One of the most time consuming tasks a manager faces during the week is writing the server schedule. Hours can be spent digging up scraps of paper and consulting server availability just to get coverage for a particular shift.  This is followed by the inevitable complaints from people who work too little or too much. […]
Tag Archives | Restaurant managers
Cost vs Profit
In a previous post about why restaurants charge for different extras, I discussed the difference between the guest’s perception of profits and reality. It is not uncommon to hear a guest say, “I can buy this for half as much at the grocery store.â€Â The problem is that food in a restaurant carries far more […]
Coupons, Discounts, and How to Deal
The old adage says, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.†Whoever said this wasn’t looking hard enough. Today it seems every restaurant is offering some sort of deal. Prices are being slashed. “Buy one get one free†is a growing part of the lexicon. Restaurants that previously never would have thought of […]
In Defense of Selling as a Server (Part One)
Search engine results are one of the most amusing parts of writing a blog. I get to see what people are searching for that lands them on this page. Almost every day someone lands on this page looking for sales techniques. Upon closer examination I am seeing a trend of the phrasing of the searches. […]
Understanding Restaurants: The Manager’s Perspective
Archeologists have recently discovered a cave in Egypt believed to be the first restaurant. Obviously it would not meet our modern interpretation of a restaurant. It is clear from inscriptions on the wall that people did come in and were served food. Barter took place and guests typically ate their food there. One inscription depicts […]
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.