Did our advice work?

Every few months we use this column to assess how our advice is working for the readers who wrote to us with their questions. We take inventory by going back to some earlier columns to see how we did.

The question: Do you have any tips on preventing fruit flies in the bar area? We do daily cleanings and wrap the bottles in plastic wrap but they still come.
Caitlin Walsh, Service Manager, Casual Dining Operation, South Plainfield, NJ

Caitlin, how did the advice work? “We cleaned the drains as you recommended, and made sure bartenders covered bottles with plastic wrap.  I also had them cover the drains with plastic overnight. I also recommend doing a daily cleaning and weekly deep cleanse of the bar.”

How did I do? Hit!


The question: Is it legal to charge staff for their mistakes?
Anonymous Restaurant Manager, Fine Dining, New York City

Anonymous, how did the advice work? “So that question I asked for Monkey Dish was a real situation at [the restaurant I was managing at the time] and I thought it would be a great question for many restaurant managers and owners to see. The owners decided to apply a rule that staff [members] have to pay for mistakes they make. I told them many times that it is illegal and that they will lose many great servers if we enforce that rule, but they still went for it. Within a very short period of time we lost three great senior servers during a very busy season. I refused to apply that rule during my shift and when I was confronted by the owners, I told them that it is illegal and I would rather spend more time better training my staff. We eventually got rid of that rule but had to hire three replacement servers and train them (which costs money too).

How did I do? Hit!

Leave a comment to let us know how the advice worked for you.