Japan Today recently asked its readers what they think about the quality of waiters in restaurants in Japan, compared to their home countries.
Here are some answers.
– Considering they get no tips I think they generally are pretty hard-working and efficient. Some could smile once in a while for regular customers, though.
– In some respects the service is better and worse. I do miss waiters coming to see if everything is alright…instead of yelling “sumimasen” when you need something. But, you also miss a lot of the attitudes of the waitstaff in the USA.
– Most do their best, but are just arbeiters. I hate it when they yell at you or when a new customer arrives. It seems to be a waste of time asking what’s good. “Everything is good.” That tells us nothing, and all we want is a simple recommendation.
– Having been in the States over the holidays and eating out, it was nice to hear what the staff recommended (and sometimes items not on the menu) and just spend a little time chatting. Seems more personable and professional. In general, in Japan, if I don’t initiate the conversation or ask a question about the menu, I would get nothing from the wait staff more often than not. Seems a little cold.
– Japanese are just different as we all know. Who wants a chatty waiter anyway and as for those table buzzers, they are great as you get attended to very quickly. Do you really want to be looking around shouting ” Garcon” and waving your hands in the air for attention all the time. Still, Japanese restaurants especially family restaurants are cheap and waiters are always polite even if they are robots. Why do people want to ask what is recommended on the menu ? Does that mean that the other foods on the menu are not so great ? Yes sir, we can recommend the steak today as the fish is a few days old.
– Absolutely positively terrible at times. The one I hate, that happens quite often actually, is when I’m on a date with a Japanese girl. The waitress (women do it the most) make no eye contact with me. I’m speaking in Japanese but the waitress makes zero eye contact. The waitress does however give FULL attention to my Japanese partner.
– One complaint is when the waitress brings the dishes and asks who ordered what. At a table for two, I don’t think it’s too much to expect to remember who ordered the zaru soba and who ordered the kitsune soba. It ain’t rocket science. Compare this to a high-end sushi place I went to recently. The sushi chef noticed within 15 min that I was a lefty, and he but the sushi down the opposite way to accomodate me, so it was easy to pick up. I never said a thing. He never said a thing. That’s good service. Overall, the service is polite and reasonably attentive, but only marginally competent.
– It really depends on the place and depends if the waiter / waitress is a professional or just a part-time worker. Generally, the 50-something-year-old obasans are the best. Very polite, good manners, correct keigo. Anyway, I’ve learned that a higher price doesn’t always mean a higher level of service, but the older the establishment and the older the staff, the better the service.
– They’re generally polite which is a good point. I don’t care if they’re friendly as long as they are efficient and that’s where I think Japanese waitstaff fail. Food servings are timed poorly, especially western food where an appetizer is meant to come first and be finished before the main course is served. There’s too much assumption that people will be sharing food so things come in bits and bobs and often ruin a meal. I’m talking about when the food in question is western food and again, that’s part of the problem, serving all food in the same manner. Japanese food is served in a different way than is appropriate for western food so there should be some consideration to that. It would also be lovely if I could ask about the menu(s) – which generally change seasonally and not every day – and have the waiter know the answer without having to go into the kitchen to ask. I’m talking about a simple question like whether or not a dish has meat.
– Being a vegetarian means every meal out involves a discussion with the staff about whether the food has meat/fish/stock/gelatine/all of the above in it and if so what can be done about it. By the time the order’s in, the waiter/waitress knows there’s no point asking anyone else at the table about my food.
– I find the service in Japan generally to be excellent TBH. But then I come from the UK where in recent years they seem to have had a service lobotomy. And AM – you lament that the waiters in JAPAN dont speak English??! Try bloody ENGLAND!!! I wish they were more flexible with orders, thats pretty much the only complaint I have. And maybe it is just a British thing but the next waiter who swipes my glass away when there is still a drink in it is going to get their arm bitten off!
– They remember your order, don’t mess up the math, and never, never sit down next to you and say, “Hi, I’m Ralph, and I’ll be your waiter tonight.” Service is pretty good, I think.
– I like the fact that you can order your food/drinks to any waiter/waiteress that walk by your table without getting the “that’s not my table” remark.
