Quick tip – shiny shoes

If you have black shoes that are supposed to be highly shined, you can make them really shiny by rubbing on some olive oil. Extra virgin is the best (just kidding!) Personally, I would only do this in a pinch as olive oil is organic and could be become rancid over time. Army people know [...]

You know you’re a foodie when…

…you’re watching Tony Bourdain in Vienna and you say, “He’s drinking out of a Spiegelau wine glass! It’s an “Authentis” Burgundy glass! Why is he drinking white wine out of it? And hey, I’ve even got one of those glasses”! That’s when you say to yourself, “Have I’ve gone too far? Am I a lost boy”? That’s on [...]

Pet Peeve

Unnecessary doubleseats. Don’t get me wrong – doubleseats are part of the routine. Waiters should be able to handle them when they occur. Hell, I’ve posted quite a few strategies about handling them. What annoys me is when managers or hosts or hostesses doubleseat when they don’t have to. The mindset is that waiters should be [...]

Article on tipping out from The Orlando Sentinel

Waiters can keep the change – but not all of it By Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel 12:28 a.m. EDT, March 14, 2011 When you leave your waiter or waitress a tip, chances are they don’t keep all of it. It’s common in the restaurant industry for servers to share part of their tips with other [...]

Article on tipping pre or post-tax from The L.A. Times

Tip suggestions on receipts usually are after-tax, but is that fair? Even some restaurant owners are surprised to find the recommendation is typically calculated based on the total including tax. That flies in the face of etiquette advice. August 03, 2010|David Lazarus Glendale resident Lee Lanselle ate breakfast the other day at the Hill Street Cafe [...]

Serving the business dinner pt.3 – The Host

Business dinners invariably have a host. He or she might not be called The Host, but there is always someone “in charge”. It might not be the boss, it might be the boss’s administrative assistant. It might not be the boss’s administrative assistant, it might be the head of HR. It might not be the head of [...]

Dr. House and the waitress

OK, I admit it…I’m behind on my DVR watching. To be precise, I’m 4 episodes behind on House M.D. Those of you who follow this blog know that I’m just behind on everything. I used to post, what, like 2 or 3 times a day, whereas now, I’m posting about 2 or 3 times every 2 [...]

“Waiter, there’s a watch in my salad.”

From Access Atlanta, this nice guide about how to deal with sending food back, and a glimpse into the scam that waiters all over have experienced at one point or another – the slimebag who deliberately eats most of the meal only to send it back in order to get free food. Normally, I only [...]

Serving the business dinner pt. 2

A couple of weeks ago, I covered waiting on the small business dinner. Today, I complete my discussion of business dinner service by talking about the dynamics of the large business gathering. I’m really not going to get into the large catered affairs since that’s a different animal entirely. Those are structured differently and the [...]