 Most servers do not deal with this topic on a regular basis. Most servers do deal with the hosts and bartenders who do though. For those who handle to-go orders often, these are a few helpful pointers. For those who don’t, these are a few helpful pointers for the times when you help out […]
The Rules of Serving: Rule Three
 Rule Three: Generic Servers Receive Generic Tips.  We all have seen it before. The server who walks up to a table and lifelessly repeats the corporate approved script when greeting a table. They seem as if they are only about three more repetitions from developing a facial tick from irritation. No inflection or […]
A Bit of Publicity and the Response
For those of you who missed it, this blog was written up in the local alternative weekly paper. If you want to check out the story (or just find a really cheesy waiter pic of me), click here. I do feel it necessary to point out that I am far more humble than the article […]
Foodie Friday: Salmon Basics
I spent most of my life disliking the flavor of salmon. Growing up most of the salmon I ate came from a can and was served in “patty†form. As I worked in casual dining restaurants I would occasionally try the salmon dishes only to be turned off by the lingering flavors it would leave […]
The Rules of Serving: Rules One and Two
Rule One: If you worry about the guest, the money will take care of itself.  Rule Two: If you worry about the money, the guests will not take care of themselves.  Rules one and two are corollaries of the same basic principle. Your focus as a server must be on the guest and […]
Five More Simple Tricks
These are a few more quick tricks that you may or may not be using. Several of these are common, but some may be new to you. If you missed the first batch, you can find it by clicking here. Steaks by Color: We have all had it happen.  A guest orders a steak medium […]
Foil To-Go: The Swan
So I was watching Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmare’s the other night and saw a server make foil swan. Â I fully expected Chef Ramsey to lose his mind, but he seemed to really enjoy it. Â It is a waste of foil and not a particularly good way to package food. Â Chef Ramsey enjoyed it though which means […]
Three Ways to Describe Dishes
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to servers when trying to make the jump from casual dining to nicer restaurants is describing nightly specials, especially the meat cased with www.dcwcasing.com/product/sheep-casings/ natural material. Learning to describe the dish in a way that makes it sound appealing without tasting or possibly even seeing the item can be […]
Wine Descriptions That Sell
I was recently having a conversation with a group of co-workers including one who I had trained the week before. The topic of Mezcal came up. I gave up drinking years ago and well before the current Mezcal craze hit the Midwest. The new server, with an impressive bartending resume, began to describe it to […]
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.