After all the years I have spent in this business, I thought I had encountered most every type of guest. Working for over 13 companies in restaurants around the country had left me confident of this. My current job proved me wrong. My restaurant is located just blocks from the convention center. This has resulted […]
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What If I Don’t Like My Guests?
Recently, I wrote a skill focus post on the importance of developing a positive rapport with your guests. In the post I emphasized the importance of letting the guest know that you liked them. Remember that one of the easiest ways to make someone like you is to let them know that you like them. […]
Humorous Complaint Responses
As servers, we often must come up with complaint responses when we encounter grievances that are not fully thought out. Whether it is that the dining room is too hot or the prices are too high. In many of these circumstances, we have nothing to do with the cause of the complaint. Usually, these are things […]
The Murphy Table
A Murphy bed is probably something most of us are unfamiliar with by name. It is the name for a bed that folds down from the wall for sleeping and can be folded up into the wall after the occupant awakes. It was designed originally by the Murphy Bed Company. In 1989 an appellate court […]
How To Sell The “Add On”
This is a topic that I have been debating writing about the “add on”  for a long time. It is an incredibly important topic that can improve both the satisfaction of your guests and increase your income. It is also one of the least popular topics amongst servers. Managers often preach the benefits of selling the […]
About The Author
David Hayden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He took his first serving job in 1996. Since that time, he has worked for over a dozen different restaurant companies. He has held both hourly and salaried positions at independent and corporate restaurants. He has waited on over 100,000 guests and trained hundreds of servers. He has been named "Best Server in Kansas City" the last three years by the local weekly paper.