Christopher Stark knows a thing or two about how to be a successful server. Having moved through various parts of the restaurant industry, only to spend the last 17 years as a fine dining establishment server at California Grill in Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, he has possibly one of the best pedigrees
A Round of Gratitude: 3 Ways Restaurants Can Say Thanks
The end of the year can be a hectic time for any business, but especially for restaurants. Between implementing holiday specials, scheduling your staff around their time off with family, and handling holiday reservations, it can get busy. However, the holiday season can also be a good time to reflect on the last 12 months
Holy Shift! 6 Tips for a Successful Restaurant Shift Change
For the most successful restaurants, shift changes run like clockwork. But for many establishments, they can be a nightmare. It’s during shift changes that prep work gets completed, the majority of cleaning takes place, and the scheduling and cash register counts get handled. If all goes smoothly, your next shift’s staff will have everything they
4 Questions Every Restaurant Server Should Know How to Answer
Guests have questions. Whether they’re frequent diners or are visiting your restaurant for the first time. Whether they have a regular standing order or want to try something new. It’s inevitable that questions about your menu will come up during service. After all, a server isn’t just there to write down orders. Their work is
Attracting Talent: Recruiting New Chefs to Your Restaurant
Finding cooks for your restaurant can be tough. Finding a head chef to lead your restaurant can be even tougher. Having a competent, experienced head chef in charge of your back of the house staff is a major key to success in the restaurant industry. Ideally, head chefs train and supervise line cooks so that
Customer Service: It’s a Team Effort
A few weeks ago, I went to a restaurant with a group of friends. It was a busy Saturday night, and there were lots of servers — all dressed in the same black uniform — running around. After a while, we were ready to order drinks and, to save time, just asked the first server whose
Building Your Business with the Better Business Bureau
FYI. ASAP. LOL. We live in a world full of acronyms, but there’s one in particular that small business owners should become better acquainted with: BBB, the Better Business Bureau. Most of us are familiar with the BBB as a nonprofit dedicated to building marketplace trust by handling consumer complaints and notifying the public of
Restaurant Leadership – What Style Do You Use When Managing Restaurant Employees?
Who ever thought that opening a restaurant was really about managing people? As restaurant owners we need to learn to manage all type of people: customers, employees, suppliers, corporate partners, equity partners, accountants; the list does go on. So how does managing restaurant employees play into being a good restaurant operator? It starts with leadership.
