In a previous post about why restaurants charge for different extras, I discussed the difference between the guest’s perception of profits and reality. It is not uncommon to hear a guest say, “I can buy this for half as much at the grocery store.â€Â The problem is that food in a restaurant carries far more […]
Tag Archives | how restaurant owners can increase sales
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 […]
The Rules of Serving: Rule Five
Rule Five: Always recommend what is in the guest’s best interest, not yours.   (Note: There are many hyperlinks today that will send you to posts were I have previously addressed specifically issues that I address in this post.) This is the second time in two days I have sat down to write this […]
In Defense of Selling as a Server (Part Three)
Selling is a complex topic. In the first part of this series, I discussed how most managers and corporations fail to encourage servers to sell in the right way. The second part dealt with the fact that we are all salespeople and in fact selling is part of hospitality. If you haven’t read part two […]
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.