My Resto Life

I want to cancel my orders !! angrily !!

2010-03-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

Why is it when it comes to food and hunger, people gets angry so easily ?
I know you're hungry, but we're doing the best we can here.
If you want fast food then go to a fast food restaurant, and then what ? you're gonna get angry because there's a long line there too ?

So a family came and ordered stuff and a fish dish that requires some time to cook.
20 minutes later, 2 guy came and complained that their orders haven't arrived yet, but other guests have had their orders.
We asked the kitchen and they're still preparing it and we explained that the other guests might have their orders first because their orders take 2 seconds to prepare and it was a different dish.
5 minutes later, the whole family came to us at the cashier, angrily and the dad said "I want to cancel my orders, I'll pay for what's there on the table and I want to take away the chicken dish"
our waiter then handled the chicken dish and put it in a doggy bag for them to take away.
So we decided that they didn't have to pay for anything because it's partly our fault, but hey... in my defense, he ordered that fish dish that takes a long time to cook, not our fault.
All the drinks were there, the chicken dish and the rice was there, but the fish and something else wasn't there yet.
So I said "The meal's free sir, we're very sorry for the inconvenience"
and they didn't even say anything, they just left
but before they left, they give us the "I want to kill you" look
the look was so hateful, it was unbelievable
It's scary how people can get that angry and hateful over food.
I know you're hungry, so eat what's on the table first, and if it's a full house on the restaurant, you can't expect to get your food in 5 minutes !!
You should see his face, it was pure hatred
People scare me sometimes, just because they pay for a meal doesn't make them God

Things you should know about Restaurants

2010-03-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

First I should explain :
in a busy restaurant, you might have to wait for your orders to arrive, that's a given.
then there's a possibility of a mix-up :
- where your orders might get sent to another table
- or your orders might gone MIA (waiters forgot to check them in, foodchecker made a mistake and put your order on the bottom of the order pile)
and then there's the I come first I should get my food first complaints where other guest who arrived later than you got his order first = this is because he might order something quick to whip up or the chef happens to cook the same dish for another table so the chef would do 2 dishes at the same time, while your roast beef has to slowly set in the oven.
so we got that clear, right ?

I mean, a space shuttle can go crushing down and killing people and you don't even get that mad !!!
you'd understand, right ?
so try to understand that in a restaurant.... as much as we need to be professional and make guests comfortable, we are also human and we make mistake.
The kitchen is hot and everyone's working hard and under pressure.
then the waiter have to cater every little requests "Can I get a refill please", "I need tomato sauce", clearing up table, taking order, cleaning up your kid's spilled food all over the floor, "I need another tea please" etc etc

I know it sounds one sided and biased
so I'm going to also speak from a guest point of view from my own experiences dining at other people's restaurants
Yes some waiters are annoying and rude and some are smelly ;p
(but they're probably just part timers because the restaurant's short on staff, I can ensure you, no restaurant would want to hire a rude lazy waiter. So please don't judge a restaurant from their waiters.)
and some restaurants do charge super expensive for yucky food
and you can't even get a decent iced lemon tea without sugar and you have to ask them 3 times to finally get it right, they're like robots who are capable of doing 1 thing only !!
and a lot of bla bla bla

My point is, there's always two sides in every story
and the next time an unpleasant thing happened to you in a restaurant, don't jump into conclusion too fast, try to understand first :)

Snobbish Cheapskate

2010-03-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Okay... the title may seem "unequal"
I mean.... how can you be snobbish and a cheapskate at the same time ?

So.............
One fine Sunday
Restaurant was crowded
A couple and their family at this table asked for the bill
then the couple came to the cashier to pay
they walked towards us with a hateful frown on their face, yes a hateful frown while we sat there smiling.

So the husband said
"This Restaurant is so expensive, I've never been to such an expensive restaurant, this is like a trap"
while the wife gave us the evil look
me and my mom looked at each other with the "huh?" look
I mean, come on man, we sell mineral water for half the price at what they sell at McDonald's or any other fast food restaurants. If he's never been to a restaurant "this" expensive, then he's never been to a restaurant at all, hey, he probably will yell at a fast food resto for selling fries at such a price.
Then my mum said politely "well, sir, the price is there on the menu"
He replied snobbishly "I never bother to look at the price on the menu, I don't care much about them"
then he continued "This is unbelievable, outrageous price, I'll never return here again"

We couldn't say anything at all at that time
what ? apologize ?
What should we apologize about ?
If you think that our price is too high, then don't eat here
Don't eat and get angry at us after you're done eating
The price is clearly printed on the menu, read it !!!
We just processed the bill and He paid, still with that ugly frown on his face
and we said thank you.
and we're actually glad that he said he'd never returned again.

