Working with the customers in a restaurant type setting, you must know a handful of key phrases in order to effectively communicate with the general public. Some things relate to your job. Such as, “Hey, how’s everyone here doing today?!” or “Thanks for coming in, have a really wonderful afternoon!” Sometimes, you are in a daze and tell a table that just sat themselves to have a great day and then walk away.
Then there’s customers that want to talk about stuff with you while they are seated and enjoying their meals. They want to talk about the weather, gas prices etc. Here are some suggestions for phrases that you can use at almost any time:
“We could sure use the rain”
It doesn’t matter if it has rained a full foot over the average rainfall for the year, if it has not rained in more than five days, people want to talk about the lack of precipitation. I don’t get this. If in fact, it has not rained more than average add in, “…the farmers sure need it.” You will appear as though you have a heart of gold if you are sympathizing with the hard working laborers in this world
“With these gas prices…”
Actually, this one is fitting right now, I think for the first time since I have driven.
I found this graph from 2002. We were upset at the 19 cent rise at that time. Americans will always be upset at the price of gas, so you can always bring this into conversation.
“The results of the upcoming election could be scary”
There’s always an election coming up. I don’t know that the results could ALWAYS be scary. Go with it, and then see what sub-topic the other person leads into. If they call you out and say, “What do you mean?” Mention the school board election. Chances of you running into someone who knows squat about this topic are impossible, you could even make up names and issues.
Then, of course, the old stand-by
“How bout this weather?”
This works especially well in the state of Minnesota. With temperatures from -30F degrees all the way up to 100F, you can basically say this at any given moment. If, by chance, it’s 70 and sunny, you will then just talk about how great it is and what you have done to utilize the ideal outdoor climate.
Yes, you can always make small talk with absolutely anyone.
The Pilver 
Those are so right on. Remind me of the meaningless conversations about the weather that I have with my boss every day when he returns from lunch. “It’s getting hot out there!” “Yes, yes it is.”
Also, I may have posted this somewhere along the line, but I used to work with a woman who got a Christmas card from President Bush. She was so proud, she brought it to work because it had a Bible verse in it, and isn’t it a WONDERFUL thing that we have a Christian president?
Then she said that she was nervous, because our next president might be black…or a woman…and she had a feeling “things are going to change.” I tried to bite my tongue, but instead I said, “Yes…they might get better.” The look I got sent me straight to H-E-double hockey sticks.
I worked at a gas station the summer between my junior and senior year in high school. Conveniently, Iraq invaded Kuwait that summer.
I got the job of changing the sign from “$0.96” to “$1.15” or whatever it was. And you’d think that I was siphoning the profits directly into my own pocket, the way people cussed at me. “I’m 16 years old and the employee of a multinational corporation. Why the hell are you irate at ME? Do you assume I have control over this decision?!?”
Oh yes… the Auto-Pilot phrases.
I am guilty of using them- when someone asks me a question out of the loop I get SO screwed up that I can’t even talk for a few seconds. It’s like I have to wake up my brain to comprehend.
The good ones around here is to talk about the “new” whhatever that’s moving in. For a while it was the Super-Wal-Mart. Then we heard rumors of a Hooters… and now WE’RE GETTING A SONIC!
*dances*
I love sonic.
I’ve only been to it once.
Well, twice. IN THE SAME DAY, AT THE SAME SONIC. I had to get out at sonic to throw Sonic trash out as we were ordering more. I am SO bad.