A New Blog Starting Up Soon

In a couple of weeks I am going to be switching to another blog. Yes I will still be waiting on tables but I am also going to work for a travel agency starting in a few weeks specializing in cruise ships , land packages , airline flights and just about anything else you can think of.

This blog will be coming to an end as I do not intend to talk anymore about the restaurant industry. Not that it hasn't been good to me but really other than rude guests there wasn't much else that I felt I could have covered.

This new blog I will be talking about travel destinations. In other words places you and I would like to visit or know more about. The blog is up and ready to go so I am hoping when the time comes you can all join me and together we can talk of travel. Having traveled a bit myself this should be loads of fun.

As well , when I get started there will be a link to a free monthly newsletter informing you of what is new in the travel industry and some real good deals going on out there.

Lastly there will also be a link to a web page where you can browse different vacation packages without leaving the comfort of your home.

The blog is at this link http://cruisingeverywhere.blogspot.com The profile picture is of me and my oldest son on the ship while whale watching in Iceland.

I will be back in a couple of weeks once the training is over and I have written the exam that Ontario travel agents have to write.

Till then , be well..

Back to Work Tonight

The biggest motivating factor for me going back to work tonight after having a great vacation is now thinking about next year's vacation. Yes I know there is a lot of room in between for other things to take place but this past two weeks has made me decide that everyone should take a couple of weeks at the very least.

Last night I started thinking about work and I thought about the last table I served before I went on vacation. It was 9:45 and a couple came in with a one year old and ordered an appetizer and a couple of steaks. An hour later after taking turns holding onto the child who was obviously overtired and whiny they asked for the bill. It came to a whopping (kidding) total of $75.32 and the guy says that is a day's wages. He leaves $6.

I hope that family sees better days because when he said that I felt bad for him. Nice enough family too. Seriously if people are going out to eat where I work and cannot afford it maybe I might just look around and find a place to work where people can afford it.

In a couple of weeks I am starting a new blog or at least by that time will let you know of it. Life is about to get a whole lot more exciting for us.

Heading to Iceland on Vacation

I hope everyone in the service industry gets a good vacation this summer. I am off to Iceland with the family for a couple of weeks.

Take care everyone!

It Has Been Totally Awesome!

It has been a week since my last post. The next day I was going to post something but with the kids out for Spring break I decided to delay it a day. Then the next day came and I didn't post anything and the whole week just continued like that.

For the past year and a half I have been writing about anything and everything I could think of about the restaurant industry. I have even regurgitated old things and put a different slant on them just to post something. As the week wore on with me not posting anything a strange thing occured. I got more accomplished. I was more relaxed. I started to read a book I put aside a while back.

We bought the tickets for Iceland where we will be going the end of June to mid-July to spend time with my wife's family. I finished my third assignment for my home study course. On my day off headed to Toronto to visit my brother Blair and where he worked and took the kids on their first subway ride on what was a beautiful balmy day. Got our passport photos done.

My wife and I have been working steady. Today and tomorrow are my first two days off in a row since before Valentine's day. A couple of more months till the end of May I plan on working just as hard. I think I am the only one getting five shifts a week right now which is great and if the bartending course gets enough people to sign up beginning on April 12th that would be an added bonus.

Honestly if people read blogs to get the scoop on some silly request by a guest this is not a blog to read. I just work through it and keep every thought I can possibly come across positive. We are getting it done. Goals are being reached and I am in a happy place.

The battle is won between your ears. Len Lobby from the Las Vegas Weekly sent me a link to an article that talked about waiting on tables and other positions that rely on tips. Check it out by clicking the title. The one I like is about the 60 year old waiter who basically says that bad tips come with the good tips and really he just accepts there will be bad ones. Probably why he is still a waiter. He knows it is just a numbers game. That is all it is.

As long as you can work in a place that is busy enough so you can have enough people to serve to overcome the bad tipper you will always make some money. It is just the law of averages.