So that you know, we always put our price on the menu, we ourselves don't like it when we go to a restaurant where the price is not on the menu, we don't like that !!
and we don't want to treat our guests that way, we want them to know our price before ordering !!!
Even so...... they get pissed at you....... oh my.... some people

and guess what ?
While he paid, his wife approached another table and said "Watch out eating here, they're expensive and they trick you with the prices"
The guests at that other table didn't respond, probably afraid of this old cranky creepy lady jabbering away.

So they left soon after.
Crazy family huh ?
Their whole family (6 of them) sat for almost 3 hours and only spend around US$40 and they hate us for it.
I mean..... Have they actually ever been to a restaurant ?
They've probably never been to a mall either
A cinema ? what's dat ? $5 for a ticket ? that's outrageous !!
They'll probably yell when they have to pay for kid's school fee too

Annoying Kids at Restaurants

2009-12-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever sat in a Restaurant and the kid on the table next to you starts shouting, running around, throwing stuff ?
yeah ?
You feel like moving to that secluded corner table right by the toilet just to avoid choking the kid yourself ?

Some parents are super unbelievably ignorant to just let the kid do his/her thing and not do anything about it.
yes... Some parents are ignorant selfish people.
there I said it.

I was at the cashier the other day and I started hearing "clank clank" sound.
I looked up and there was this kid, probably 2-3 years old, throwing every single spoon and fork that was on the table, to the floor.
What did the parents do ?
Nothing.... they were talking casually to each other, as if nothing happened.
Whatt ????????

I had to ask one of the waiters to politely let the parents know to "control" the kid.
Even then, the parents seemed slightly unhappy that the waiter interrupted their chat.
Unbelievable, you'd think that'd be the end of it ?
Noooooooo !!!
The mom sat the kid on the table , next to the tissue and guess what ?
yes.... The kid started pulling tissues out of the box and throwing them on the floor.
Again... the mum didn't do anything about it, the dad ? yeah... same diff.

One time we put a stack of flyer/brochures on the cashier table and this 2 kids keep coming back to grab some.
We thought they were grabbing them for their parents/uncles/whoever that was standing right outside the restaurant door, because they were just getting ready to leave.
It turns outtttt............... they just took the flyers for fun, it was a game who can get the most flyers. Some folded it up to make paper airplanes, some just threw them out in the air like crazy kids, some collected them and put it in their bags.
and Where are all the parents ? standing there, some are talking to each other, some are watching them and none of them even bothered to tell the kids to stop.

We've also had quite a lot of irresponsible parents, letting their children running around the entire dining area bothering other guests.
or parents telling kids to order whatever they want, or grabbing whatever snacks they want, and not wanting to pay later on.
Some parents just don't care what the kids do.

It may seem funny if it doesn't happen to you.
But seriously.... it's just so bloody annoying !!!!

Some people are just so rude and it's reflected on the kid.
Some kids just went up to the waiters and started yelling "ice cream, ice cream, ice cream", even if the waiter was taking order or bringing order to a table.
Then the parents came and you'd thought they'd apologize for their kids behaviour, Nooo... they go "Get us 3 ice cream to table 7"

Oh well....
I guess it's just one of the things we have to "endure" in this business.
We have to stay super nice and friendly and polite no matter what.
And there'll always be annoying, disrespectful people in every aspects of life anyway.
probably when they think they're paying for a service in a Restaurant, they get to act however way they want.

Even so,
some people I've met are just the nicest people in the world, very friendly, polite, kind, and some kids.... yes some kids are also very well-mannered.
They'd say please and thank you and give you the warmest smile in the world you just want to leap out and give them a big hug.
Thanx guys :)

How long do you stay at your table at a Restaurant ?

2009-07-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

They sit there for Quite some time, apparently.
well, some of them at least.

Some people just order 1 iced lemon tea and 1 soft drinks and sit for hours and hours.
It's totally acceptable when the Restaurant's not busy.
But if you're sitting there during jam packed hour,
plus you're taking that 1 big table in the corner.
That causes a problem.

Yup... there are other people waiting to be seated, hungry people.
and you're like, sipping your almost empty glass of iced lemon tea ?
and secretly try to smoke your cigarette when nobody's looking ?

and the worst thing is....
one the my waiters would come up to them and ask them nicely if they could move to a smaller table.
They got mad !!! and offended !!!
They actually start yelling
"Why are you treating me so disrespectfully ?"
"I paid for these drinks and I deserve to sit anywhere I want"

Oh man....

Another group of guests actually ordered food instead of just drinks,
(Around 10 - 15 guests)
but once they've finished eating, they remained sitting there
chatting for hours and hours, up to 4 hours even.
One by one would leave and there were only 4 guests left.
So since we have another guests of 15 people waiting to be seated.
We asked them if they would kindly move to a smaller table.
The same drama repeats all over again.
They actually got angry at us and told us what a bad service it was.

