Dining Out 101

Getting the Most from Seating

2012-02-01T06:54:00.001-08:00

Everyone wants the best seat in the restaurant to enjoy a great meal. The seat that you choose is always going to be subjective to the individual and what you are looking to do while at the restaurant. If you are looking to watch the chefs, you will want to be close to the open kitchen. If you are looking to have a business meal, you will want a quiet corner of the restaurant. Reservations set in advance are a great way to get exactly what you are looking for.

Getting the right reservation is not as easy as just calling the restaurant and hoping for the best. The majority of restaurants have invested heavily in POS systems which allow customer tracking information on even the most average of restaurants. As long as you are not calling a chain restaurant which is geared more towards volume, you will get this kind of service. Make sure that you are using the same number and name every time you call for a restaurant and they will be able to make sure that you have a file including your favorites.

Talking to the Host

The host is your bastion of good seating. They want you to be happy when you sit down. As such, you can be assured that when you give them the information about where you want to sit that they will make sure that you get it. They are the people that know the restaurant the best and they will be able to make sure that you are getting exactly what you ask for.

The one thing to be cautious of is to make sure that you are pressing the importance of what you want. Additionally, you should make your reservation well in advance. This will help in making sure that you will not competing with others looking for the same kind of seating you are looking for. As long as you are not booking at a pretentious restaurant who prioritizes star quality over the needs of every guest, you will be assured to get what you want.

Visiting the Restaurant

If at all possible, you should visit the restaurant before your reservation. The more important the meal is, the more important that you do this. If you are just looking to have a good time with friends, you will not have to worry about this. You will just need to have an open mind whenever you show up. The majority of restaurants will do everything they can to accommodate you, no matter what the request is. Just be willing to ask for it.

Tipping in America – A Realistic Perspective

2011-08-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest complaints that a server will talk about, whenever dealing with guests, is when they do not tip properly. There are a few different circumstances in which you might not tip, but for the most part, if you are being served food in some capacity by a waiter in a restaurant, you should be leaving a tip. The size of the tip will depend on what fits the occasion. Do not be the person who does not leave a tip because you did not factor it in to what you can spend whenever you go out to eat. Tipping should always be a part of planning out how much you will spend whenever you go out.

Normal Tipping Etiquette

Tipping is something which has always been set at 15% for good service. There are some who feel this conventional wisdom is outdated and go for 18% or 20% as their standard. That is your call to make. The most important thing to remember is that when you go under 15%, you are telling the server that they suck! Unless this is the message you want to convey, I suggest sticking to 15% at the minimum. If it is difficult for you to figure out, bring a calculator with you or tip over what you think 15% might be.

Tipping for Good Service

Whenever you have received excellent service, it is a good idea to make 18% your base for tipping. You can go well over this mark depending on how well you feel the server did. In nice restaurants, if you want to make sure that you are providing the server with a true sign of your appreciation, keep in mind that they normally have to tip out the bartender, the busboy and in some cases the host. So, give more than you actually want for them to receive.

Tipping with a Discount

Getting a discount on a meal is great! It is even better whenever you are friends with the manager or you have done something else which will get you a free meal. No matter what the discount is, you should always tip based on what the total amount of the check would have been without the discount. One great way that you will be able to figure this out is to ask the server what the amount would be. They are more than happy to figure it out for you. Some restaurants will even provide you a total amount on the check before any discounts were removed. Base your tipping on this amount and you will not hurt anyone’s feelings.

Why You Should Leave a Bad Tip

Remember that there are certain things going on which are not the fault of the server. There is no reason to tip them poorly on food which is slow to the table or food which is prepared improperly. This is the fault of the kitchen staff. If you have a complaint about the food, you should make a complaint to the manager rather than docking the tip that you provide your server.

If the server fumbles over things at the table and causes spills or is forgetting to bring things to the table like silverware, you are justified in reducing the tip that they get. Other things like not refilling water glasses, taking a long time to get to the table, being curt or rude to you and your guests or anything else which is a reflection directly on them as a server is cause for a poor tip. Any other complaints about lighting, temperature, food, drink, air quality, bathroom sanitation or other restaurant problems should be brought to the attention of the manager.

Pay Attention to the Closing Time for a Restaurant

2011-07-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

To jump right into it, there are many people out there who feel it is okay to simply show up at a restaurant five minutes before it closes and expect to get great service. First, allow me to tell you that while the chef will be most likely gracious and you will undoubtedly get great service regardless, you are making people upset!

Most kitchens will start making preparations to close down in the last hour that the restaurant is open. If it is a slow night, the kitchen will likely have everything wrapped up or chilling to get put away for the night. When they hear that someone has walked in five minutes until closing time, it puts them into a foul mood and could cause you to get less than the best possible treatment.

I am not saying that you will get bad food or even that someone will mess with your food. While this is a possibility in some instances, the days of the renegade kitchen crews are mostly over. The majority of kitchens these days are staffed by those who feel fortunate to be there. Whether they are immigrants working to stay afloat or culinary school graduates who worked hard to be where they are, they enjoy the post that they have attained.

What we are talking about here is a modicum of respect that you should hold for those you are asking to prepare food for you. While they are paid to cook your food and you are the one paying to receive it, you must realize that these are people and not machines. They have lives. They have children at home. They have social responsibilities. The last thing that they want is to find that they are being held up because you do not care about them.

If you work in an office, think about how you will feel if you have work dumped on you demanding immediate action five minutes from when you planned to leave. This is exactly the spot that you are putting these hard working culinary professionals in. They do not have the option of an extension. They cannot simply take a reaming and do the work first thing in the morning. It has to be done right there for you.

Those who want to make sure to pay the proper amount of respect to the kitchen will not show up anywhere within a half hour from closing. This will allow the kitchen to have enough of a warning that they will not close up until they know what you are ordering. The closer you get to this mark, the faster you should get to the action of choosing something to eat.

The best idea is to show up at least an hour before closing so that you will be able to take your time and enjoy yourself. The kitchen will know that you are there and they can work around you. Best of all, you will not have to worry about that one rogue employee doing anything to your food.

Learn Some Manners

2011-07-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

I have worked in the restaurant industry for over 16 years of my life and I have seen some of the worst atrocities you can imagine. Everything from not leaving the right amount for a tip to simply not knowing what it is that you are ordering. The problem is that no one ever teaches people what it is that they need to know to dine out correctly.

Every chef dreams of teaching a school on proper etiquette when you are dining out. Consider this your Dining Out 101 so that you can learn everything that you should do as well as many of the things that you should not do when dining out.

This will help you to be able to have a better experience whenever you dine out. It will also help in making sure that there is no kind of renegade retaliation from the kitchen as a result of your actions. Everyone will be happier because of the choices that you are making whenever you go out to eat.

Along the way, if you have anything to add to this blog or you have suggestions or questions about what you should do in certain situations, I will be more than happy to answer your questions or post your suggestions. I look forward to hearing from all of you and I hope you find this blog to be interesting and helpful.

Thank you,
Brian