Recently I have been getting plates coming back to the kitchen because guests with allergies don’t disclose them when they order. Should I bear the cost of them not disclosing their allergies? What should I do?
Clearly there’s a lack of communication happening here. Guests do not know what potential allergens the menu items contain from the description, servers are not asking guests about their allergies or do not know the allergens that each menu item contains, and/or guests are being irresponsible in not letting the servers know about their allergies....
When planning a new menu for the summer, how do you plan for inflation? I know it is a guessing game, but what is the best guess?
Commodity prices, which translate to the food prices you pay your purveyors, change daily, though with an upward trend overall. Because food prices are tied to weather, harvests, fuel prices, pests, wars and other factors, it is challenging to predict future prices....
How do I convince all servers to be consistent with their good service? Regular good tippers sometimes get better service than new or occasional diners.
Remnants of the history of tipping, adding a little extra “to insure promptitude” are clearly evident in your restaurant. Known good tippers get extra good service. Even now, when tipping at least fifteen percent on every check is the norm, we have all seen servers fighting to avoid tables seating notoriously poorly-tipping guests and angling to get generous regulars in their sections....
How, in this age of Groupons and deals, can we entice customers without giving away our product? What ideas do you have for creative promotions that will bring in customers that don't focus on giving a discount?
Promotions these days are often synonymous with deep discounts. Running a promotion on tequila, for example, may mean your bar is discounting tequila with little added activity. But discounting is just one part of a good promotions strategy.
Here it may help to go back to Marketing 101. The goals of promotions are to:...
Which is better, daily expensing inbound inventory with random inventory spot checks, or the traditional monthly inventory?
Taking regular, careful inventory is important for a variety of reasons, including food cost control, product rotation for better food quality, and security. It’s best to inventory all items on a weekly basis at minimum. That gives you a close read on the value of the inventory against your average weekly food sales....
How do we positively convince guests that food prices are the driving force to our inflated prices?
Consumers know that prices have risen; they see it every time they go to the supermarket. One recent study showed, in fact, that in some segments dining out is now cheaper than eating at home. If you want to educate customers, you could show them a chart showing the rising cost of corn, which is what drives about 90 percent of the rising food costs. But that’s probably not the “positive” approach you’re looking for, or an appropriate one....
I am beside myself that customers would think it OK to bring in their own cake. We sell dessert. If they insist, I tell them there will be a plate charge. Why do people think they can bring dessert to a restaurant? Is this common?
I don’t know how widespread this practice is, but it is definitely common enough that it is a question that has come up before and consistently frustrates restaurateurs, especially on busy nights where a large party consuming a dessert you did not sell prevents turning over multiple tables....
The previous owners of my restaurant had a free-for-all meal policy for staff. I came up with an hourly meal credit system to manage cost, but it's not working. I’m looking for a solution to this that is fair for everyone, effective and affordable. Ideas?
It is a great idea to offer staff meals for a variety of reasons:
Servers who have tasted menu items can sell them more convincingly.
People work better and cleaner when they aren’t hungry.
Safe-to-eat leftovers or excess product can be repurposed for staff meals.
Employees will be happier and have a chance to bond over a meal....
What is the best protocol to follow when a customer orders a menu item with ingredients clearly stated (example: the shrimp sauté with mushrooms and tomatoes) and then wants to send it back because they don’t like one of the ingredients like mushrooms?
First, be sure that what you think is obvious on the menu is equally obvious to the guest. My wife recently ordered a chocolate dacquoise at a celebrity chef restaurant and what emerged from the kitchen was a very good example of a chocolate mousse cake but not a dacquoise in any sense of the word. She picked at it and the server appropriately took it off the bill when she mentioned it was not what she expected....
I have noted several (newly opened) full-service restaurants using mandatory tip pooling. Washington doesn’t allow for any offset to its high level of minimum wage, making waitstaff compensation very generous. Is this tip pooling a trend or anomaly?
I wouldn’t say tip pooling across both the back and front of house is an anomaly but it is a local phenomenon. The reason for it becoming a trend specifically in your state is that it is illegal in most others....
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