As for the blog I will not post as much. Unless I get ideas from you or have questions you would like to have my opinion on I will keep it to perhaps a couple a week. In the past I have posted stuff just to post something and usually it has been about some silly guest. To be truthful except for that idiot couple I have posted about a couple of times not much gets to me. By the time I walk out the door and driven home for half an hour my night is forgotten. When it comes to writing about serving , clearing tables , or other stuff concerning waitering and bartending there are others that are doing that already and doing a good job at it.

For those of you who I am grateful for following me right up till now the part I have really enjoyed is talking about jobs I have had and my travels. This business I have enjoyed immensely and still do. I couldn't think of doing anything else except to write about it someday in a book.

It has been totally awesome!

So when I do post now it will be on something that you want to hear about or that I think may be of some significance going on in my thoughts. I will try to make it as fresh as possible.

By the way if any of you out there want to keep in touch more often via the email drop me a line. I know I have made some friends out there in the blog world. We are all the same in this world just doing the same thing trying to make it happen.

steve@stevetalks.ca

I Think I Won Again

Yes that is right another contest for highest average check was held this week and unless someone makes a huge night tonight I obtained the highest. This month I said this was going to be a good month and so far it is. Today enjoying my third day off in March.

I have been upsizing the steaks , selling the feature martinis , making sure everyone has a drink in front of them , selling add-ons , getting guests to share appetizers or desserts if they cannot have one all their own , selling coffee. You name it.

Coffee is a biggie. Something so easy to serve adds a couple of dollars to the average guest check.

Hey 14 years ago this week I left the ship for the last time. March 10th in Singapore. Time flies but this streak I am on makes me realize there is still a lot left in the tank.

Feels good......

Never Ask A Waiter If He Is Too Busy To Take Another Table

I just got triple sat and one of the tables was a party of 10. The GM comes over and ask if I can do it. Of course I can I replied.

I am in the weeds big time. I have tables all over the place and somehow I have to take this order from the 10 top quickly before delivering the drink order for the 4 top that I just took. Only 6 of the 10 speak English and the rest need translation. Great I finally get their order and run my ass off catching up on my other tables.

End result , I walked out with $232 last night and the highest check average. If this keeps up I am going to win the contest again.

A waiter would sooner be in the weeds and take more tables than say no and be standing around. Ask a waiter if they can handle another table and it is sort of a stupid question. They will always say yes.

A Dream Close

The other night I was closing and had no new table for close to two hours. Then just when I thought we were close to shutting the dining room a couple walk in.

Alright I guess I am here for a while longer I thought. The thing was not so much what the time was but when you have basically been doing nothing and you get a table so close to the end it is like okay here we go. It is going to be a slow long night like last Monday's 12:30am departure.

They sit down and are taking their time when they finally order a drink. Then I get their salads and with their steaks medium well and well done punched in that order a few minutes later. Well it turned out these people were really nice so it was no trouble I thought if they stayed a while.

Their main course came out and I walked away to let them enjoy it and went to do some closing duties. A few minutes later I was coming by to do the quality check when they guy says we need this all packed to go. The babysitter had called and I guess they had to head home.

Stunned and trying not to show my inner happiness I packed their food and settled up with them on the debit machine. Not only did they tip but they tipped well and even offered myself to join them the next time while they were eating for a drink. Not sure I would be able to do that I said but thanked them and added I hoped everything was okay.

So the end result was for a change got out early on a bit of a fluke and made decent money on just 5 tables.

Sometimes things just go your way.

Read Your Guests

The other night we got slammed and the kitchen was running behind. I had this couple who had a some appetizers and salad and were waiting for their main course to arrive.

My other table got their food and I was running food all around in that area to different tables. I saw them start to have that look on their face like when is mine arriving? I head back to the kitchen and I see it on the pass waiting for the steak to be put on the plate. Asking how long it will be I went back to the table and said to them it will be a couple of minutes.

