On the palm of which hand would a left-handed waiter place a drinks tray?
Malcolm from Taringa
Editors Note: I am right handed and I have worked in several restaurants. I can honestly say the tray may start in my right hand but by the time I get to the table it ends up in my left just as often as not.
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I am right handed but do sports left handed. So I guess it would depend on the person.
I think the waiter would carry the tray in his right hand so he could serve the beverages safely to the patrons without spilling the drinks.
You could carry it on either palm but you'd probably spill more handling the glasses with your opposite(right) hand.
For a lefty, it would make sense to carry right, serve left. Serving requires both balance AND coordination. : ))
I am a right handed waiter and I carry my tray with my left hand. I use my right to serve drinks/pour wine because I have more control. Hope that helps!
Being a lefty, I would carry it with my right hand, and serve with the left.
I've noticed I always leave my left hand available -- I carry groceries with my right, my purse goes on my right shoulder, I carried my babies on my right side, etc.... I guess it's a subconcious effort to always have your dominant hand available.
I've been the food service industry for sum 20 years. But this has baffled me. I'm right handed as far as writing. But i kick left and snow board left.
From what i hear, we also carry our tray in our right hand. That's what i do.
I'm a righty and I always carried my trays on my left hand so I could serve with my right.
I'm a left handed ex waitress and I always carried my tray in my left hand, because my left arm is stronger and I felt more confident with the balance as well. I think that most of us "lefties" are more ambidextrous than the "righties". :) I never had a problem placing the drink with my right hand.
Im a righty and do the same thing. I was often asked if I was left handed which I am not! Some things just feel more comfortable doing left or right dominant for me, although, I am definitely not ambidextrous!
I also think it depends on the person. I'm a lefty, so's my daughter, yet she and I never do the same thing with the same hands. I use scissors with my right, she uses her left, etc. I don't think two lefties ever do everything the same.
I would just like to say to people who are servers in restaurants to be careful. Have you ever gone into a restaurant and seen waiters or waitress's carrying a big tray of food up high over their shoulders, with the wrist bent back?
I have never worked in a restaurant so I do not know much about that. However, as for the left-handed vs. right-handed issue I write with my left hand but when I'm at the country club playing golf with my buddies, I write things down on my scorecard left-handed but I swing the golf-club right handed. Then my buddies James, Gary and Jeff look at me like I have 2 heads. I guess I'm right-handed because I do everything else right handed. I only write left-handed. Either I'm ambidextrous or something else.
I enjoyed it
I can't remember the last time I carried a service tray but I recall using my off-hand to carry the tray between table and service areas.
I'll note we were trained to balance the tray on our shoulder and your hand's only job was to keep it steady. Eventually your tray will become an extension of you. I can recall some amazing saves by myself and others.
There's also a proper way to carry a tray above your head. You should not bend your wrist back, you should form a tri-pod (pento-pod?) with your fingers. Carrying above your head is just for show.
As a somm I can tell you that proper etiquette requires always carrying with your left regardless of hand dominance, as proper beverage service is meant to be served on the customer's right hand side. Imagine serving drinks to the customer's right hand side with your left hand, you're turning your back to them. Personally however, I am WAY more comfortable carrying with my right than my left, so it depends on your circumstance. If you're serving in a bistro or brasserie do whatever is comfortable. But if you've got a working interview in the big leagues at a 6 figure 5th avenue Manhattan gig, carry with your left.
When I first started serving I was told to carry trays with my non dominant hand so that you can serve with your dominant. Now it feels so uncomfortable to do it any other way
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