My service philosophy is simple but it has served me well: Be nice and they will come. I follow four aspects to perfect service: Good timing, knowledge of the menu (food, drinks, everything), ability to read the customer (are they chatty or do they prefer to be left alone?) and last but not least--smiling! It sounds obvious but a lot of restaurants brush over how important it is to take care of a customer right away. Small details can turn mediocrity into excellence.