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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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 CHECK, PLEASE 
21

Biggest Restaurant No-Nos, Part 2

Owner offers another 50 ways to please guests, keep job

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(Newser) – Bruce Buschel isn't out of touch. "I realize that every deli needs a wisecracking waiter," he writes in the New York Times, "and burgers always taste better when delivered by a server with tattoos and tongue piercing(s)." But at his soon-to-open restaurant, these rules (coupled with last week's) are set in stone:

  • Educate thyself. "If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets."

  • "Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment." And while you're at it, "do not bring judgment with the ketchup."
  • Water glasses don't need to be full all the time. "You'll make people nervous." But also, "do not let a glass sit empty for too long." Find that golden mean.
  • Tell the diner what that mouthwatering special costs.
  • "Do not bring soup without a spoon." While it's a great setup for a joke, "few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon."
  • "Do not disappear."
For the full list, click the source link.

Soup with no spoon is not fun for the customer.
Soup with no spoon is not fun for the customer.   (Flickr)
Make sure you tell guests what the specials cost, or else.
Make sure you tell guests what the specials cost, or else.   (Flickr)
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21 comments
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KurtRambis4va
Nov 5, 09 1:36 PM CST
-Lis of the menu how much the dessert costs, as well as your mixed drinks. Reply
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+2
IN RESPONSE:
KurtRambis4va
Nov 5, 09 1:37 PM CST
"list on the menu..."
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+2
Jojo
Nov 5, 09 2:09 PM CST
Half of me understands the authors frustrations and desire to have the perfect waiter, but the other half of me says 1. You are being waited on, as if you have a servant for your every beck and call. Be grateful you dont get soup in your lap. and 2. You want someone that makes minimum wage to do research on the farm that produce comes from just because they serve it to you? Your arrogance needs to be toned down a notch or 20. Reply
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+3
IN RESPONSE:
geneparmesan
Nov 5, 09 2:24 PM CST
in Texas servers dont even make minimum wage...$2.13 an hour, plus tips from demanding jackasses like this author
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
davjc09
Nov 5, 09 2:43 PM CST
I think the author is talking more about the classier places. Don't put the words "Balsam Farm candy-striped beets" on the menu without your staff knowing what these types of things are. The minimum wage college students don't need to do any research on Chili's, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. menu.
Vote up! Vote down!
+3

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