That is the name of the game. There is no room for selfishness. There is an ‘i’ in selfishness, but there is no ‘i’ in teamwork. I landed a restaurant manager job a while back, quite a while back, and after the first day, after just a couple of hours in fact, I realized what…
Category: Service
The Host
Let’s break down this most important position. A lot of people in the hospitality industry here in the states like to dismiss this position and unimportant and unnecessary. I used to be one of them. I was wrong Of all of the positions related to the front-of-the-house, this one works most closely with the manager,…
Get That Food Out!
There is actually a list put out (maybe by the National Restaurant Association?) on the priorities that servers are expected to follow during a typical shift in a restaurant. I will bore you with some of the other things on that list a bit later, but want to start with the one on the top…
It’s Good to Get Out of My Portland Bubble
I just returned from the east coast a few days ago, and had a wonderful time. It doesn’t hurt that I get to be accompanied by the best traveling companion in the world. I never lose sight of the fact that it is always good to get out of ones comfort zone. Remind yourself that…
It’s Not Their Fault (Part 2)
Before, when I wrote a post called ‘It’s not their fault”, I focused on the customer and how they should not be held responsible for everything in their dining experience. Yes, I will always agree that customers DO have some responsibility, but most of it ends up being the job of the restaurant. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2014/08/25/ This…
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….
What Am I to Do?
No, this is not a rhetorical question. I really do need to know. What am I to do when I have a bad experience in a restaurant? Food is bad, service is worse, and there doesn’t seem to be any management presence to bring my concerns to (which, let’s face it, is why the…
It’s Just Food
That’s right. Let’s not lose sight of that. We–all of us–need to remind ourselves once in a while. Myself included. It’s when we start taking ourselves too seriously that we start to head in to trouble. Same goes for drink It’s just drink. Sure, like a lot of people, I love good drink. I like…
Everyone Here is So Nice
Boy, wouldn’t it be great if this is what people were saying about your restaurant? They could be if you just made a little effort in that direction. I have mentioned on many occasions that restaurant employees who are nice will make up for a lot. Even if they aren’t the most technically correct servers….
Added Value
Most restaurants, if they care about keeping their customers coming back at all, are constantly looking for ways to add value to their product. Not an easy thing to do, however, you should always be searching for ways to do it. Steal ideas from other restaurants, if necessary. Or other businesses. Google it. It’s ok!…
UGH (Sigh)
Ugh. I am not quite sure how to spell that. The urban dictionary tells me that this is the correct way, but it just doesn’t seem right. I feel the need to add the letter ‘H’ a few more times to do it justice. You know what I am talking about. You’ve heard it a…
Single Diners
I have mentioned on many occasions that you never want to assume anything about a customer. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/09/06 In that particular post (if you didn’t feel like clicking on it to read it), I talk briefly about the single diner and how you never know who is going to be a potential long term, repeat client….
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