Oh boyy....

I'm not saying they're all like that.
Some are very very nice polite understanding people.
I mean like, If you've been sitting on that table for 2 hours and there are other people standing waiting to be seated, the reasonable thing to do is wrap it up and go, right ?

But sometimes people think when they go to a Restaurant and paid for their food,
they deserve to do whatever they want regardless.
Unbelievable right ??

How do you handle super annoying guests ?

2009-06-16T01:38:00.001-07:00

There are rude guests, there are annoying guests, there are loud guests, there are impolite guests, etc etc etc.

So, the big questions is, How do you handle super annoying guests ?
Well, you're in the Service industry, you're in the Restaurant business.
There is only one way to handle them.
A Big Sincere smile and treat them well.
Customers are not always right, but We always have to treat them with respect.

So a Sincere smile always help :)
Besides, there are also super nice guests, super honest guests, super nice guests with super cute kids.
In whatever things you do, there are always ups and downs, just take it lightly with a big sincere smile :)

Honest guests - Dishonest guests

2009-06-16T01:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes guests/customers order stuff and sometimes waiters forgot to give the cashier the order papers, so some food/drinks don't get charged.

You know how waiters wear that apron thingy that has a front pocket to put the pen, order booklet and order papers ?
So after writing down an order and tending to 3 other tables, he forgot about that one particular order in the pocket.
or they just realized it and handed me the order paper 10 minutes after the guest has paid and left the premises.

Sometimes guests even Lie, yes they just simply lie, they ordered a soft drink and when charged, they simply refused to pay and said they didn't order the drink. So we had to find the waiter that tended to them and confirmed the order, only then, the guests would unwillingly pay the bill.

So.......when it comes to paying at the cashier,
There are different types of guests :
1. They don't care
yup... they don't care about what's written on the bill, they don't even look at it.
They ask for how much and paid. No questions asked.

2. Dishonest guest.
They know every single item that they ordered, but if it's not listed on the bill, it's not their fault, so they keep quiet and paid only what's listed on the bill.
Hey... it's not entirely their fault is it, it's the Restaurant's job to keep an eye on everything that's ordered.
But it's kinda dishonest, don't you think ? Sometimes waiters can't keep track of everyone, what if a quest took a pack of peanuts from the snack shelf and didn't tell the waiter? or their kid grabbed a pack of candy while not even the mom noticed ? I think some honesty from the guests is needed :)
I'm not gonna lie, I honestly have been one of those "Dishonest guest", and kept quiet about an uncharged glass of fruit juice, paid the bill and then quickly left before they realized and charge me for it. But I know better now ;)

3. Honest guest.
They don't know every single item that they ordered, (big family) and paid the bill.
But then they came back and said "We forgot to pay for 1 Iced tea, luckily we haven't left yet, we were getting on the car and my aunt asked me whether I've paid for that additional Iced tea that she ordered last"
Wow right ???? Such an Honest guest, it's not about the price of 1 Iced tea, it's about principle.
I so admire that in people.
We even had a guest returning after 30 minutes, she was on the way home and she came back because she forgot to pay for 1 dish. Amazing honesty isn't it ?
Bless those people, not because of the money they paid, but their honesty and their kindness really warms my heart :)

Angry customer at the cashier

2009-06-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Remember the post about "the Restaurant charge me for something I didn't order" ?
Well.....
this post is about the customer's kid ordering drinks without the mom knowing, so we got some yelling from the mommy.

So.......... mommy and daddy and 3 kids came.
They ate, they drank, they had fun at the outdoor terrace cafe.
Mommy then came to the cashier to pay.
(they sat outside, so I couldn't see what's on their table, I only have order papers that's given by the waiters)
So I printed out the bill.
Mommy checked the bill.
Then she started talking in loud voices, more like yelling at me, so other guests at the Restaurant can hear her.
"I didn't order this stuff, what's this ? 3 strawberry juices ? We didnt' order this"
So I showed her the order paper showing my waiters handwriting "Table 12 - 3 strawberry juice to go"
then she said "No, we didn't ordered this"
(yes still shouting)
so I called the waiter and the waiter said that her kids had ordered the drinks.
So she called her kids and in came one kid drinking strawberry juice in a cup.
(the kids were running around in the playground)
So she asked him "Did you and the others ordered 3 strawberry juice?"
then the kid said "yeah we did, we already asked daddy and daddy told us to go ask the waiter"
and She then she kept quiet and paid the bill.

