Yesterdays post on extra charges for the various items a guest requests caused me to ponder on a larger scale. It is remarkably common to hear guests say, could buy that steak/wine/etc at the store for half that much. This is the same principle as walking into a classic car dealership and demanding a price […]
Extras and Upcharges
I received a message the other day from a friend and reader of the blog who is not in the business. She recounted going out to eat and asking for a few extras. When the bill came it was filled with minor charges for each of the items she requested. Her concern was not that […]
The Evolution of Free Bread
In the far corner of Southeast Missouri is a town called Sikeston. If you have heard of Sikeston, MO it is probably because of a restaurant called Lambert’s Café. I’ve eaten at Lambert’s a number of times over the years, but don’t recall what I had. I always remember the food being good, but nothing […]
Foil To Go: The Shark
It’s “Shark Week†from all indications. The time when a certain television network rolls out a weeks worth of shark related shows that everyone feels the need to watch and discuss over dinner at my restaurant. Personally I would love to see the same principle used on “National Debt Week†or “Health Insurance Reform Week†[…]
Fun Crab Facts and Jokes
They say you gotta give the people what they want. In this case it seems to be crabs. The number of searches I have seen this week that landed on my crab post is overwhelming. So I decided to revisit my favorite decapods. The previous post was a bit more scientific and specific. Today, I […]
Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Regular readers of this blog may have realized already that I hate getting stumped by my guests. I have spent thousands of hours researching food to prevent this from happening. Last night I was asked a question so simple I should have known the answer. They asked me what makes vinegar “balsamic.â€Â One theory was […]
The Rules of Serving: Rule Six
Rule Six: Never spend money you haven’t made.  I am glad July of 2010 is behind me. I cannot recall a month that was less lucrative in my serving career. My income dropped by well over 50% last month. Unbearable heat combined with a disproportionate number of patio shifts took a chunk out of […]
Retiring Jokes
I was 13 years old back in 1988. I know who Flo Jo and Greg Louganis are. I will never misspell potato. I remember President Reagan. I had a crush on Jessica Rabbit. I saw Rattle and Hum on my 13th birthday because it was rated PG-13.  My girlfriend taught me to dirty dance, but […]
Espresso Drinks
During the writing of one of these posts between 20 and 60 ounces of coffee is consumed by the author. While Microsoft Word is firing up on my Mac, I start the first pot in one of the three coffee makers, e.g., commercial espresso machine, in my kitchen. I sit down and write a basic […]
Love and Greed
My weekend posts tend to be a bit more casual than my weekday posts. I try to save certain topics for the weekend to keep balance between the focus of this blog and my philosophical ramblings about issues surrounding the life of a server. This is one of those posts. In the more laidback nature […]
How Wild Fish Is Caught
Your guests are becoming more eco friendly than ever before. Organic, sustainable, free range, cruelty free, locally grown, and a variety of other catch phrases that were unheard of when I started waiting tables are now common place. Most all of these are easy enough terms to understand because they are relatable. We understand grazing […]
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.