“It was the best of burgers, it was the worst of burgers, it was the burger of value, it was the burger of expense, it was the burger of service, it was the burger of incredulity, it was the burger of quality, it was the burger of waste, it was the burger of hope, it […]
The Mistake and The Letter
It was a pretty average second half of a double. Our bar was hopping with happy hour customers. I had just finished polishing my station and poured myself a nice cup of coffee. Then one of my managers came to find me with a piece of paper in her hand. Those of you who are […]
Foodie Friday: Types of Crab
Guests often bring up the names of Food Network and Cooking Channel chefs to me at work. The jokes usually go right over my head. People assume that I am somewhat familiar with these chefs because of my job. It is actually quite the opposite. After spending a shift staring into a kitchen wondering if […]
Learning Restaurant Spanish (Nouns)
Restaurants are growing more multilingual everyday. Hard working immigrants from throughout Latin America are respected and appreciated members of the restaurant world. The language barrier can be daunting, but overcoming it will help you appreciate some of the most interesting people in your restaurant. Learning enough Spanish to be able to communicate effectively is often […]
The Rules of Serving: Rule Four
Rule Four: Guests do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care We have truly become a nation of cynics. We doubt the sincerity of others and feel that no deal comes without a catch. We have good reason. Every special offer comes with fine print. We are constantly being […]
Foodie Friday: Health and Environmental Issues of Salmon
The planet Earth produces more food than ever before. Tremendous advances in food sciences have lead a higher percentage of our planets population to be fed than in any time in the modern era. No person is more responsible for this than one of my personal heroes, Norman Borlaug. It is estimated that the advancements […]
Understanding Restaurants: The Owner’s Perspective
This is the final installment of a four-part introduction. If you missed the previous posts on the overview, the guest’s perspective, and the manager’s perspective, click the links in this sentence. People ask me on occasion if I aspire to open my own restaurant one day. It always reminds me of the old Mitch Hedburg […]
Understanding Restaurants: The Manager’s Perspective
Archeologists have recently discovered a cave in Egypt believed to be the first restaurant. Obviously it would not meet our modern interpretation of a restaurant. It is clear from inscriptions on the wall that people did come in and were served food. Barter took place and guests typically ate their food there. One inscription depicts […]
Understanding Restaurants: The Guest Perspective
They say that no two snowflakes are ever the same. The number of possibilities in the formation of a snowflake leads to countless subtle differences. While this may be true, there are certain generalizations we can make about snowflakes. They are cold, white, and melt at temperatures above freezing. Snowflakes can be unique while still […]
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Understanding Restaurants: The Other Perspectives
Servers are required to constantly juggle multiple priorities on a minute-by-minute basis. Continually reevaluating what is the most urgent guest need and how to address other needs efficiently to prevent anticipatable needs from becoming urgent. Our guests, managers, and co-workers determine our priorities. All three of these groups have no problems speaking up and letting […]
Foodie Fridays: Salmon Species
Salmon is one of the least understood items on most restaurant menus. Servers are often unaware of what type of salmon is served out of their kitchen. Even more commonly servers are unaware of the unique selling points of the species they offer. This is problematic because premium salmon can warrant a premium price. It […]
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.