Would using utensils not do? I don't specifically wash my hands before packing up leftovers (although I wash them 30-40 times a shift), but I have never touched them with my hands either.

I am one of those people who avoid gluten. I have no official medical diagnoses, but I definitely have some kind of allergy or intolerance.

I get hives on my inner arms when I eat wheat, and experience unpleasant gastro intestinal issues, including being incredibly bloated and flatulent. Stinky enough to clear a room, and it was uncontrollable. This developed in my late teens/early twenties.

It took me almost 5 years to cut wheat out of my diet completely. Even after I knew what it was doing to me, I would "cheat" and just deal with the consequences.

I've spoken with my doctor and I don't want to submit myself to the tests. Why bother? A negative diagnoses to Celiacs wouldn't change my eating habits in the slightest.

That sounds soooooo good!

I have found eating on a fairly regular schedule actually helps me feel real hunger and has helped me lose weight. I eat breakfast when I get up, around 9. I work as a server and I need to eat a substantial breakfast to avoid drooling on plates when I work a lunch shift. I am hungry enough to have a snack around 1:30 or 2. I eat lunch around 3:30 or 4 after work. I usually have a snack around 7-7:30 (when I work an evening shift, the delicious smelling foods drives me crazy if I don't). I have dinner when things are calm enough to, or after I'm done work, somewhere between 9 and 10 pm.

I am almost always actually hungry at these times because I've kept to this schedule for about 6 months. It has boosted my metabolism as well. I've lost about 12 pounds and I'm far warmer than I used to be!

As a server, I always find it hilarious when people are reluctant to order the same meal. I have heard so many people say something like " I want the lamb meatball spaghetti, but that's what John's having". Some people literally ask my permission! I always say that you should order what you really want to eat!

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Funnily enough, after this was posted, my husband had to pick up a shift at work on the Sunday of our anniversary, so we will be dining together this upcoming Thursday, which renders the specific question moot, but I really appreciate the information anyway, as we both normally have Sundays off and do love a good meal ;)

We have a reservation at Zinc. Been meaning to try it for ages.

My husband and I have our first wedding anniversary coming up in a few weeks. It happens to fall on a Sunday, and we were planning to have a nice meal, but out top choices (Zinc, Blue Pear, Hardware Grill, ) are closed on Sundays.

If necessary we could celebrate another night, but we both work in restaurants, and would rather not take a Friday or Saturday night off work if we can help it.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where we might dine on a Sunday night that has a nice wine list and gluten free foods available. Preference would be to more central restaurants since we will be cabbing it and we live in Old Strathcona.

Wildflower Grill seems like a good choice, but any other suggestions are welcome!

I am one of those "self diagnosed" gluten sensitive people.

I started noticing quite a bit of gastrointestinal discomfort after eating wheat heavy meals like pizza or pasta, which was a new development for me. I cut it out, I feel fine. I re-introduce it, I get sick, and started noticing a rash on my inner forarms about 12 hours after eating it. I also just feel generally crappy if I eat it. I've been playing with this for about 3 years. I go gluten free and feel great, then I get a craving for something like chocolate cake and in a moment of weakness I eat it. Then I'm not too bad, so I'll try something else with a little gluten the next day and before you know it, I'm feeling like crap.

I don't want to bother with going to get tested because it seems fairly obvious. If I eat it, I feel sick. Avoid gluten, I feel fine. I am a big fan of listening to my body. I am really careful though to never say I am celiac... All I say is I try to avoid gluten cause I've noticed it doesn't agree with me.

I suspect genetic modification of wheat to be a large part of the increasing sensitivities to wheat. Some of the genetic markers they splice into their wheat have no business there at all, it's no wonder more people are reacting to it.

Servers almost never get to keep all of their tip, regardless of whether it is an automatic gratuity or not. We tip out anywhere from 2-7%- to the kitchen, the host, bussers, bartenders, etc. Also, in some places, tips are pooled between servers. I have never heard of a restaurant where a server keeps ALL of their gratuities.

I live in Edmonton too, and I always tip a few bucks on take out.

I didn't know I should before I worked in a restaurant and had to spend time away from my tables that would tip in order to answer the phone to take the order, punching it in, picking it up from the kitchen, packaging it up in a bag, making sure there are utensils, bringing it out to the front, taking a payment for it and then closing the bill in the computer.

It takes a fair bit of time to do all that, and like i said, it takes you away from your tables that are going to be tipping so a tip is really appreciated.
Please let your husband know in many restaurants its not as easy as just handing you the food and ringing it in.

Why should I find another line of business. I love working in a restaurant. In fact, as I stated earlier, I volunteered to work literally all day on Christmas Eve.

It's just that not everyone 'chooses' to work holidays, even though I personally do.

You don't always have a choice. Sometimes you are just on the schedule, regardless of whether or not you asked for it off.... Requests can't always be granted...

I wouldn't feel too too bad for them, but if I were eating out on Christmas day, I would definitely leave about %25 as a tip.

If my restaurant were open on Christmas day, I would totally volunteer to work, as I don't have any really special feelings for Christmas, and I love serving and facilitating a good time....

I worked this morning (Chistmas Eve), and I volunteered to work tonight as well.

The time you should really feel bad for staff is working on New Years Day. That one is a rough one, especially if you had to work really late the night before. I fortunately don''t have to work till 5pm on January 1st.

As a server, I will often give back too much change (never not enough) in order to be expedient. If you don't have enough small change in your float (because you had already made more change than expected for a day), it would take far longer than it would be worth to go find a manager to unlock the safe, make change and make your way back to the customer all for a few cents.

