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Hagedorn and Richman Face Off


johnb

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It's not that it's a scam.  It's that, when servers become salespeople, trying to push bottled water, appetizers, top-line cocktails, more expensive wines than you want or need, dessert or whatever, it's annoying as hell.  If I want that kind of treatment, I'll hang at the used car lot and listen to the undercoating spiel.

Thanks Charles, I needed the laugh that this one produced.

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I have no problem with the server asking if I want bottled water, I just say that regular water is fine.  If they offer specials, I ask what they are priced at.  If the menu says market price, I ask what they are going for that day.

Anyone who has such low self-esteme, or such an high opinion of himself that he can't ask, shouldn't be out eating dinner with civilized folks anyway.

Thank you for saying this. You're absolutely right. I, naturally, have to complicate things further by preferring my water without ice. (Ice is for cocktails and iced tea only!). Because of my preference to not have ice, I'm granted a telltale indicator of how I'm being served. I ask for water without ice and 50% of the time it's served with ice.

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Water without ice is easy enough to manage, as are most requests that are made in advance. Please, though, if you take straws or six extra lemon wedges with your water, if you want separate checks for each guest, if you'd like to take two tea bags from the box instead of one, if you know that you'd like more bread when you are placing another order, if you'd like a cherry in your Riesling (!), let me know before I deliver them to your table.

Extra trips to the table slow down the overall process. When that's happening at each of the tables in a server's section it can wreak havoc on everybody's night.

Here are the steps of service I'm already trying to nail down, which is a lot because I receive no aid from food runners or bussers. According to my restaurant's single-server philosophy, my face is the only one that should be seen by the guests at your table. Please be mindful of your opportunities to make multiple, simultaneous requests when I'm at your table; it will help me help you have a better dining experience.

1. Greet with bread, butter, and cocktail napkins. Inquire about water preference (sparkling, still, or tap). Describe specials and other noteworthy presentations.

2. Return with water, take beverage order.

3. Prepare iced teas, pick up all other drinks from bar.

4. Deliver drinks to patrons, solicit orders for appetizers and main courses.

5. Enter appetizer order into POS system.

6. Return within 3 minutes and check-up on drink preparations.

7. Monitor the kitchen for appetizers, soups are prepared by server.

8. Deliver appetizers.

9. Enter into POS main courses or have kitchen fire them if already entered and held.

10. Table-check on appetizers, beverages.

11. Clear appetizers and reset table.

12. Monitor kitchen for main courses.

13. Deliver main courses.

14. Table-check on entrees within 3-5 minutes.

15. Continue beverage service, providing additional rounds as needed.

16. Clear main courses, reset table.

17. Dessert presentation and after-dinner beverage orders.

18. Monitor bar for coffee and liquers.

19. Deliver after-dinner beverages.

20. Monitor pantry for desserts.

21. Deliver desserts.

22. Table check on desserts and beverages within 3-5 minutes.

23. Clear desserts.

24. Presentation of the check.

25. Pickup and processing payment of the check.

26. Check return and farewell.

I know that, for the most part, this is preaching to choir at DR.com

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Water without ice is easy enough to manage, as are most requests that are made  in advance.  Please, though, if you take straws or six extra lemon wedges with your water, if you want separate checks for each guest, if you'd like to take two tea bags from the box instead of one, if you know that you'd like more bread when you are placing another order, if you'd like a cherry in your Riesling (!), let me know before I deliver them to your table.

Extra trips to the table slow down the overall process.  When that's happening at each of the tables in a server's section it can wreak havoc on everybody's night.

Here are the steps of service I'm already trying to nail down, which is a lot because I receive no aid from food runners or bussers.  According to my restaurant's single-server philosophy, my face is the only one that should be seen by the guests at your table.  Please be mindful of your opportunities to make multiple, simultaneous requests when I'm at your table; it will help me help you have a better dining experience.

1.  Greet with bread, butter, and cocktail napkins.  Inquire about water preference (sparkling, still, or tap).  Describe specials and other noteworthy presentations.

2.  Return with water, take beverage order.

3.  Prepare iced teas, pick up all other drinks from bar.

4.  Deliver drinks to patrons, solicit orders for appetizers and main courses.

5.  Enter appetizer order into POS system.

6.  Return within 3 minutes and check-up on drink preparations.

7.  Monitor the kitchen for appetizers, soups are prepared by server.

8.  Deliver appetizers.

9.  Enter into POS main courses or have kitchen fire them if already entered and held.

10.  Table-check on appetizers, beverages.

11.  Clear appetizers and reset table.

12.  Monitor kitchen for main courses.

13.  Deliver main courses.

14.  Table-check on entrees within 3-5 minutes.

15.  Continue beverage service, providing additional rounds as needed.

16.  Clear main courses, reset table.

17.  Dessert presentation and after-dinner beverage orders.

18.  Monitor bar for coffee and liquers.

19.  Deliver after-dinner beverages.

20.  Monitor pantry for desserts.

21.  Deliver desserts.

22.  Table check on desserts and beverages within 3-5 minutes.

23.  Clear desserts.

24.  Presentation of the check.

25.  Pickup and processing payment of the check.

26.  Check return and farewell.

I know that, for the most part, this is preaching to choir at DR.com

As someone who works in the industry and dines out whenever I can I would say from a guest's point of view you would look quite harried. Not haveing a support staff is not only inneficient but it just looks bad to have the same person doing everythng at the table. Not to mention the fact that you have more then one table at a time. Please take no offense but whoever is running your restraurant is NUTS!!!

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I agree completely, no support staff is ridiculous in this day and age. Effective management maybe the root of evil to begin with in the restaurant business. managers too often believe that if their staff has less to tip out at the ned of the day that they are much happier, when in all fairness, what server enjoys doing everything on their own, including giving hurried service, hanging by a thread from the weeds, and at the end of it all, clean the whole place up along with re-stocking everything that was used in the process.

If managers stepped backed for a second and realized that it was repeat business that keeps them in business everyday, then they would understand that it starts with service. bad service=one visit and done. Good service=repeat business. Doors stay open.

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When I run a "Special" it's exactly that, special! It might be some pristine b-liner snapper or I might have gotten in some beautiful baby squash or Tomatoes that I want to show off. I have seen the practice of using a "special" to jack up the price of mediocre product. Same thing with "Market Price". When I go out (which is very seldom) I always ask the price. :)

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