14 waiter questions that diners ask and how to answer them

How many questions do customers ask restaurant waiters during a dinner service? Quite a few, in fact—enough to make it essential for staff to have confident, well-prepared answers if we want to earn their loyalty. The good news is certain situations tend to occur repeatedly in the dining room, often causing the same doubts or concerns among customers. By identifying and analysing common questions for waiters, you can develop a response protocol that the team can master to achieve impeccable service.

Tips for handling waiter questions effectively

Handling customer inquiries effectively is a must-have skill for waiters, as it can greatly impact their satisfaction and experience. Strong communication skills, attentive listening, and appropriate body language are key to managing these interactions well. Before we dive into the most common questions for waiters and how to answer them, here are some actionable tips to help you better manage customer questions in the restaurant. 

• Ensure clear and concise communication: Avoid using jargon or overly complex language and instead provide straightforward answers to your customers’ questions. If you’re unsure of an answer, admit it and offer to find out rather than guessing or providing false information. Being honest and transparent will build trust, demonstrate professionalism and show that you’re only human too. 
• Pay attention to non-verbal communication and body language: Nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions, eye contact and body language are also important when it comes to providing the best answers to common waiter questions. Having a friendly demeanour and good posture can put customers at ease and make them feel valued. It’s important to remain calm, collected and empathetic to ensure a positive experience. Additionally, small things like answering with a smile and maintaining eye contact can make a huge difference. 

Here are some of the most common restaurant questions and answers for waitstaff. Apart from treating customers with respect, friendliness and a smile, you also need a strategy. Take note!

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14 common waiter questions that diners ask in restaurants and how to answer them

1. What is the Wi-Fi password?

Often, this is one of the first questions that many customers ask the waiter upon arrival. Ideally, you should choose a password that is easy to remember and type, as this will make things simpler for everyone. Some restaurants choose to display this information prominently, either as part of their decor or on the tables. 

Conversely, many restaurants now offer ‘social Wi-Fi’, so that customers can search for the name of the network directly on their smartphones and, in exchange for some information, enjoy free access. In either case, the best way to address this question is to ensure the waiter is well-informed about the network and password. Then, they can kindly provide it to the customer and make sure that they are able to connect to the network.  

2. Which is your favourite dish?

When faced with this question, the best way for a waiter to respond is naturally and honestly, sharing their favourite dishes or drinks with enthusiasm. However, the problem with this question is that the customer is expecting a recommendation that they will truly love, which can be tricky as everyone’s tastes differ. To better navigate this question, the waiter can ask what they are in the mood to eat and, based on their preferences, suggest popular dishes and drinks that would most likely satisfy the customer.  

3. Would this dish fill me up? Or "Is it large enough to share?"

It is very common for customers to have doubts about food portions and if they would be enough to leave them satiated. Ideally, the waiter should take time to openly ask them how hungry they are, or how many people will eat from the same plate and make a recommendation based on their answer.

The staff must also be familiar with the entire menu and able to recommend some smaller dishes that go well with and complement the portions. The important thing is to understand the customer's needs and to show that you want the diner to leave the restaurant happy and not hungry.

4. Can I eat this dish if I have allergies?

The most effective way to answer this question is to ensure detailed allergen information is readily available for every dish on the menu and that all waiters are aware and able to confidently convey it. It’s also helpful to ask the customer at the beginning of the dinner service if they have any allergies, which can prevent potential issues when ordering dishes. When it comes to allergies, the team needs to take the matter seriously and communicate clearly as it relates directly to the customer’s health and safety.

5. Do you have gluten-free dishes?

An increasingly topical question comes from customers who are seeking gluten-free food alternatives, either due to celiac disease or a preference for healthier eating. 

To answer this common customer question, you must be as transparent as possible. Clarify whether the restaurant prepares its gluten-free dishes in-house or whether it uses pre-packaged gluten-free ingredients and abides by strict procedures to prevent cross-contamination. If gluten-free options are limited, the waiter can ask the diner about their specific needs and offer them an alternative.

