I once waited on a lady who had obviously struggled with this one in the past. When I approached the table for the first time, she asked, “Are you my waiter?” When I responded with “Yes”, she replied, “Good. I don’t want to see anyone else coming to my table.” Yikes Now, let’s face it, this particular…
Category: Labor
Restaurant 101
Restaurants are really no different than any other kind of business. You need to drive sales, and control costs. That’s it. Oh, I guess I should say more than that… How How to go about that really is the test, isn’t it? Let’s have a quick lesson in that thing called a restaurant. The prime…
No More Tips?
I would love to see this shift in tipping policies here in the states: http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2015/06/6-beers-15-an-hour-dishwashers-and-zero-tipping.html Let’s face it: It won’t be long before Portland votes in a $15 an hour minimum wage. They have it in Seattle. They have it in Los Angeles. Progressive Portlanders are already upset that those two places beat us to…
Sunday Brunch
In my early days in this business, I was asked to close Saturday night, and then turn around and come back and work the next morning–Sunday brunch. In those days I did not have a car and the buses did not run that late on Saturdays, so inevitably I would walk the four miles home….
I Like them Because They are Nice to My Daughter
There are a couple of restaurants in my neighborhood that my daughter likes to frequent. Yes, I know, she is spoiled. However, I do love it when she comes back with positive things to say about these places. Were they nice? Often, I don’t even have to ask her about her experiences. She will come…
#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….
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…
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…
Don’t Forget, You Still Have Customers
My wife and I walked in to a place the other day, a full hour before they close, still at least half-filled with customers. We had a bit of difficulty getting the attention of the bartender, because he was busy wiping down the liquor bottles. I appreciate the need to do that, it does bring…
It’s Hard Being Me
After many years in this business, I have a few rules to live by. It’s a blessing and a curse: I don’t eat out on St. Valentine’s Day The reasons seem somewhat obvious to me, but to those who are not in the business, there is no way to know what you are potentially getting…
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