With the rise of social media, it has become increasingly common to see servers posting credit card receipts of guests, highlighting the tips they received. This includes not only the disappointing tips left by some guests but also the incredible gratuities left by celebrities and athletes. While the latter is often shared with the best […]
Archive | Server Point of View RSS feed for this section
Automatic Gratuities Just Became Far More Problematic For Restaurants
In the past I have warned restaurant owners about the difference between a tip and a service charge. Collectively restaurant companies nationwide faced settlements well into the eight figure range for ignoring the difference between these who terms. The lingering issue to be determined was whether automatic gratuities were legally a tip or a service […]
The Fine Dining Service Conundrum
Since most of you are not from Kansas City, a bit of background is in order. The most popular show on our local public television station is called Check Please. It is a show that allows three people to talk about their favorite restaurant. Each of the three guests selects a restaurant and all three […]
It Is Time To Act
Yesterday, I took a moment to give thanks to a number of people in the Kansas City restaurant community I am incredibly grateful for. Today, I feel there is an issue in this community that I can no longer ignore. Last week we suffered a tremendous loss as a community when one of our brightest […]
Is The Career Server An Endangered Species?
Since the release of my book, I have had a chance to do a fair number of interviews. After the end of the formal interview, I have twice now been told how rare it is to find someone who looks at serving as a profession. This usually leads me to a correction. I think there […]
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.