Sukie

one???? just one bottle???? no...I think I'd need a few more a dark and stormy for this event sounds nice...

I'm originally a 'Jersey Girl' now living in NY....my 2 fav's I like to hit when I visit the fam: Definitely Pete and Elda's for that amazing paper thin crust pizza and blue moon draft beer. When we go (my mom, her husband and I), we like to sit at the bar... For more fine dinning my fav right now is Mister C's in Deal. Great atmosphere, sophisticated decor...built right on the water. The bar itself is sunken from the lounge and the main dinning room (but still high above the water), with a wall of windows over looking the ocean, so when you sit at it, you feel like the waves are coming right at you!!. Lunchtime is fun there watching all the sunbathers on the beach. I've also liked Rooney's Crab House in the past...

I can see why Carte Blanche is one of your favorites....that is an incredibly awesome looking/sounding meal...everything right down to presentation and most notably....the stunning plateware (love, love, love the slabs of wood and granite).

I have regular patrons of 12 years who only *want* hot water with lemon (wife) and hot water with orange (husband) at the end of their meal (and when the resi comes in, the bus staff is notified and they know, upon hearing their name, to cut up 1 lemon and 1 orange in wedges and place it artistically on a bread plate for presentation). Of course, they are never charged... They also like to bring their own wine, and while we charge others corkage ($15), they, after 12 years of patronage, are *never* charged. They also like cookies with their, um, water, and since it's not on the menu (we bake 'star' cookies to garnish the ice cream), we don't charge them for that either... lol....writing that all out is, like, what do they pay for??? well...plenty, I guess, because there check is always good. But to answer the original question....no, we'd never charge if you ask for hot water for your own tea bag. I could seem tacky, but really, it's no big deal and hardly anyone does this anyway. Plus, from a servers perspective, taking care of our regulars/special requests usually goes a long way towards the tip (at least in our small, family oriented restaurant of locals/regulars).

I have been at the restaurant I'm the GM at (3 star) for the past 12 years and we were *always* trained to pour wine for the customer unless they requested at the beginning of service that that is something they'd like to do for themselves. If it is something they'd like to do for themselves, the server will let me know so I know not to hound them about the wine service for that table. The proper way I/we were taught by the owners, (after presentation and tasting) is to pour less than a third into the glass....ladies first, clockwise around the table, men second, taster last. The next pour is to come with food presentation at 1st course, then 2nd course (you get the idea....anytime food is presented) unless someone is drinking faster than the food presentation, then you are to pour accordingly. Never have I felt/seen this to be any kind of interuption....people happily go about their talking business and just place a hand over their glass if they do not care for anymore at that time. I also feel this a 'service' they are paying for when ordering a bottle, and as so, get that feeling of 'bad service' when I see a customer doing it for themselves who hasn't asked to.

'behind you' is the most important and commonly used phase....but we also use 'on your left' and 'on your right' when coming into the (small) service area to let persons in front of you know which way you are entering/going into the station. At other places I've worked, they've used 'echo' for call backs...ie...'can I get more coffee for table 6'....'echo...more coffee for 6!'....which I've always found to be a fun and ingenious term

There's great stuff in Hoboken too...which is just down the road from West NY.... plus it's a cool town (like a little NY)...great for walking before or after dinner....with lots of after hours places.

If only I was given that choice when working for this chef. It would have been much easier to have the 'fall back' of ordering the tuna medium....ie....'I can ask the chef to cook it medium, but his preference is to serve it rare....' No. I was strictly trained to explain the 'situation' with the Tuna to the customers (only rare or well done) and I better not be bothering the chef to cook it any other way. That was just their 'rule'.

