There was a great debate last night at work about whether you cut the foil above or below the lip on a bottle of red wine. I did some research online which proved inconclusive. Then I remembered that I at least five certified sommeliers in my phone. Want to know the answer? Read on. I […]
Tag Archives | Rules for Servers
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 […]
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.