Dining Etiquette: Interacting with Staff

Formal Dining: Interacting With Staff - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. When interacting with wait staff, keep in mind, they are there to serve you and we must honor and show respect to them, as well. If they are wearing a name tag, then it would be appropriate to call them by their first name. And if you wish to catch their attention, you may be able to do something like this or nod at them that you wish some attention. Of course, no yelling or making a very vocal demonstration of things. Wait staff, when they are really good, they have peripheral vision and they can sense that you need something so, they will be checking back with you. If you need to catch their attention and they have not paid attention to you within the last few minutes, you may rise by putting your napkin up here and just say to the other guests at the table, 'excuse me.' And then, you might go over and speak to them if that is your only way of catching their attention.