If my tombstone was written by coworkers, guests, or bartenders it would read, “Here lies Dave, he made a mean cherry limeade.” I have declared this to every table I have served in the last three years. When you order a cherry limeade at my restaurant, the chit prints up at the bar with simply […]
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Selling Away and Selling Up
Great restaurants are often built around one or two signature entrees. These meals get people talking to their friends and coming back again the next week. Every menu has a few dishes that stand out from the rest. Conversely, every menu has items that are not as well received. Knowing how to steer your guests […]

Using Words That Sell
In nearly every training manual, at nearly every restaurant, there is a section on using adjectives to sell. This is often the extent of the sales training in them. They encourage you to use words like “awesome” and “incredible” to sell the food to guests. The authors of the manuals picture an army of servers […]

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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.