You Control Your Section

Okay you have been triple sat and a table needs to be cleared and your drinks for another table are just being prepared.

Quickly say hello to your 3 tables and say you will be right back so they are acknowledged. Go get your drinks if they are ready and drop them off at the table waiting and tell them you will be back in a couple of minutes to take their order. Then try to clear the other table entirely and hustle to the dishwash area and drop the dirty dishes off.

Go back and drop the dessert menus off to the cleared table and head back and make a round to the 3 tables that just were sat. Try to get the entire drink and dinner order if they are ready. But at least get the drink order. Then when you have done all 3 new tables head to the table with the drinks and take their food order too and go to the point of sale computer and punch everything in. People from the other table that have drinks in front of them can always wait a little longer than a table which doesn't have anything.

After you have done punching in the new orders go back to the table with the dessert menus and get their order. Punch that order in.

Go back get the drinks that should be ready for the 3 new tables and take remaining food orders from those who did not yet order their meal and punch them in. Now run like hell and move the meal along so they can be out quickly.

All this may have only taken a few minutes.

The point I want to make here is to avoid getting stuck. By telling every table what I am doing and when I will be back allows me to continue the flow without it being broken. If someone wants me now and wants to ask me a question I say I will be right back. Screw em. I do not want my other tables to wait. I will be back.

I gotta move along so that everyone is attended too quickly. Then when all the meals come out and everyone finishes just about the same time then we can do another flip in my section and I can make more money.

Easy peasy!

Of course this is subject to change. A table of 8 will be in less a hurry than a table of 2.

Any questions?

Here Is What I Do When I Take An Order From a Guest

When I was in sales for a while I read a lot of sale books naturally and one of my favourite closes or at least the one I found most successful was the throw it right back in the other person's lap close.

Let me explain how I use this when I take the order because what I want the guest to order is what they want and not exactly what I hear them asking me.

Example 1

Me - Okay are you all set to order?

Guest - Yes we are. But I have a question does it have to come with garlic mashed potatoes or can I have it with a baked potato?

Me - Would you like to have it with a baked potato?

Guest - No not really I will have it with garlic mashed or yes they answer I would like to have it with a baked potato.

Example 2

Me - Alright looks like we are ready to order......

Guest - Just can't make up my mind. Is the filet or ribeye a better steak?

Me - What do you usually order?

Guest - It depends usually I always go for the filet.

Me - Would you like the filet?

Guest - Yeah I really like the filet let's go with that!

That is all I do is just ask them a question back when they ask me a question. I don't want to think for them for chrissakes! All I want to do is let them decide and tell me what they want , not me tell them what they should have. Because as Tom Hopkins in his Master of Selling book says if they say it then they bought it.

Also if they are to complain later that they wanted something different then I always will know that they told me they wanted it. Not me force it down their throat.

Now you can't use this all the time. If you work in a steakhouse and someone asks if your steaks are good you don't make them look stupid and reply , do you like steaks? I mean they must probably like steaks or they wouldn't be there in the first place.

But many times I avoid long dialogue by throwing the question back at them and moving on quickly and taking the order.

Remember the last person to ask a question is controlling the conversation and leading the other person. You don't want your guest to be running all over you with stupid idiotic questions while you have other things to do in the meantime.

I take the order quick this way. Then write it down and repeat it back to them. No mistakes this way and very little misunderstandings at all.

Just take the order and leave.

Showing Some Empathy

A table walked in last night and was seated in my section. When I went over to these two guys there was not so much as a hello when one jumped in before the other was about to say something and ordered a soda water and a shrimp cocktail. His friend hadn't made up his mind so I went and ordered his appetizer and got his soda water.

No sooner did I give him his soda that in one slurp it was gone and he was asking for another. It is a free refill where I work you see. The other guy ordered an onion soup and changed his mind from an ice tea to plain water with lemon. So I get that for him then he wants more ice and his friend has finished his second soda already and wants a refill.

I figure that I should just get their main course order as quickly as possible so I do that but before I leave the guy is ready for another soda refill and the other wants more water. They get their salads and although I have 4 other tables going on they are all twos so I can run around for them. It's not a big deal.

The one drinking water ask for a 7up now and the other guy wants a refill of soda. It is getting a bit silly when I had to attend to another table the guy with the soda gets the attention of another waiter to refill his soda upon the delivery of his main course. Couldn't the guy wait two seconds before I went over and checked on their table.

I know I am not making much on this table but they at least enjoy the meal and everything was cooked to their liking.

The guy must have had 10 Soda waters and the other guy a few 7ups and plenty refills of water with lots of ice. It comes to paying the tab and they ask for separate bills.

The one guy who had the 7up , his bill came to $44 and something and he left $2.00 tip and his friend with the sodas left me a $5 tip on about the same amount. So it is $7.00 tip altogether.

But then the guy with the 7up says you know last week I turned 37 and I didn't think I would make it. It has been a struggle all my life. His friend looked like he had been through a similar struggle. We had a short chat after that talking about Obama in the States and I have to say even though they made me run they were really nice people.

But when he said it had been a struggle all his life I thought to myself who knows what that person has gone through. What abuse that person might have had or some physical or mental defect that started right out of the gate that never gave him a fair start in life.

After he said that if they both left nothing at all it wouldn't have mattered. Honestly. Thank heavens whoever is reading this we can do what we do whether it is waiting on tables , working on computers , etc.. or just simply being able to lead a normal life.

Especially us who work in the service industry who serve a lot of people , we don't know what a person has been through. Now that I know these two gentlemen better I will always give the most ouststanding service possible to them and expect little if anything in return. They deserve it for what they have been through and if I can do my part in helping brighten their day. Great!