6. Where do these vegetables come from?

In light of recent health trends, an increasing number of customers want to know about the origin of the products that they eat. This might include whether or not the restaurant has its own orchard, if they use local suppliers, the origin of their ingredients, if they are organic, etc. Dining hall staff should already be familiar with these common questions for waiters; therefore, the best thing to do is to answer them naturally and with accurate information regarding ingredients like fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish. If the restaurant does not use local ingredients, waiters can be honest and say that they carefully select products based on quality.
 

7. What types of wines or beers do you have?

Although the customer will find a detailed list of drinks on the menu, likely, they will still have some questions about specific offerings. Here, too, staff must ask the customer what they are in the mood for. For example, ask whether they want something refreshing, bitter, strong, sweet, or mild. With this information, they can provide a recommendation that suits the customer’s desires as, quite often, after spending a long time looking at the drinks menu, the customer ends up ordering the most commercial offering which isn’t always the best option. This allows the waiter to make tailored recommendations that leave an impression on the customer. 

8. Can I change this on my order?

Another common waiter question and request is changes in meals. The important thing is for staff to be aware of the types of changes that are allowed and which are not so they can answer confidently and courteously. Generally, if they are simple changes like swapping vegetables for fries on the side or not adding sugar to a drink, the answer is simple.

However, if the customer requests something that can't be accommodated, it’s useful to have a backup plan. For example, if they ask for a chicken dish that’s normally fried and it poses a hassle for the kitchen for it to be baked, the waiter can offer them other similar baked dishes and make the sale.

9. Will you charge me more?

When customers want to tailor dishes to their preferences and include an additional ingredient, for instance, they will want to know if they will be charged extra for it. Yes, it's simple. The waiter can answer yes or no as applicable.

In reality, you also need a good attitude to answer this common waiter question so that the customer doesn't think the restaurant wants to charge them more. Rather, the customer should recognise that it will be worth that extra amount to improve their experience and why exactly they are being charged.

10. Is it very spicy?

Assessing the spiciness of a dish can be challenging, as spice preference is very subjective. Those who enjoy spicy food may be eager for you to turn up the heat in their dish, while others may want to ensure spice won’t ruin their experience. One option is to invite the customer to taste a spicy sauce that you may have handy and give them a sense of the dish’s spice level. Of course, it is crucial that the waiter has sampled it beforehand and is familiar with its level of intensity.

11. How is this dish prepared?

Another one of the most common waiter questions relates to dish preparation. Although this is more of a kitchen matter, waitstaff also needs to be aware of the processes involved and the benefits of them. This question gives the waiter a golden opportunity to shine by providing a complete answer. It is also a good way to create customer loyalty, as customers will have that additional information that they won't find at the competition, enhancing overall satisfaction and experience. 

12. When will my food arrive?

Another common restaurant question that often catches staff off-guard is how much longer until the food arrives at the table. It makes sense when there has been a delay, but some customers may be very sensitive about this and ask it ahead of time or persistently.

The first step is to answer them patiently and respectfully to ensure they understand that their order is not being delayed on purpose, but rather has a preparation time. Second, you must check the status of the dish with the kitchen so that you can honestly inform the customer about any delay. Lastly, if there is a significant delay, apologise, clearly explain what is happening and make it up to them with a product that they can snack on while they wait.

13. Why is there hair in my food?

Numerous things can go wrong in the restaurant business and as such, it is not uncommon to have a dish arrive cold at the table or with an unsightly strand of hair sitting on top. The best way to solve such an embarrassing situation is with transparency and creativity.

Apologise without exaggerating or being overly dramatic and then offer an incentive that is appealing enough to make the customer forget what happened. If it is a serious gaffe, the waiter might offer to replace the dish with a better one and not charge them for it. The key here is to remain polite and handle the situation calmly to avoid making things worse.

14. Can you pack it for takeout?

Some customers want to take home a small portion of what they left on their plate. It may seem strange for some waiters to want to take home so little, but the reality is that customers have their peculiar habits and the restaurant should accommodate them within reason. The customer is paying for their meal, after all. The best thing for the waiter to do when faced with this question is to not show bewilderment and to politely agree to their request and bring the customer a small takeout package. 

Have you experienced any of these common waiter job questions yourself? How do you answer them at your restaurant? We hope that you are already following much of this advice and that your customers recognise it by posting good reviews about your service. It is the best way to stand out from the competition!

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