The two to five minutes it would take you to get change can be enough to put you in the weeds and piss off customers. Sometimes it's just easier to eat the difference.

Exactly because you might not order the more expensive entree (which is usually a heavier one) just to save room.

I need to try this soon. Mmmmm, poutine.

I actually really want to try the Vegan poutine for some reason. Probably because when I was vegan, I missed poutine more than anything in the world!

I was just about to suggest that book!

It's one of my favorites and I've read it three or four times. It goes through the selection and training process in quite a lot of detail. I've worked in the industry (FOH) for years and I learned quite a bit from reading it that I've been able to apply to training my servers and in my own comportment with customers.

I hate when that pops out of my mouth... I try just to ask if I can clear the plate or if they would like anything packed up, but sometimes that awful phrase just spills out!

It actually can take quite a bit longer than that if you have tons of menus, a slower printer, not to mention the time taken to type it up. Not to mention, if something is a feature, you don't always have tons of it, and if we run out, then we have to then tell everyone with an insert they now cannot have what they were just reading about.

It's far more efficient for the restaurant to have servers recite the one or two items and then stop when the item is 86'ed.

When I ask "how is everything?" as a server, I really, truly want to know.
Are you enjoying your meal? Is it to your standard? Do you need anything else to make it better?

I generally will check as soon as the food is put down on the table if everything arrived as it should have, and then check back once people have had a chance to try it.

If people are deeply engrossed in conversation, or they are all happily devouring the food, I might not ask, but I'll make sure to top up waters and be available if they have something to say. You can generally tell if everything is all right by reading the table. Are they happy? Or does something seem to be amiss.

Not every server can read people well though, and when training staff, I prefer that everyone quality check at an appropriate time.

Give your server an honest answer and give us the opportunity to make it right! We're not just asking to make conversation, we want you to actually enjoy your meal!

I'm a big fan of fuss cupcakes and will be having them at my wedding. Don't really like Flirt much and Whimsical cupcakes were really dissapointing. Both times I've tried. They seem dry, with a weird flavor. Bleh.

IMHO, (with years of experience serving and managing a restaurant), as long as there is a bit of visible money sticking out, the server should pick it up, and then say "I'll be right back with your change", giving you the opportunity to tell them it's fine if you don't need any, or, if you say nothing, they'll bring you the change.

(I throw in the line about bringing back change, so that if it's not necessary, I don't waste valuable time making change when it's just going to be left for me).

If there is no money or card sticking out, I will leave the folder for awhile. Then, if it's been an inordinate amount of time, I may come up and ask the table if I can run a card through for them. Sometimes the card or cash has been in there hidden all along, sometimes they have just been engrossed in conversation. If they aren't ready, I just tell them to take their time and let me know when they're ready.

Leaving a billfold with visible cash sticking out of it seems like a money grab, but I've never seen anyone I work with do that.

Dinner at Danie'ls in NYC with my sister. I think I remember spending $740 on a tasting menu and a vegetable tasting menu, wine pairings for me and about 3 cocktails for my sister.

It was epic.

If you don't want to change the amount you eat and drink, what about changing the timing...

Maybe have a snack after work, be productive for a couple hours, then eat dinner, drink and lounge around. If you don't go to bed till one, pushing dinner back till 8 might work.

Ahhhhh..... I guess I assumed that since this was an Edmonton thread it was about the Edmonton location, and didn't catch your switch to the Calgary location. How silly of me. That makes so much more sense now. Different chefs, managers and suppliers.

Thanks for clearing that up, it really was bugging me, cause it's one of my favorite places and it just didn't sound right.

I've only been to the Calgary location once. It was nice, but I only had drinks, shared some appies and dessert. The dessert did blow my mind there though- baked Alaska and banana's foster. Mmmm.

I was curious enough to drop by Murietta's today, and while I didn't order halibut ( was there for breakfast) , I talked to the management there, and it really sounds like your 'good server' wasn't and probably didn't actually ask the kitchen. They normally prepare their fish medium to medium rare, but will cook it just the way you prefer (even if you want it *shudder* extra well done.)

How long ago did this happen? Wondering if it's staff that is no longer there, cause it doesn't sound like it would happen now.

I don't mind this practice as long as it's well posted. Some low volume restaurants have horrible contracts with credit card companies and may be paying a percentage of the transaction and a flat fee of up to $3 for each transaction. I wouldn't allow credit cards for small purchases if that were the case in my restaurant either.

That is really wierd, cause they do a lot of rare ahi tuna, they suggest doing their duck breast mid rare, and will do a steak blue rare... I'm really curious about the halibut now. I'll have to try ordering that "underdone" and see what happens.

Murietta's West Coast Bar and Grill on Whyte ave for sure. Not sure why no one talks about this place. The food is so good, great wine list and cocktails, lots of good local beers on tap, live music on weekends, good service....

Really, really good value for lunch especially. MMM, flatbreads.

I'm really surprised at how many people think making such a simple request, especially with the wording 'if possible', is rude.

Honestly, every couple I know that has had a dinner at their reception is doing so because they want to host their friends and family to a meal. I know I would be horrified if I found out someone wasn't eating at all because they thought I was too important and busy to be bothered caring that a friend of mine got something to eat on my wedding day.

We are doing a buffet, but we are making sure there are options for our vegetarian, vegan, celiac and diabetic friends and family members. Because we want them to enjoy the day and not have to bring their own food or starve. We want them to have the energy to dance the night away!