Personality Type and Restaurants

There are some types for whom how you get along with your server will actually determine how enjoyable the evening is. That would be all Organics. It’s kind of our modus operandi. We see or “feel” conflict and will automatically go about trying to set the world right again.

Now, my sister would argue that any type who makes decisions using value judgments will tend to care about the harmony in the room. And she’s right. They care whether everyone is having a good time. So that also includes Classic Freedoms and Fun Freedoms. But the Organics take it one step further. Anything that is going to upset the equilibrium of the whole room is going to bother them.

Music too loud so that it’s hard for everyone to hear each other? Not good. A manager who is rude to you? Not good either. Now, this might annoy everyone in the room, but it will affect an Organics‘ aesthetics, it will affront the Classics’ sense of decorum (it’s just not done!), Smarts will just be annoyed by the stupidity of bad business practice, and the Funs, if they notice at all because they’re too busy having a good time, will only care if they personally happen to be restaurant status conscious (i.e., The ‘right’ table, prompt service, etc.)

The waitress? Smarts could care less. They often appear aloof, cold and sometimes rude when they ask for what they want (the better table, music to be turned down) And they could care less if they upset the equilibrium of the room, whatever that means. The subjective harmony “patrol” of Organics and to a lesser extent Classic Freedoms and Fun Freedoms is going to vary from individual to individual, and to the experience.

Point is, half the types will care about being polite and sweet to the point of excess and the other half just need to get the job done. It comes down again to the difference between objective decision makers and subjective/value decision makers.

SO, as a subjective/harmony making type, I implore everyone to be kind to their waitresses, firm with the managers, and realize that there is ALWAYS a nice way to ask for what you want. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

And for all you objective types, I thank you for teaching me that restaurants will always try to give you a bad table if they can, that I don’t have to suffer through pounding music, and that, sometimes, wine really does go bad and it’s okay to send it back if it tastes funny.

Originally published February 5, 2010