I mentioned many months ago in a post titled ‘Work Ethic’ https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/11/15/ how important it is to bring it every day to work. The sad reality is that customers are not going to care what is going on in your life. My dog died That is horrible. I know how awful it can be to…
Category: bar
I am Guilty
I hope by now, if you have read some of these posts over the past year, you realize that I have been guilty of just about every infraction I have described. You may think that I come across a bit holier-than-thou when it comes to the whole service and hospitality thing, but I have just…
It’s All in How You Handle It
It is never really about the mistake. It is always about how you handle it. Mistakes are going to happen. Restaurants, (if you are lucky) are busy places. So when those mistakes happen, and they will, deal with them properly. I wrote about another inappropriately handled experience a while back: https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/08/02/ Let me tell you…
What’s the Rule?
I happened to be having a drink after work the other day, and overheard a conversation between the bartender and an employee of the place. “Don’t I get a discount on my food and drinks,” asked the employee? “Not this time,” the bartender responded. The employee, making not much more than minimum wage, left, clearly…
My Students Blame Me
My students, like my own kids before them, and my poor dear wife long before that, have from time to time maybe occasionally sometimes perhaps accused me of ruining dining out for them. My students tell me, because of what they have learned in my class, that they can no longer enjoy themselves when they…
We Need to Leave in a Bit…
I love it when I put myself into the hands of a seasoned server and they take care of me. Someone who has worked in that particular place for a while, knows what is good and what isn’t, knows what works and what doesn’t. I also love it when customers try to live up to their…
How to Hit a Curveball
It’s actually not that hard. It starts with a lot of preparation. In the restaurant business, we call that mise en place. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/08/11 Every single night in the life of your restaurant, and every single day if you are open for lunch, you will be handed a bucketful of curveballs. The toilet in the women’s…
Charge What you Can
My wife will never believe that I am publishing this post. I know I have a reputation for complaining about the ridiculous prices that places charge these days–in that sense, I am truly a crabby old man. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/04/21/ However, I have seen the light. Somewhat. I have had my frustrations in the past with restaurants…
Customer Contempt
I never really understood this one. You work in the hospitality business, depend on the generosity of others to make your living, and yet you have nothing but contempt for those you serve. Those who pay your bills. I see it often when I walk in to places. That look on the face. “Oh no,…
Jager and Red Bull?
My wife often has to remind me when we go out that we are not the target market of many of these places. It can be difficult to keep that in mind when I watch someone saddle up to the bar and order something like Jägermeister and Red Bull. With a straight face. Usually I am reminded under the table…
Lock the Door
I took a road trip recently to visit my mother on the Oregon coast. After driving for six hours, and getting into town late–too late to surprise my mom–I decided to have a little Irish whisky and celebrate St. Patrick’s day before checking in at my motel and hitting the hay. I walked into a restaurant/bar that I had taken…
There is a Reason Why It Didn’t Work Before
Having lived in the same house for fifteen years now has afforded me an interesting perspective on some of the restaurants that have come and gone in the neighborhood over those years. It kind of cracks me up when I see a place close, and then open up as something else in a very short period of time….
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