Restaurant Punk

Restaurants and bars can be rough places to work. From grueling hours to demanding customers and coworker drama to incessant call-outs, servers and bartenders often experience burnout unlike employees in any other industry. Almost all of us have had a “menty-b” (mental breakdown) at one point or another, but have you asked for a day off when you desperately need one? Noelle is asking Yianni and Peter whether mental health is a valid reason for needing a day off and pondering questions, including:

• Do you believe in mental health days in the restaurant industry, and does it make a difference whether it’s a man or a woman asking for a break?
• As an owner, have you ever had someone ask you for a day off specifically for their mental health?
• Are we living in a society that has become “too soft?”
• Do employees work for owners, or vice versa?
• What’s the best way to help someone who is going through a mental breakdown?

As Americans, we pay good money for our tap water to be kept at its highest quality in our taxes. So, when your server approaches the table while you’re out on a date and asks if you’d like ice water or bottled, still, or sparkling, is it ok to stick with the standard stuff? Or, do you look like you’re trying to save on the check if you don’t choose the Aqua Panna or Pellegrino? Yianni, Noelle, and Matt are exploring H20-related concerns and questions, including: 

• Does it make you look cheap if you choose tap water when there are up charged options?
• Is it bougie to choose the bottled option?
• Generally, do people who order Pellegrino also order alcohol?
• Should a server bring tap water automatically and allow the customer to ask about other options?
• As a customer, does it feel pushy when your waiter or waitress offers you a slew of paid and unpaid options?

A common misconception about restaurants with lines out the door is that the owner MUST be rich. And so perpetuates the cycle of misinformed investors throwing away their savings to own a franchise that seems like it will make them a megamillionaire. If it were up to Yianni, profit and loss sheets would be a thing of the past. Why? Because it shouldn’t be about the money – you should find what you love and let it kill you. In this episode of Restaurant Punk, Peter poses the question: what’s the difference between a popular restaurant and a profitable restaurant? While Yianni and Noelle contribute questions, including:

• Is the primary motivation for people to own a restaurant the perception of profitability?
• Would you want to own a Chick-fil-A?
• Is it better to invest more upfront and kick back a lower percentage later, or vice versa?
• Do you review Profit and Loss Sheets with investors every month?
• Are you part of the Yianni Hater Parade?

Running a restaurant requires you to pour your heart and soul into every aspect of the hospitality experience, and no matter what, you’re never going to make every customer happy. When it comes to negative reviews online, they can be hurtful, but it’s also relatively easy to shake them off. But when you’re being insulted or attacked by a guest in-person, right to your face, how do you handle it? Matt, Yianni, and Peter are reflecting on horror stories featuring horrible guests and answering questions including:

• Is it possible to dislike every item you’re served on a 15-course tasting menu?
• As a server, has anyone ever asked you what you thought you deserved as a tip?
• After a negative comment, how can you ask a table for more feedback without coming across as confrontational?
• When is it appropriate to “divorce” a customer?
• Should you confront a guest in private or in front of other guests when they disrespect your employees?
• Is the customer always right?

The battle between front-of-house and back-of-house employees is a tale as old as time. So, it comes as no surprise that the people on the line (usually men) are inclined to make a mockery of their teammates when servers make mistakes that impact the kitchen. From berating a new waitress in front of the rest of the team to calling a server to the kitchen just to let loose on them, the experiences can be pretty brutal. Nikos, George, and Liz are discussing appropriate reactions to mistakes in the restaurant and pondering questions, including:

•  Do you know what a Tang Sandwich is? Find out in Food Nostalgia: Childhood Snacks, International Meals, and Secret Family Recipes: https://youtu.be/tyE-L-aF9cA?
• Is anger contagious in the workplace?
• If a server has been told the same thing 10 times, is it ok for the kitchen to lose their sh*t on the eleventh time?
• Are employees more likely to “change their stripes” if they’re reprimanded for what they’re doing wrong?
• Does the level of busyness determine whether it’s appropriate to reem someone out?
• At what point does an owner or manager need to step in to diffuse disagreements in the workplace?

A lot of little things impact the design of a space, and sometimes those bits and pieces can make or break the final product. In restaurants especially, the floral and greenery choices can take a space in two directions: totally tacky or f*cking fabulous. So, does it matter whether those flowers and plants are real or fake? Peter, Matt, and Liz are debating to dos and don’ts of flowers, candles, and more, including questions like:

• For restaurant flowers, are you Team Fake or Team Fresh?
• As a customer, do the flowers and other décor impact your dining experience?
• How many corners do you cut to save a buck while decorating your restaurant?
• Do you use Pinterest or YouTube (or another online platform) to inspire your design choices?
• What have you DIYed recently?

Once upon a time, when you walked into a store or restaurant, you were greeted with cheer and enthusiasm. More recently, especially post-pandemic, has the service industry become overly transactional? Between robotic employees and actual robots taking your order, it can feel like you’re in a twilight zone when ordering takeout. Peter, Noelle, and guest host Lena are exploring their feelings on why servers and other service industry employees seem like they don’t give a f*ck anymore. This episode’s questions include:

• Is hospitality a lost art?
• Does your family dine out regularly, or are your parents more of the “we have food at home” mentality?
• Has instant gratification (Amazon, UberEATS, etc.) ruined our respect for customer service?
• Are customers, and their attitudes, impacting the shift in hospitality workers' lack of enthusiasm?
• Have employers gotten to the point of just hiring people with a pulse to fill empty positions?

From line cook to executive chef, do you respect your restaurant’s owner if they’ve never worked in the kitchen? What about if you’re a bartender and the manager has never shaken a drink in their life? Leah is asking the question: is it possible for employees to respect their boss if “el jefe” has no f*cking clue how to do what they do?

• Have you ever worked with a “self-proclaimed” manager?
• Does the kitchen respect you if you can’t hop on the line and help when they’re in the weeds?
• Is it actually worth having a degree in hospitality management?
• Do you chill your olives before finishing a martini?
• How can teaching by example help the people around you grow?

We’ve all heard a co-worker claim that they’re standing around on their phone because there’s “nothing to do,” which, news flash: is IMPOSSIBLE in a restaurant. There is always something to clean, refill, or replenish, whether it’s on the opening/closing checklist or it’s just something that you noticed is “wrong.” Nikos, Leah, and Liz are getting down and dirty about the little things that need to be cleaned to keep your restaurant at its best and answering questions, including:

• Have you watched or listened to Family Matters: Hiring Friends and Family?
  https://youtu.be/eOVT1NIBjPA
• Do you have a mental checklist of things you like to get done every shift?
• How can you clean disposable salt & pepper shakers without ruining them?
• Does DAWN sponsor podcasts?
• How many napkins should you bring for a table when they ask for extra?
• What do you do when you receive a dirty glass at a restaurant or bar?

Have you ever looked at your bank statement and realized that you had a negative balance, only to check your credit card statement and see the debt accruing like you’re expecting to win the lottery next week? When you decide to open a business, you’re pretty much choosing to live that nightmare over and over again. So, why do people keep opening up shop and putting themselves into massive debt? Yianni, Noelle, and George are talking about the true difference between being broke and being poor while answering questions, including:

• Which is more temporary: being broke or being poor?
• Does Yianni curse too much on Restaurant Punk?
• Do you believe in manifestation?
• Should you care about credit as a business owner?
• Can you leverage debt to build net worth for the next generation?