Now here is the deal if you say it is going to be arriving in a couple of minutes it better arrive in a couple of minutes. Any longer and the guests really begins to wonder what the heck happened.

I go back to the kitchen and it is still not ready. I give a heads up to the kitchen manager and he checks the time and sees it is running way late. Knowing it may take a couple of minutes more he heads to the table to speak with the guest.

The guest is fine and the meal arrives shortly thereafter. It was a great thing the manager did by going over there to speak with the guest. He said thanks for letting him know and we put out a potential fire by letting the guest know that we were sorry for the delay and it will be out shortly.

Here is the deal and that is when you are waiting a longer than usual time for something and you feel the guest starting to lose it by changes in their facial expression or a total lack of silence at the table let your supervisor know. Chances are they are peeved off.

Don't try to remedy the situation by yourself. If you have done all you could and you see the guests' face going sour tell someone. By someone who is higher up going to the table not only will things get smoothed out but they will know that you the waiter are doing your job by showing you care enough to have someone come over and explain the problem.

A waiter who puts out fires before they go full out is on top of his section and communicating all the time. This is providing excellent service!

CNN Article

Here is a waiter article I participated in that has been posted today. Unfortunately it lacks a link back to the blog but I enjoyed adding a few comments to help out.

Just click on the title to view the article. I found it amusing the restaurant that wanted to ban a bad tipper.

Waiting is a tough profession that has a lot of good and not much bad. My motto has always been if I cannot afford to tip well then I cannot afford to go out either. Better just to buy some groceries and have a nice family dinner.

Great Verbal Tips This Weekend Grrrrrrr....

I don't know how many times people said great meal and great service and left me just the minimum. I mean how many tables do I have to do to make great money when people are leaving 8 , 9 , and $10? All I can do is hurry through the numbers and hope by the end of the night I get a real good one sometime during service to bump my take home up.

I see very quickly that Spring is almost here and although I am not complaining that warmer weather is coming very quickly it also means the slow season is coming upon us. So the more shifts I work till about Mother's Day the better. Then I can take some time off during the summer.

Hopefully we will be heading to Iceland the beginning of July for two weeks. Hot Springs , Blue Lagoon , camping and lots of daylight hours to enjoy there.

I would estimate in this 6 day stretch I just worked during the past week I probably served about 140 people. Come to think of it I had to make some good money somewhere during that time. How could I not?

How was your last week?

How Disgusting!

Had this couple come in last night as part of a table of 7. Aside from holding up the table for a good hour before anyone else joined them he was quite rude.

He blew his nose in the clean nice white napkin at the table! In a honkin' fashion to boot!

How disgusting! It really grossed me out.

What are some of the most disgusting things you have seen people do at the table?

CNN , Employee Incentives , and a Thought On February

Well here I am about to start my glorious one day off before heading back tomorrow after working 6 in a row. For my reward for getting the highest average cheque for the contest I indulged in a 12 oz sirloin cooked medium rare with a cajun shrimp topper , garlic mash and some frizzy onions. To drink I had a Heineken draft beer and and a glass of the Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz. I was stuffed after that and headed home. There is another contest coming up next week so will try to continue the winning streak.

Just a thought but whatever establishment you work in these contests do mean a lot and don't think for a minute no one cares about coming out on top. Management would do well to hold such promotions.

The other day through email someone at CNN contacted me to talk about what peeves a waiter off and vice versa. So we talked on the phone a bit. It is a story they are doing not on television but in the living section of their web page. She did mention she was going to be talking to a bunch of other waiters so whether anything I said will go into the feature article will remain to be seen. Maybe even some of you have been contacted already. It was fun nonetheless. If anything comes of it and it goes on the internet I will let you know.

Just a note on February and it's 28 days. Were any of you out there wishing there was a couple more work days in the month like I was before the bills at the beginning of the month started rolling in again? It is amazing how a short month really crunches the time between one bill and the next. Thus the reason for working 6 in a row. After today I am on 7 out of 8 days so should be caught up by then.

