Since most of you are not from Kansas City, a bit of background is in order. The most popular show on our local public television station is called Check Please. It is a show that allows three people to talk about their favorite restaurant. Each of the three guests selects a restaurant and all three […]
About David Hayden
Author Archive | David Hayden
On Sale Before Selling Out
I am about to violate one of the most basic rules of marketing and give you an insider’s look at the world of self-publishing in the digital age. I probably shouldn’t write this post. My morning coffee hasn’t kicked in and I can tell you that this post will eventually pulled from the site before […]
Hey Servers, There’s An App For That
Introducing Waiters Today As I approach my second year of writing this blog, I am pretty impressed with the quality of the server blogs on the web. I think that some bloggers like Mike Q at Life On A Cocktail Napkin have significantly raised the bar with the quality of their writing. Other blogs like […]
Why Free Food Does Not Increase Your Tip
“They left me 15% and I didn’t even charge them for their drinks†–Rookie Server One of the fundamental truths you learn as a server is that hooking someone up with free drinks, food, etc. does not increase your tip. No matter how fundamental of a truth this is, it seems that every server has […]
Serving The Conventioneer
After all the years I have spent in this business, I thought I had encountered most every type of guest. Working for over 13 companies in restaurants around the country had left me confident of this. My current job proved me wrong. My restaurant is located just blocks from the convention center. This has resulted […]
About The Author
David Hayden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He took his first serving job in 1996. Since that time, he has worked for over a dozen different restaurant companies. He has held both hourly and salaried positions at independent and corporate restaurants. He has waited on over 100,000 guests and trained hundreds of servers. He has been named "Best Server in Kansas City" the last three years by the local weekly paper.