Restaurant Punk

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of being a human is having opposable thumbs that make it easier to grasp and manipulate objects firmly, but when you’re serving tables, the standard is only to use them for stabilization. Noelle, Liz, and Nick are getting handsy and answering etiquette questions, including: 

• What is the proper use of thumbs while delivering plates at a restaurant?
• Do you require your servers to use trays when delivering drinks, food, and/or extra utensils?
• How have cleanliness standards changed in restaurants since COVID?
• Are you grossed out when bartenders use their hands to add garnish to your drink?
• As a customer, have you ever grabbed something – be it fruit or something else – from behind the bar?

As a restaurant operator, the only constant is change, and even the best-laid plans can go to hell in a handbasket pretty quickly. So, what should you do when things aren’t running as smoothly as you planned and the time comes to pivot your business in the interest of greater success? Nick, Noelle, and George are answering questions, including:

• What is the first step towards pivoting your business plan?
• How should you respond when you realize your original plan isn’t working?
• What are some basic ways you can adjust your menu to maximize impact?
• When business owners realize it’s time to make a change, is there an energizing effect?

They say it takes money to make money, but does making money in the long run also require free labor in the short term? Noelle, Yianni, and Liz are discussing their experiences working for free and how its shaped their career paths. Tune in to hear their answers to questions, including:

• Are internships and ‘working for free’ the same thing?
• What does it mean when people say that entrepreneurs work for free?
• In what instances does it make sense to work for free?
• What do you gain when you work for free?

When you own a BYOB restaurant, it’s a pretty common occurrence for tables to offer you a glass of whatever you’re drinking. So, should you accept or decline, and are there any standard rules of engagement? Yianni, Noelle, and Liz are answering questions, including:

• Are you more likely to accept a drink from your customer towards the end of your shift?
• Will you sit down to have a drink with your ‘regulars?’
• What are the true motivating factors when customers offer alcohol to the restaurant owner?
• What are some professional ways to excuse yourself when you get caught in conversation with a customer?
• Are there any business benefits to having a drink with your guests?

Opinions vary greatly on the topic of tipping in restaurant settings, but for business owners and employees in particular, one methodology that can be particularly divisive is pooling gratuities. Nick, Liz, and Noelle are talking about tipping and answering questions, including:

• Do employees work better as a team when they’re sharing tips?
• Are customers better served when a restaurant’s employees are pooling tips?
• Does pooling tips get more complicated in larger venues with spaces for employees to hide?
• How does seniority impact employees’ willingness to pool tips?

Sometimes, you return to a restaurant for the food, while other times, it’s just something about the atmosphere that makes you feel at home. From knowing the owner and having inside jokes with half the staff to being confident that the experience will always be consistent, Peter, Noelle, and George are discussing what creates repeat customers and answering questions, including:

• Does knowing the owner of a restaurant make customers feel special?
• Are you more inclined to frequent a restaurant if it’s geographically close to you?
• How important is food consistency in creating repeat customers?
• Would you ever order scrambled eggs to go?

From the outside looking in, it often seems like restaurant owners are raking in cash, so it can feel off-putting when establishments charge for things like bread, soda refills, and extra sides of sauce. Any business owner will tell you that this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme but a necessity in ensuring they don’t go bankrupt by giving away a house and home. Nikos, Nick, and George are discussing restaurant upcharges and answering questions, including:

• Should restaurants provide complimentary bread at the beginning of a meal?
• How has the quality of bread and butter being served at restaurants changed over time?
• Do you charge for drink refills and extra sauce at your restaurant?
• Do chain restaurants that serve free items at every meal hurt independent entrepreneurs?
• Should restaurants charge extra for gluten-free bread?

OpenTable has changed the game for restaurant operators and guests, making it easier to reserve tables even when a business is closed. But it also presents a slew of problems, especially when customers use the platform to book many competing reservations and then don’t show up for them. So, how do small business owners handle no-call, no-show cancellations? Nikos, Noelle, and Liz are discussing questions, including: 

• Is a no-call, no-show reservation disrespectful to the restaurant?
• How do no-show reservations impact restaurant employees, restaurant overhead, and other potential guests?
• Are there tell-tale signs when customers lie about their reason for not showing up?
• What are some of the most ridiculous reasons you’ve gotten for a reservation no-show?
• As a business owner, are there any reasons you would reverse a reservation charge?

As a business owner, it can be awesome to see your employees taking the initiative to go the extra mile at work, but at what point does their desire to do better turn into insubordination? Nick, Yianni, and Liz are talking about trust in the workplace and answering questions, including:

• How much does trust impact an owner’s ability to allow employees to take initiative?
• Do you trust employees to understand your vision from day 1, or does it take time?
• What do you do when employees go rogue with their response to customer complaints?
• How should an owner react if an employee’s initiative causes sh*t to hit the fan?
• Should a manager personally intervene whenever there is a guest concern?

Unless you’re the most easygoing person in the world, you’re bound to encounter someone you don’t love in the workplace – especially in the hospitality industry. Some people may ignore or avoid assisting the person they dislike, while others opt to be a team player regardless of their personal feelings. Yianni, Liz, and Noelle are discussing how to positively contribute to a team even when you’re not thrilled with the people you’re playing with and answering questions, including: 

• Why should you help a coworker even when you don’t like them?
• What are the benefits of showing up early to do side work?
• Is there any truth to the 80/20 Rule?
• Do employees stop working as hard when they feel secure in their position?
• How did the COVID pandemic impact employee attitudes in the hospitality industry?