March is shaping up to be an awesome month and with the temperatures hovering around 5 Celsius or 41 Fahrenheit already Spring may be here to stay. Let's hope so!

Keep on truckin'!

Highest Per Person Average Cheque Last Week

And for that I get a free meal and drinks!

You Are Blowing It Big Time Buddy

Last night this young couple come in for dinner and it looks like the guy and girl are out on a first date. They order their drinks and are in no hurry to order their meals. In fact it took them close to 30 minutes to open their menu.

Then when they order they have no appetizers , just the entree. I am busy running around but I notice this guy is never shutting up and she cannot get a word in edgewise. An occasional yeah or chuckle is all she can manage.

They get their meal and then it comes to dessert time. They decline that and the guy is really starting to give me the impression he doesn't want me to interrupt his diarrhoea of the mouth. After about 15 minutes I give them the bill and it just sits there while this guy never shuts up.

I am the closer so I know I will have to tell this guy to take his girl elsewhere to continue his conversation with no doubt by this time himself. How do I know that?

Well everyone is gone and I am clearing off the last table when she sees me and says to him ,"oh we must be the last ones," while making a move to get up. This guy replies , oh that is okay and continues right on talking!

Oh no you don't buster brown! I walk over and tell him that the dining room is closed but if you would like to continue your conversation you can go to the bar which is still open. He says oh alright thanks very much. Her face showed a sense of relief. Obviously feeling the weight of this conversation being lifted off her shoulders.

Now here is my question to all you girls out there. Do you think she wanted to continue this conversation in the bar or just get outta there and do you think this guy talking too much has ruined any chance of a date next time.

What do you think by your experience?

What Would Have Given You That Idea ?

Last night I was the closer so what happens is I get the last table of 8 that had a reservation for 9:15 but arrives a half hour late. They were only 6 at that point and were still waiting for the other two.

I had at that point given up on making it an early exit as I had 3 other tables on the go. One of which was passed off to me by another waiter who was pre close. This couple had already sat there for two hours without ordering anything. Not even a drink! I did get them to order their meal but they were eating very slowly.

Anyway back to this table of 8. Instead of waiting for the last two to arrive they order some starters. Finally about 10:10 the table becomes eight. They order their mains 15 minutes later. It is a nice total so far. They get their meals and everyone is happy.

The other table of two who have been there all night order a dessert. This lady is eating so slow I cannot believe it. Finally they finish.

Meanwhile the doors are locked , the bar is closed , and it is going on midnight. To my great dismay my table of eight East Indians who are accustomed to eating late go out for a smoke.

At this point I bill the couple to get them on their way out the door. The East Indians who are smoking outside now want to get in cause the door is locked.

Now you would think they would now know if the door is locked that we are closed , right? Just to make light of the matter I let them back in with a sorry we are closed statement. They laugh. They get their dessert and I bill them. A $412 bill and they leave me $45. I guess for East Indians that wasn't too bad although a few dollars more I would have made $150 for the night which would have been nice.

I do my cash out and come back out and the two finally after I tell them we are closed get up to leave. Meanwhile the table of eight are still sitting there ready to spend the night. Now you would think if you were outside and the door was locked and walked by the bar with the lights off you might think we should let this guy go home. They are closed.

I walk over and I look at them. They look back and ask me if they are keeping me late. What do you F##@@in think? The door was already locked when you went out for a smoke , the music is off , the lights are off in the bar , the kitchen is closed , the bus boy has left the settings here on the other table for me to set yours' up when you go cause he is gone , the dishwasher is even packing up to go , and you are wondering if you are keeping me? NOOOOOOOoooooooooooo......

What would have given you that idea????

Our Own Gold Medal Game

Great athletes and artists inspire me. Probably because they are in the spotlight and we know them from what they do while performing their area of expertise. The Olympics have always been a source of inspiration to me because of what ordinary people will do when they set their mind to it. Achievements and goals are realized. Even the athletes who do not win are some of the best in the world at what they do.