So........... problem solved.........
She didn't say sorry at all for yelling at me and making everyone in the Restaurant stared at us , she kept frowning at me the whole time she was paying and she even rechecked the bill one more time.
Oh well....................
Thank you Ma'am, please come again *big smile*

Where is my food ? Why is that table already getting their food ?

2009-06-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

Wow.... Don't you just hate it that the table next to you already got their orders even though you came first ????
Yup.... you came first, sat down, ordered food, waited and then other customers came, sat at a table next to you and 10 minutes later, their orders arrived.... Hey !!! Where's your order ?
Have you been neglected ?
Is the Restaurant giving the other table a special treatment ?
Well.... unless the next table is the Royal family or someone with super "power", there's no special treatment whatsoever.

Again.... mistakes could happen, we are merely human, your order might get slipped underneath the stack, and we're very so-so-sorry-truly, but but but but...........................
most of the time..... their food happens to be a simple quick dish compared to yours.

Here's the case
- 1 pm - Customer A arrived and ordered fried chicken and french fries
- 1.02 pm - You arrived and ordered steak
- 1.05 pm - Customer C arrived and ordered french fries

- 1 pm - The Kitchen starts frying fried chicken and french fries for Customer A
- 1.02 pm - Kitchen starts preparing your steak.
- 1.05 pm - Kitchen throws in more fries for Customer C

So when Customer C, who arrived after you ordered, got their french fries first, he's not getting a special treatment, they simply ordered the same dish as Customer A, so people in the kitchen just threw in more fries in the pan and it's done before your steak is done.
Yup... steak take more time to cook and prepared with side dish and garnish, etc.

So the next time a table next to you is getting their food first, kindly ask the waiter about your order ;)

I know it can sometimes be annoying, especially when you're hungry, and you don't care what and when they order, you just want your food... right now.
Believe me, I have a dad who goes "crazy" angry when this happens, then he starts frowning and starts asking every waiter that passes by every 2 seconds.
But sometimes it's just how it is...... You can't hold off a food that can be prepared quickly until someone else's more complicated and time consuming dish is ready.
So... please do understand.... :)

There's no Price on the Menu

2009-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

Don't you just hate that ?
You go into a Restaurant and you can't find the price on the menu.
So you have to "embarass" yourself and ask for the price
or you're too proud to ask and just order anyway, but you ordered the cheapest looking dish available and wondered about the price during the whole meal.
or you're super rich and don't care about the price anyway... so you just sit there, ordered and totally enjoyed that meal :) Don't we all love to be that person :D

I always want to know the price before ordering anything.
I can't afford to order a Lobster and then find out that it cost 250$ and not able to pay for it.
So in my Restaurant, I always put the price on the menu.
which is sometimes annoying when we have to change the price of 2 stuff there.
But.... I figure if I wanted to know the price beforehand, then my customers should have the same priviledge.

Although sometimes I notice that at some super popular Restaurants that are a bit pricey, the price isn't printed on the menu and the customers seems fine with it and ordered just about anything.
But hey.............. I'm still putting the price on my menu :)
and it also stops customers from "harrassing" the waiters by asking the price of every single item in the menu.

The Restaurant charge me for something I didn't order

2009-06-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah... so that happens to all of us.
Some Restaurants charge you with stuff you don't order and they do it on purpose to gain extra cash, unbelievable right !!
but for some, my Resto included, it's just pure mistake.
Or the food on your table is not what you ordered, but you take it in anyway, and confused when you're charged your initial order, for example, you order fried chicken, but got fried fish instead, but you don't mind so you accept it, but you wonder why you're still charged fried chicken.

So here's what happens in my Resto.
Full house, crowded Restaurant, everyone is running around.
You have like 10-15 waiters taking orders from 30 different tables, then handing the order paper to the cashier and the food checker and the kitchen/chefs.
So yes they might make a mistake.

So....
1. Waiters make mistakes in taking order..... purely unintentional.
There's been a lot of times when waiters write the wrong tables with the wrong orders, especially the new ones or partimers.
They even write down Hot Ice tea or Chocolate milkshake without ice, etc.

2. Chefs/foodchecker back in the kitchen miss-read the order or got the orders mixed up, that happens.

3. Waiters send the food to the wrong table....
so some table got an extra dish (sometimes they just keep quiet and not pay for it but some customer honestly do let you know) and the customer at the right table got pissed coz they have't got their order which is now being eaten by another table.

4. Customers change their order, they let the waiter now, but the waiter forgot to tell the cashier and only told the kitchen.

5. Customers' kids order drinks/ice cream without letting the parents know and when they receive the bill, they got angry coz they are charged 3 scoops of ice cream. Then the cashier has got to verify with the waiters and bartenders and then go back to the customers and explain to them, then they ask their kids, and found out that their kids had actually in fact ordered 3 scoops of ice cream and paid the bill.

