I spend a fair amount of time on the sister site of this blog discussing guest behaviors that annoy servers. I am sometimes a guest as well. On the occasions when I take my tips and spend them at a restaurant, I expect quality service. While I tend to not critique servers, there are definitely […]
Archive | Mechanics of Serving RSS feed for this section
How To Fold A Napkin
 The “how to” series continues this week with a lesson on how to fold a napkin.  I will start with the standard triangle “stand up†fold and then the more interesting “pouch†fold. This may be very remedial to some, but most restaurants in America still use the standard “roll up.â€Â For the benefit of […]
How to Carry Three Plates
 In continuing the “how to†series on this blog, we are turning from glasses to how to carry three plates. Carrying three plates in one hand is one of the first tricks many servers are required to learn. You can always spot a new server as they carefully walk through the dining room with two […]
How To Carry Three Glasses In One Hand
One of the first serving tricks that most servers learn is how to carry two glasses in one hand. This is a basic skill of serving and will save many unnecessary trips if you work in a restaurant that discourages trays. The shortcoming is that you are still limited to carrying three glasses at once. […]
The “How To†Series- Server Skills
Before there was The Hospitality Formula Network, or even my original blog on serving, there was draft of what would become Tips2: Tips For Improving Your Tips. I was determined to make this book more than a “Serving For Rookies†version of a generic training manual. The contents of the book and of this website […]
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.