Which brings me to this thought. Whatever we do in life we have to aspire to do well. We may not be paid millions of dollars a year and win a gold medal but when we head into work are we going to win a gold medal for service or are we just toddling along for the ride?

Just a thought...

March Is A Pivotal Month

March for me has been the month to get things set up for the summer. So it is work for me this month beginning with picking up two shifts on Tuesday and Wednesday so I am on 6 in a row.

It has been slow some nights during February due to the enthusiastic viewing of the Olympics and this afternoon's gold medal hockey game promises another slow night. Starting at 4 PM today I expect it to be pretty dead and I will get an early cut. Thus the reasoning behind picking up two shifts.

As a side note there is a contest for best average cheque this week and the winner gets a dinner and drinks. Tonight is the last night of the contest and at this moment yesterday I was ahead. So that would be nice to catch. I had a decent average last night as well.

So I am pretty psyched for March so bring it on and with it some warmer temperatures and Spring. Can't wait!

When Upselling This Word Works For Me

I have noticed lately that my check average is about $10 higher in the last month or so which I guess you could say has helped me make okay money when compared to others whom I work with. Especially in these slow times we are experiencing.

One thing I am really focusing on is selling the feature martinis which go over $8.00 a drink. But another reason for the higher cheque average is my forte has always been on upselling the size of the steak. You might not get people ordering appetizers or desserts so your only shot is getting them a bigger entree.

Let's say the guest orders an 8oz sirloin. I will answer back with a , "do you want to upgrade that to a 12 oz?'

This is not to say the 8oz is inferior but a 12 oz would satisfy you more. At least this is the impression it gives. When I ask , the guest thinks about it for a moment then a lot of the time they will go with a 12 oz. Then if you are good enough to get them a dessert and coffee later up goes the cheque average dramatically.

So when selling add-ons or upsizing the steak use the word , "upgrade." It denotes a superior meal experience.

You've Got Some Nerve!

So these two guys walk in and take their table of two.

They ask me for two big 9oz glasses of wine so I go get it. I come back with them and they say would it be possible to get a bottle. Well yes Mr. Arshole sure you can.

I get them a bottle. Then one of them orders a salad and the other a hot appetizer. That will be all for now they add.

Meanwhile they order a second bottle and finally finish their appetizers. Then the guy who orders a salad is having his friend speak for him. Do you have any vegetarian dishes? No Mr.Arshole we are a freakin's steakhouse I politely say.

His vegan friend orders a side and he orders a sirloin and shrimp. Meanwhile they order another bottle of wine. This is their third now. The same people who were just going to have a glass at the beginning.

Then while having them taste the third bottle they say , we should get free appetizers for this.

I don't say anything. What a nerve these people have! Why do you think you are entitled to free appetizers for drinking some wine you cheap F###***s. Then they kept ordering free bread.

Then I give them the bill and then his vegan friend says can we maybe get a glass only each of more wine? WTF! Then they want more bread but sorry the kitchen is closed and we are out.

Final bill $186 - Tip $10.00

Cheapskates! Go eat somewhere else next time!

Preferably where you came from.

The First Quiz Of The Year

I am returning the quiz.. Believe it or not it didn't attract many visits so depending on how this one turns out I may do it again periodically.

1. Vouvray is a white wine from the Loire Valley near the city of Tours in France. The primary grape is Chenin Blanc but what is the secondary grape you may find in Vouvray that few people know of?

2. Using proper etiquette how should a guest sip their soup using the spoon?

3. Syllabub is a dessert made of whipped cream , white wine to which sherry or brandy may be added , lemon and sugar. Who was the Queen of England at the time this dessert was introduced?

4. What is the principal grape variety in the wine Cheval Blanc?

5. Bistrouille or bistouille is a term used in Northern France for a mixture of brandy and what else?

6. What is a Palindrome? Not cooking or wine related. 2 bonus points.