wrong. By reading these signs and acting upon them, servers can exceed the expectations of the member and make the their dining experience favorably memorable.
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