You may have noticed that waiters often squat down when first approaching your table at a restaurant and greet you while in this squatted position. Why do they do this? There are some practical reasons for this behavior, but the main reason is purely psychological.
I’ve already written at length about some psychological techniques waiters use to improve your restaurant experience and hopefully earn bigger tips. Squatting down at a table is a behavior some waiters use to help restaurant guests feel more comfortable and to appear more warm and friendly.
You can read about other scientific methods waiters use to earn bigger tips, such as such as smiling, touching, and writing thank you on tickets.
Before I get into the psychological reasons for squatting down at a table, many waiters report that they do this for purely practical reasons.
Practical Reasons Waiters Squat Down At a Table
1. To better hear you
If a restaurant is very loud, a waiter may squat down to be able to hear you better or to help you hear them better. Doing this all the time can be a detriment for tips, as I’ll discuss later.
2. To rest their knees or feet
Some waiters say they squat down just to have a brief rest and rest their knees or perhaps their feet, if squatting helps.
3. To talk to children
Since children are often nervous when waiters approach, some waiters will squat down so as not to be towering over a child and to help the child feel more comfortable ordering or interacting.
Psychological Reason Waiters Squat Down At a Table
As I’ve already said, the biggest reason waiters squat down at a table is to psychologically help the guests feel more comfortable and like they are having a genuine interaction.
Waiters may have been trained to do this, have learned to do this by mimicking other waiters, or by having read about techniques to maximize their tips.
You will probably not see waiters do this in very formal restaurants. As well, you are not likely to see this behavior in a busy diner. It’s mostly used in semi-casual environments, especially corporate-owned chains.
Placing yourself at eye level and thus not looking down on their guests, has been shown in studies to increase tips. However, this behavior will backfire if overused and not all diners appreciate it. When waiters use this technique correctly, they only squat down when first approaching and greeting their guests, and then remain standing for the rest of the visit.
Some waiters will try to assess whether it is a good idea to squat down or not by ‘reading the table.’ If a guest looks surly, it’s probably not a good idea to squat down and try to get eye to eye with them.
Opinions About Waiters Squatting Are Mixed
Some people do not respond well to a waiter squatting down at the table. They respond negatively to it for various reasons. They may understand why it is happening and feel like they are being manipulated or they may feel that it is an unneeded behavior since they in no way feel that a waiter looking down at them places the waiter in a superior position.
I do not like it when waiters squat down as I feel it too over-familiar and invasive. I do not like it when waiters, in some way, try to insinuate themselves into the dining experience. This is not to say I do not appreciate a warm and friendly interaction! I simply do not like it when the waiter becomes almost part of the party rather than the person facilitating the party. This makes me feel uncomfortable and pressured, and many diners feel the same way.
However, my attitudes and experiences are anecdotal, as are others. For the most part, squatting down at a table, as long as it is not overdone, works! Tips are generally increased when this, and other techniques are used.
Should you feel manipulated when a waiter squats down at your table? I think not! While I may not personally like it, I do not feel offended or hold it against the waiter. In fact, I appreciate the effort a waiter makes to make dining out more enjoyable, regardless of whether I dislike any particular technique.
Remember, serving at a restaurant is much like putting on a show! The show is not just bringing out food. The show is all about making the guests happy, comfortable, appreciated, etc. When a waiter uses learned techniques to earn bigger tips, they are simply working their butts off to put on that show. And, when customers respond well to friendly tip-gathering techniques, everybody, including the waiter, has a better time, meaning they will do these things automatically and genuinely in the future. It is simply a function of mutual feedback between the waiter and the guests.
Do Restaurants Have the Right to Refuse Service?
Squatting is Better than Bending Over!
The only time a waiter should bend is when serving their guests. Once the serving is done, further interaction should be done from an upright position. If some guests don’t like it when a waiter squats down, bending over your guests and, even worse, placing yourself between them by doing so, is a definite no-no!
Take a look at the photo above. The waiter in the picture is holding a coffee but is not serving it, but instead seems to be interacting with the female customer by leaning toward her and placing himself between the guests, causing the male to have to make space.
While this is a staged photo with smiling faces, no prolonged interaction should be done this way! It’s rude in general to invade people’s personal space so make serving as quick and efficient as possible.
Never bend over a guest to talk to them. Nobody wants your head hovering above them while you are talking to them!
It’s generally considered proper to serve guests from their left using your left hand. This way, waiters can pass any dish from their right hand to their left and avoid reaching over guests. In the photo above, if the waiter is serving the mail, he should have served him quickly and then repositioned himself for further interaction, ideally not standing behind the guests.
