When I started my first serving job years ago I worked for a company I will affectionately refer to as “Five Four.â€Â That isn’t what it says on the signs out front, but it what we all called it. My first day a manager who introduced himself as “CSV†told me that if I couldn’t […]
Tag Archives | Service
Seafood During Pregnancy
If you sell seafood at your restaurant, you will inevitably come in contact with pregnant women concerned whether or not it is safe. During pregnancy the only thing you get more than designer baby clothes that the child won’t be able to appreciate is advice on what not to eat. Seafood is confusing to expectant […]
Cost vs Profit
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 […]
Supply, Demand, and Chicken Wings
Yesterdays post on extra charges for the various items a guest requests caused me to ponder on a larger scale. It is remarkably common to hear guests say, could buy that steak/wine/etc at the store for half that much. This is the same principle as walking into a classic car dealership and demanding a price […]
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 […]
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.