As servers, we often must come up with complaint responses when we encounter grievances that are not fully thought out. Whether it is that the dining room is too hot or the prices are too high. In many of these circumstances, we have nothing to do with the cause of the complaint. Usually, these are things […]
Skills Focus: Spotting The Complaint
Let’s be honest for a moment. I am about to make a statement that is often acknowledged as truth, but seldom spoke aloud. No one in the industry will really doubt this statement. It is too controversial for most people to acknowledge on the record. Today, I am going to go into uncharted territory by […]
Skills Focus: Words That Sell
This week’s skill focus is about using adjectives to sell food. Please don’t close the window. Go ahead and take a moment to groan and roll your eyes. It’s cool. I understand that instinct. I have sat through this lesson before. Get it out of your system. I will just wait here. Feeling better? I […]
The Meaning of Hospitality
This is not a story I tell very often because I have been known to get a little choked up from telling it. It happened nearly twenty years ago, but it still has an impact on how I view my job on a daily basis. My purpose in sharing it is not simply to stroll […]
Skills Focus: Describing Dishes
 Last week, the skills focus discussed how to get permission from to recommend food to your guests. This is an incredibly important skill because it allows you to suggest the best items on your menu to your guests. This week I am going to address how to make those recommendations more effective. The key […]
Skills Focus: Making Recommendations
(Note: This is the first of a new weekly series called “Skills Focus.” The purpose of these posts is to revisit a skill that has been discussed on this blog. This will allow you to take a moment and make sure you are using this skill to increase your tips. Taking the time each week […]
Creating A Server Community
One of the coolest parts of spending over a decade in the restaurant business is that you know someone at most every restaurant. Last night, my girlfriend Ali (who complains about not getting mentioned enough on here) and I went to check out a new restaurant. We scrolled through a list of six people we […]
The Reviews Are In
Read any good books lately? When I sent out advanced copies of my book, I was hoping someone would say something nice about it in their reviews. All of the people who had read it previously did so to edit it. Something about getting back all the previous copies covered in red ink made me wonder […]
Announcing Tips²: Tips For Improving Your Tips
It is with a great deal of pride and excitement that I can finally announce the release of my first book: Tips2: Tips For Improving Your Tips. I have been teasing this big announcement for months and am glad to finally be making it, even though for regular readers it may be akin to Mitt […]
The Rules of Serving: Rule Ten
Rule Ten: Pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy Every restaurant has at least one server who is chronically pessimistic. They come in for every shift expecting the worse. Even when they are proven wrong they find a reason to complain. If the ceiling started raining hundred dollar bills, they would complain about having to pay […]
Seeing Your Restaurant Again For The First Time
(Author’s Note: The video above was shot in the Jazz Club of the restaurant where I work. I think it will prove relevant to the post as you read on and also serves as a nice soundtrack provided by the incredibly talented Bram Wijnands) When I went in to interview at the restaurant where I work, I […]
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.