So yeah... mistakes happen..... and it's purely unintentional.
So the next time you're at a restaurant and you're charged an extra dish, please do kindly verify it first before giving the waiters/cashiers the third degree and accusing them of being sleazy, coz while Restaurants try their best to service the customers, we're a bunch of people and sometimes we make mistake and we do apologize for it, but please understand that it's a pure honest unintentional mistake :)

Some Tricks and Techniques to not pay in a Restaurant

2009-05-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

This is some of the Tricks "naughty" customer use in my Restaurant to avoid paying or to pay less.
Please don't use this tricks on anyone !! :P

Situation : Peak hour in a Restaurant / Full house / Busy busy busy

1. They lie
They know that you don't know where they sat, and you're too busy to check, so they claim from a Table with less food and pay for that one instead of their real table with more food.
I know it sounds like the cashier is really stupid, but when you have a full house, you don't have time to double-check on everything. people are lining up to pay, waiters are constantly handing you new order sheets, phones are ringing, etc. So it happens.

2. They keep on changing tables / moving to another table.
They sit on Table 1 and then they order something.
then they move to Table 2 and told the waiters cos it's more comfortable bla bla and they order something else. So after they've finished eating.
They quietly move to the outside area , not telling the waiters and they order more drinks.
After they're done, they come inside to the cashier and said that they were from Table 12 from outside.
Cashier suspects nothing and they leave after paying.
Waiters thought that they've paid for everything because they were obviously at the cashier and they have a receipt with them.

3. They Pretend to pay
This is a similar trick.
Customer would order food and sit where the cashier can't see them (outside area) and when they're done, One of them comes to the cashier and buys 1 drink and pays for it directly.
Again, cashier doesn't suspect anything and they leave after that one guy paid for that 1 drink.
Waiters also thought that they've paid because that one guy went straight to the cashier.

4. They just leave.
Sometimes when you have a mad house, waiters are running around like crazy, orders keep coming in, etc. They actually just leave.
They just get up and leave the table !!!
Some got caught and they made up excuses and said stuff like "we were going to the bathroom first" or "we had to put our kids to the car first" bla bla bla.
Yeah right, 8 people in a table and all of them had go to the bathroom at the same time while in fact they were walking away from the bathroom and towards the car ?
or 5 adults have to take 1 kid to the car before someone goes to the cashier and pays ?

Yepp... those are some of the Tricks and Techniques that are used to escape pay.
I will post more as I remember more of their tricks.

It may be quite fun and exhilirating to be able to run away from a Restaurant without paying, if you're a pennyless brat !!!!
But come on , It's not fun on the Restaurant owner's side.
Yes you might think the Restaurant's always crowded, and they're rich already and they don't mind a few misses every once in a while.
But you've got to understand that Restaurant owners also have bills to pay and they're not cheap :
- Electrical bills,
- Taxes,
- Water bills,
- Gas,
- Food supplies,
- Maintenance
(you have no idea how often pipes leaks, Air conditioner break, Doors broken, cuttlery missing, plates/bowls broken, Kitchen equipments broken, Furnitures need replacing, etc)
- Rents (if still renting) or Mortgage (if owned)
- Advertising.
- Insurance
- Phone bills
- Employees salaries
- etc etc

But then again, from time to time, you're surprised by the very kind customers.
They've paid for their bills and started walking to their car and returned and apologized because they forgot to pay for one drink that wasn't even printed on the bill, then they explained that they ordered that drink last so it wasn't already included in the bill.
Some have even left for 30 mins and they returned, even though they're already halfway home and told you that they haven't paid for that bowl of soup.
Amazing isn't it ?
Yes that doesn't happen very often, but it still shows that there are still honest and polite people out there and it makes you appreciate them even more :)
Thank you guys :)

Which Table sir ?

2009-05-04T15:38:00.001-07:00

Sometimes customers can be so ignorant of where they're sitting.

Here's the scenario,
My Restaurant has an indoor area and an outdoor area.
The Cashier is indoor.

A customer from the Outdoor area came to the cashier and asked for the Bill.
I politely asked him his Table number.
He lazily pointed outside and said "I sat there" and then looked at me, confused why I didn't know where he sat.
So I asked him again, "which table was it sir ?"
and he said " I don't know, it's out there, next to the second table" and looked at me.
So that's when I usually turn to the waiters and ask them to find out where this customer was sitting.

Here's the thing.
When you sit outside, the cashier from inside doesn't have a view of the entire Restaurant. It's not that the Cashier is ignorant of the customer, we simply can't see where you were sitting and we trust that you will honestly tell us where you sat. Plus we have piles of orders to input to the computer, so it's not like we have free time to stare and observe where everyone's sitting.

