Want to have a good time when you eat out? Start by trying to be a good customer. What is a good customer? If you were not raised by wolves, you should already know the answer to this. Please and thank you This is a great starting point. Saying please and thank you will most…
Category: Portland Restaurants
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…
Make a Difference
Often when I go out, someone in my group will ask me why the service is not very good on any given night. In one second I know the answer: No management presence on the floor. It is true, while the cat is away, the mice will play. I have written before on the importance…
Vegan. Gluten.
If you work in the restaurant industry, or even if you do not, those words usually elicit some kind of response. If you do happen to work in the industry, that response is usually a negative one. However, I was out the other day with some friends, and one of my friends happens to be…
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…
Bring Your ‘A’ Game
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…
Phone Etiquette
Even with all of our technology, the phone is still an important part of your restaurant. Make sure to properly train those answering the phone. Even if you use Open Table Maybe you are using an online reservation system. People are still going to call with questions. Or for a to-go order. Train those people…
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…
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