[Christien]

If I were to ever open a restaurant, the waiters would probably be the highest paid people in the joint. Excellent service is something someone has to take pride in, and make it a career, not a job. To get that type of person, you need to pay more than minimum wage. Quite a bit more. Stijn laid it out well from a first-person perspective, and that's why he's not working as a waiter anymore.

Thinking of them as sales people is a good start, but it's a bit different, because the sale's already made - the waiter just has to steer them in the right direction and see the sale through to completion.

There was a thread on here a while back (year or 2) someone wrote up about going to (I think) a really nice steakhouse, where the service was impeccable - there when you wanted them, without having to ask, not there when you didn't, but always paying attention to everyone at the table, even if from across the room. Never interrupting, never speaking to someone who's mouth was full. Taking pride in their work, and taking ownership of the situation. Knowing the menu inside-out, having tried everything on there at least once. In any place nicer than a run-of-the-mill bistro, I almost always ask for a recommendation, so I expect the server to know the menu well enough to be able to describe it.