And this happens quite often.
Some customers would sometimes be impatient when I didn't know where they sit.
Some would just blurt out any Table number and got annoyed when they get someone else's bill instead.

And some customers use this as an opportunity to point to someone else's table with less order, thus less money to pay, and claim it as their table.
Usually the waiters know this trick and quickly let me know where the customer's real table was.

Some customers are of course extremly nice and tell me where they sat.
That's when you feel like hugging them for being so nice :)

Do you hate money ?

2009-05-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

So... working as a cashier, I handle customers when they wanna pay right.

So they ordered a drink, then they come up to me.
I smile at them
Then they asked the price of the drink.
I tell them the price.
Then they take out a crunched up money from their pants pocket or their purse.
yes... literary a crunched up dollar bill from their pocket and put it on the table.
sometimes they throw it on the table.
and sometimes, instead of crunched up, the money's folded into 5 parts

So
Why dear customers ?
Do you hate money so much you have to crunch it up before putting it in your pockets ? Were you in such a hurry you have to crunch the cash and quickly stuff it in your pants ?

There's nothing that I can do about it.
So I usually take the money and I take my time "straightening" the money in front of the customer, just to make a point that the correct way to handle money is not to crunch it up and to make sure it's a complete / not torn money.
Then I smile and give them their change.
Thank you :)

Here comes the Fun stuff

2009-05-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

So....
What are the perks about working in a Restaurant ?
Well... here comes the Fun stuff....
;)

Always print your info on your packaging / bags

2009-04-21T04:00:00.001-07:00

If you decided that instead of a plain generic packaging, you choose to print your logo on your packaging / plastic bags / paper bags, etc.

Don't forget to also print Contact information
(Address, Phone number, Website)
Yes, again, people tend to forget.

I sometimes got frustrated when trying to Contact a Restaurant but can't find their number,
(this also applies for all kinds of businesses, actually)
Reasons : since it's a new Resto, the phone's not yet listed, or none of your friends know the Resto's phone number, etc etc.
And when I found it's packaging / plastic bag / paper bag, somewhere on the floor in my house, I get so excited and literally run and try to find a contact info.
*I do need to get a life don't I ?*

Anywhoo.....
So have those infos printed as well.
I mean, you're already spending money to have your logo printed on the packaing, why not add contact info, right ?

So there.... :)

Drunkards

2009-04-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

yesyesyes, still cashier, still fast food joint.

I sometimes get scared when I get night shift.
some people are so drunks, you can smell the alcohol on their breath over the counter.
But the guys and the managers are always so protective of you anyway, so It's safe for me.
and it's always busy at night during weekends.
So....

There was this drunk guy, he couldn't barey stand up straight, and he taking a lot of time asking me what to order, what's nice, bla bla bla while there are 5 other people standing in line behind him.
I didn't care about people waiting, but I was afraid that he was gonna kill me.
.... ok a tad bit paranoid there.
Anyway.... a guy next to him, was saying "ohh everything's nice, you should order this and that bla bla bla"
So drunk guy ordered 5 burgers for himself, luckily he had money. So no problems there.
I then handed him his orders and the change of 45 cents.
And he said "Oh I don't need that money, you keep it, that amount don't mean nothing to me"
Okay sir, but no thank you, so I tried to return the money to him.
So he replied even with a louder voice "No... really you should keep it, it's nothing for me"
and coz I was still afraid that he was gonna kill me *man i do have a problem*
So I said thank you and put the money below the counter.

So.......... after my shift's done,
the manager counted the money on my till
and I told him about the 45 cents that I got it from the drunk guy earlier.
and I was about to drop the coins to the rest of the coins in the till, but mister manager said "no no, it's yours, you keep it"
"but but....."
oh man, I was so tired of arguing with mister manager after 4 hours of standing as a Cashier.
So.... I went home with an extra 45 cents in my pocket.
Woohooo......

I give out free stuff for cute guys

2009-04-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

So.... me still cashier, Fast Food Joint.

So Mister Manager, not the Indian guy, this time it's an Australian guy.
He told me water is free.
Of course, free with purchase.
So if you buy burgers, soft drinks, and you ask for water, then it's free.
It's Tap water anyway.
And it's drinkable in Australia.

So....
One afternoon....
there was this extremly good looking guy who ordered two giant glasses of water.
He was so good looking if you put a wig on him, he'd look like a girl ;)
Anyway, his girlfriend was waiting outside, super hot chick.

So I took 2 giant papercups and filled them up with water, aka tap water.
and was looking for mister Manager.... or anyone else at the back.
But hey, there was no one else back there.
What ? Was I the only one in this Joint ?
So.... giant papercups filled.
I walked to the guy and handed him the 2 giant papercups of water.
And he smiled and said "How much?"
And I looked at the back, and couldn't find anyone.
I couldn't charge him the price of soft drinks for tap water.
and since mister manager said "water is free"
So I said "It's free"
He was kinda surprised "Really ?" , he's still smiling.
I said : *nodded*
so He politely said thanks and left.
Man, I felt like one of those girls who give out free stuff for cute guys.
Where was everyone anyway ?
Manager sir ?

