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 […]
Tag Archives | customer service
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 […]
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 […]
Making Tips on To-Go Orders
 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 […]
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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.