ooo, Tim....I'm not even going to touch that one.... Ok maybe I will Certainly there is mismanagement FOH but there is certainly a unnessesary tug-of-war between FOH and BOH that leads to disaray as well.... SOMETIMES....reservations are late....or early....and sit all together...OR they want to have a drink at the bar and THEN decide (after trying to coax them earlier) to seat at 8 o'clock...along with everyone else....or sometimes they sit forever waving their server off (as they try and try) till -they- are ready to order...then it goes in along with everyone else.....there are numerous incidents that aren't as 'controllable' (remember we are dealing with the public) as you may think... Of course, we, and the servers try to stagger the best way we can but sometimes it's unavoidable the way it hits the kitchen. And when that happens....I NEED a steady chef...one who will work with me in terms of...no, don't worry about table 16 they've happily ordered another bottle of wine and are inclined to wait...what I need it table 2 who looks like they are having a marriage war and have nothing to say to each other. I don't always get that rapport with chef's...they'd rather play games with 'what tickets came first'....or 'don't tell me how to run my kitchen' (I'm the cute FEMALE GM, btw, trying to deal with all the 'ego's')... If we can work better together...we'd get thru the mad rush better than you think.... It may not be that way in your restaurant...but whew....I'm just venting.

love, love, love outdoor dining. We have a garden enclosed patio at my restaurant (I'm the GM) that fits 7 tables (one 6, one 4 and 5 deuce's) as well as a 'lounge' (a circle of lounge chairs and cocktail tables that create an outdoor 'bar') and a large number of my patron's visit just because we have this area. We also allow small dogs and people just *love* to dine with their small dog in tow. Yes....there is definitely nothing like the summertime vibe with the tiki torches burning and all the french doors thrown open onto the patio watching everyone dine 'al fresco' it is a selling point to be sure.

Tuna has always been 'rare' on our menus. Salmon medium, most others med-med well. The tuna thing, I've learned, can be touchy for some chef's. I've worked with ones that will only serve it Rare OR well done...nothing in between. And, boy, as a server you'd have to go thru this whole elaborate process at the table/in the kithen (a myriad of eye rolls from all the chefs) if someone asked for it any other way. Here is a real conversation/incident I had with a customer in said chef's restaurant: customer: I'd like the Tuna, but I'd like it medium. me: I'm sorry, the chef only prepares the Tuna rare as he feels this is the best preparation for tuna. customer: Oh really, well, you tell the chef to take the pride out from between his legs and cook the Tuna the way I want it! me: hmm. oh-kay...let me get my manager. to manager: I have this customer that just said 'yadda, yadda'. manager: Oh, really?? We all go into kitchen. manager to chef: so we have this guy at table 42 that just said 'yadda, yadda' about the Tuna. Chef: Oh, really? back at the table: manager: I'm sorry sir, but the chef will only prepare the Tuna rare. customer: Oh, really? well what do you suppose I do then???? manager: Order a different fish. Oh, and....don't ever talk the the waitress like that again. heh. Personally, tho, I'd rather work with a chef that is willing to do what the customer asks. While I have a high respect for the culinary arts and appreciate the talent that goes into designing a dish, I also respect the fact that some people just like what they like...and are still willing to patron your restaurant and shell out 28 bucks for for a medium filet.

well then, I guess 'Red Robin' is a copy cat....I'm glad I've never been.

fond memories....oh, I have plenty! My first restaurant job was at a Bennigans about 20 years ago (yikes!)... I started as a hostess and moved to waitress not to long after (all the waitresses told me I was too 'smart' to host and I'd make move money on the floor) then eventually I became a bartender... As with many 'first experiences' the impressions made on me I still think of fondly to this day... We were next to a University so practically everyone who worked there was a student...sometimes it was like one big frat party amougst the staff...ahhh....the memories...the fun....too many to list... Anyone go to a "St Patty's Day" celebration? oh, boy...I remember having tents outside the restaurant selling green beer and wall to wall people everywhere getting drunk and having a jolly good time... How about those 'clocked' lunches? You'd get this little timer as you sat and the waiter started it after you ordered and if if wasn't delivered in 15 minutes or less, it was free... And who could ever forget the birthday song! All that clapping and whoo hoo'ing...gawd, I was such a ham...I loved doing it and it's a tune I'll never forget: Happy, Happy Birthday On this your special day Happy, Happy Birthday that's why we're here to say: Happy, Happy Birthday *put's arms across everyones sholders and sways* "May All Your Dreams come true" Happy, Happy Birthday From Bennigans to you, Hey! have *that* with a little Death by Chocolate and you've just experienced THE Bennigan's signature... of course, I'm too much of a food and wine snob to eat in these kinds of places today, but like someone said, if I must (ie... I'm with kids) I can tolerate Friday's (and yes I worked there too!)