My experiences in a Fast Food Joint

2009-04-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

I once work as a cashier in a Fast Food Burger Restaurant in Australia.
and I had this Indian Manager who was very strict.

It was a quiet afternoon, usually we get customers at lunch time and late afternoon.
So I was just standing there, staring at the people passing by outside.
And he came up to me and started talking really fast.

"Don't just stand there."
"You have to keep busy."
"Fill up the straw container and fill up the ice cream cones."
"Then go to the tables and wipe them with this." *handed me towel-wipe thing*
"then sweep the floor" *pointed to where the broom was*
Oh... he totally made me feel like Cinderella.

in my defence, It was my second day there, so I didn't know much about anything and where everything are anyway.

But hey, he was a good guy and he's just doing his job.
and it was fun to be Cinderella in a Fast Food Burger Joint anyway.
So... all is good :)

Always print on the Flyers

2009-04-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just in case you change your price in the future.
Then at least it's written on the flyers that are now in your customers' hands.
So any price change are acceptable.

"All Prices are subject to change without prior notice"

"Prices are subject to change without further notice"

Change of Information

2009-04-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Telephone number Change
So, you wanna add a new Telephone number,
or no, the Telephone company makes you add an extra number in your phone number.
dat's always great, since you have all of those name cards and flyers printed.
So you have to manually add an extra number with a marker / pen on each of those name cards and flyers.
It's not pretty on those newly designed namecards and flyers,
plus the manual labour........ Hoooooooooooyeahhh....
It's a good thing you have the waiters to help you, right ;)

Price change
Or you wanna change the prices on your menu.
This is even more work.
Let's see,
1. you have to change the price on the Menu, you might even have to get another set of newly printed Menu if necessary.
2. then, change the price on the Computer, sounds simple right, try inputting hundreds of codes and changing the prices. Oh.. it's not dat bad really :)
3. Change the prices on the Flyers / printed-giveaway-Menu if necessary.
But it's not necessary if you have this printed
"All prices are subject to change without further notice"

Ok... dat's about it for now.

What to prepare Extra ?

2009-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Order forms, and Menus.
I'm secretly guessing that customers steal our Menus.
hahaha.... not really, well some do.
coz we're always missing our Menus.

I went to a Restaurant once and in their menu, they print "this Menu cost 1000 US$"
I'm like "huh?" and asked the waiter about it and He just smiled secretively.
and that made me wonder even more.
Have people offered to buy the menu at that Restaurant ?
I mean, it's a normal looking Menu, nothing special about it.

Anyhoo.....
You need order forms, just stack em up somewhere near, just in case.
And Extra Menus, Customers tend to wanna keep the Menu on their table so it'll be easier for them to re-read the menus if they wanna order more food, so that leaves the new customers Menu-less and your waiters have to wander around looking for Menus on tables.
It's not good to keep new customers waiting,
So Have more Menus available.

What do Waiters need ?

2009-04-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

Pens...........
They're always losing their pen or running out of ink on a daily basis.
So always store pens in drawers.

What kinds of Computer Software do I need for the Cashier ?

2009-04-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

What kinds of Computer Software do I need for the Cashier ?
What kinds of cash register should I use ?

I can't answer that, what you need might differ from what I need.
So you really need to look around and find what's best for you.
but I have Tips :)
scroll down for the word "TIPS"

Okay, speaking about these kinds of equipments,
there are so many options out there.
Cash registers, a PC plus computer software, Touch screen connected to waiter's PDA, etc etc.

What do I use ?
I'm using a traditional way.
a PC plus a Computer software and a table with a regular drawer to store cash.
there :)

So , if you choose to use a regular PC with Computer software for your Cashier.
There are Windows based one and DOS based one.
Most people nowadays probably use a Windows-based one since they look nicer.
The DOS-based one basically have a black background with colourful letters.
But both are good enough to use.
Just choose whichever is right for your budget and has a complete features.

Mine is connected to a Dot Matrix printer.
It's a bit loud when it prints, but it works well, so.

TIPS
Just a little advice :

- Always have extra printer ribbons for your dotmatrix printer.
and extra printer paper to print all those receipts.
(or whatever's suitable for your hardware)
Yes we all know to always have supplies ready in hand.
But we tend to forget, so I'm just reminding you :D

- It's better not to connect your Cashier's computer to the Internet.
Yes you have Anti Virus protection, and it's relatively safe.
But you don't want to have a Virus attack on a busy day at the Resto, do you ?
plus you don't want the Cashier surfing the net while handling customer's order, right ?

