I went to a food cart in my neighborhood this past weekend with my darling (but a little spoiled in the food department), daughter. There is a new ‘pod’ in our part of town with about 20 or so various options. I had been to this particular cart before, when it was previously parked in…
Category: bar
What’s the Competition Doing?
Right now, I am in the middle of the restaurant management program that I teach. My poor wife could tell you on any given day what I happen to be teaching at the time because my enthusiasm level jumps from one subject to another based on what happens to be going on currently in the…
Your Menu
You probably think this post is going to be about what you should be putting on your menu. It is and it isn’t. It is not about what items you should be putting on your menu, but rather, how they should appear on the menu. Spell everything correctly I know. It seems obvious. You would…
Go Find Out
The answer to any question in the hospitality industry is never simply ‘no’. If a customer asks you about an item on the menu, and you aren’t sure of the answer–go find out the answer! Don’t ever just say, “I don’t know.” If they ask, “…can I get that with this?”, you don’t just answer…
#100
Ok. Here it is. #100: A little over a year ago I started this blog. It was my fantasy at the time (my wife’s, actually), that I could make a difference and change the quality of restaurant service in the city of Portland, Oregon. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/04/13 Have I made a difference? Well, let’s face it, no….
I Was a Bad Manager
Everyday I am reminded of what a bad manager I was. Well, almost every day. Whenever I sit down to crank out another post on this blog, I sit here typing away (not very fast, I might add), basically retelling all of the mistakes I have made myself, but by using examples of my dining…
Training
I have written over and over again about the importance of training your staff. It is imperative if you want at least a fighting chance to succeed. This goes for every position in the restaurant. Are you the chef? Show your cooks how you expect the dish to look. Some chefs actually draw pictures for…
Cell Phones
What to do…. This is a Pandora’s box that I don’t even want to open, but it is out there and needs to be dealt with. A friend of mine recently shared this link with me on Facebook, and I have to admit, I am at a loss on this one: We are a popular…
Represent
This happens so often: An employee receives a gift certificate to another restaurant from the boss for a job well done, or as a Christmas bonus, or a birthday present. They go out to the other place and have a good time. Too good of a time. Maybe they drank a bit too much. Maybe…
More Management Tips
My only goal with any of these posts is to make sure people have pleasant experiences when eating out. I like to think that anything I say can be applied to just about any establishment. Is the bartender busy? Jump back there and wash some glassware. Get them some more ice. See if those customers…
Where’s the Value?
It is important that you are sure you are bringing value to the table (bad pun) in your restaurant. That word value does not mean it has to be cheap, inexpensive food. It simply means that the customer is expecting something for the money they are spending. What is your value proposition? There are many…
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