Last night I was thinking about rollups. Over the course of my serving career I have done a few rollups. I started wondering exactly how many I had done though. I opened up an excel spreadsheet and set out to determine how many I had done over the years. The answer surprised me. I have […]
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Please Remain Calm
It happens every year. There is a phenomenon that I have never understood that is taking place. It defies all logic, but occurs annually like clockwork. It can only be summarized at a collective freak out that sweeps most of the nation simultaneously without anyone acknowledging it. People stop eating out for the first two […]
And This Is How It Ends
Four years ago, I took a big step up in restaurants to start my current job. A co-worker’s girlfriend recommended me to her boss. I interviewed and was hired on the spot. I still remember the way it felt walking into the restaurant for that interview.  How impressive the building was. How professional the staff […]
Is Running Hot Food Always The Priority?
I have worked for a number of companies and managers over the years who repeated a similar mantra: ‘Running hot food from the window is the top priority.’ This is often echoed by managers, kitchen staff, and expediters. It has been emphasized so frequently that it’s generally accepted as fact. While this is an important […]
Avoiding The Write-Up
 Today, I want to share a feat that I quite frankly feel is remarkable. I don’t want to sound as if I am bragging, but this is something that might be worth it. I work for a corporately owned restaurant and have for nearly four years. This means that I have an employee file […]
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.