- Always have your Resto's name and info (address, phone number, website) printed on the receipt.
Either by ordering a pre-printed paper or have the Cashier software print those information.
Customers might want to call you for their next reservations and it's just annoying not to be able to find those infos on the receipt.

So, Happy software-hardware hunting :)

How to start a Restaurant / Cafe Business ?

2009-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Do I need a Marketing / Accounting / Cooking skills ?
What utensils do I need ?
How many chef do I need to hire ?
Where do I get all the supplies ?
Do I need this and that ?
So many questions....

You know what.... If you wanna start your own Restaurant business.
The best thing to do is just jump right in.
Providing of course, you have the right funding and are aware of all the risks.
Yes....Restaurant businesses open and close just like that.
So.... if you know all the risks and you're willing to go ahead coz it's always been a dream of yours to have a Restaurant.
If you're passionate about running a Restaurant biz.

Here we go.
> Yes you'll need all that stuff you're wondering in your head.
Just set up your priorities first, the rest can be added later on.
For example, that Chandelier or that Water Fountain to decorate your Restaurant can be put on hold till you've purchased all the basic necessary stuff.
> Set up the price of your food.
Compare prices with nearby Restaurants and Restaurants that serves similar type of food.
> Get great chefs !! If not, get skillfull chefs and train them to become great chefs.
> Always innovate !
Don't be afraid to create new delicious dishes !
Having a special-surprise-seasonal menu is also good, the customers always wonder about them.

If you're creative in this field, then you can do these things yourself, otherwise :
> Yes you're gonna need to hire a graphic designer for your Resto's logo, your menu, etc
> you're gonna need an Interior designer to decorate and help you choose furnitures for your Resto.
> You're gonna need to choose the model / color of the waiter's uniform
but in the end, you can always do these things yourself anyway, coz it's the quality and taste of your food that matters the most.
We've all eaten some of the best food we've ever had in one of those simple-humble Resto anyway, so.

Don't worry
> You'll eventually find the right cashier software,
just ask friends who's already in a Restaurant biz, call those advertising in Newspapers,
Try em out and choose the best one that's most suitable with your budget.
> You'll eventually own a Buffet set / Stainless steel Chaffing dishes.
When we first started, we rented chaffing dishes from a caterer, we even borrowed them from a relative who's also in a Restaurant biz. But eventually we started having more guests and Buffet reservations that it's just reasonable to get one.
> You'll eventually form the right team in your Restaurant.
Your waiters, captain, manager, chefs, helpers, cashier, etc will eventually form a solid team that'll back you up in your biz.

Some tips
> If you know you're Restaurant is gonna be a big success.
Get a big kitchen !! coz you'll eventually need a bigger space.
You don't have to fill your entire kitchen space with equipments, but just know that you'll be able to add equipments when you need a bigger kitchen to cater for your ever growing customers.

There are millions of other stuff to list here and I'll add more stuff in the blog as I come up with them in my head. So keep on reading :)

And yes,
Customers is always right.
It's the basic number one rule of anyone working in a Restaurant.
So smile :) *yes, to them, not at yourself*
You're in a Resto business now.

Cheers,
MyRestoLife.com

My Resto Life 5

2009-04-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

other stuff

My Resto Life 4

2009-04-15T09:09:00.004-07:00

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My Resto Life 3

2009-04-15T09:09:00.003-07:00

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My Resto Life 2

2009-04-15T09:09:00.001-07:00

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My Resto Life 1

2009-04-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

other stuff

FAQ

2009-04-15T09:06:00.002-07:00

Frequently Asked Questions

Links

2009-04-15T09:06:00.001-07:00

Links

About MyRestoLife

2009-02-18T12:09:00.001-08:00

About me

I work part time in my dad's Restaurant.
I don't have a background in Restaurant business.
and I wasn't really interested in it in the first place.
Turns out, it's been quite a ride so far :)

I once saw an advertising for a Restaurant game in yahoo
it says something like this
"You think running a Restaurant is easy?"
"Try it"
"Seriously, Try it !!"

and it's true....
Running a Restaurant is hectic, chaotic, busy
and exhilirating at the same time.
It's also a humbling process
You have to treat everything with a sincere smile.

So this is my life in a Restaurant
From the perspective of a Restaurant owner
and a Restaurant guest.
(I am afterall a foodie who love to try food at different places)

So come on in....
You may learn a thing or two
and
Have fun in my Restaurant Life :D

My Resto Life
myrestolifemail [@] gmail [dot] com

Life in a Restaurant

2008-11-14T15:04:00.001-08:00

Life in a Restaurant