9 Ways Working in a Restaurant Prepares You for Life

9 Ways Working in a Restaurant Prepares You for Life

by | Jul 22, 2016 | IndiNews

Let’s face it – working in a restaurant isn’t always (or even ever) glamorous. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t build character and skills that will help you later on in your life. In fact, it’s our humble opinion that everyone should work in a restaurant at least once in their life. Here are 9 ways working in a restaurant prepares you for life. 

You learn how to deal with mean people

People aren’t always the nicest, and, unfortunately, when you work at a restaurant you get to see the worst in humanity. You also have to deal with them–there’s no option of looking the other way when you have a customer ranting to you because their steak is too well done. Working in a restaurant equips you with the grace and patience you need to deal with people who aren’t on their best behavior.

Mistakes happen and you get over them

You’re never going to get through a restaurant shift without making some type of mistake, whether it’s mixing up Coke with Diet Coke, dropping a stack of dishes or doing something else that, honestly, you’ve probably already forgotten about. Restaurants move fast, so you learn to fix your mistakes quickly and move on without stewing over it.

On top of the physical multitasking, you also get really good at mentally storing a lot of information.

Multitasking

Working in a restaurant gives you mad multitasking skills. Taking a phone order while checking out a customer while training the new cashier? Check, check and check. On top of the physical multitasking, you also get really good at mentally storing a lot of information.

In a matter of a few minutes, you could be refilling water, taking an order, directing someone to the bathroom, cleaning up a spilled soda and making sure to talk to the chef about a customer’s dietary restrictions. You’ll find yourself walking around with a running checklist in your head that will never fully go away.

You’ll always leave good tips

Nothing makes you a better tipper when you dine out than having worked in a restaurant, even if you aren’t on the wait staff. You know first-hand how demanding the job is, and you don’t take it out on your waiter when your meal is a little overcooked, or it takes an extra five minutes for him to take your order. You get it, and you appreciate him.

You know how important it is to be on time for a job.

Punctuality gets ingrained

You know how important it is to be on time for a job because you’ve had enough experience as the one who gets stuck working an extra hour because the guy working the next shift slept in. This one is going to become a pet peeve, for the record.

Efficiency is everything

It is going to drive you CRAZY to see people walking to and from places empty handed. Is it really so hard to grab that empty glass from the coffee table since you’re going into the kitchen anyway?? You never walk around the restaurant empty-handed or without a specific purpose.

You know from working in a kitchen that nothing happens without a good team.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Cliche, yes, but you know from working in a kitchen that nothing happens without a good team. Whether you’re washing dishes, preparing food, waiting tables or greeting guests as a host or hostess, you are an important part of the whole dining experience for your guests. If one person falls out of line, doesn’t show up or messes up big time, everyone else has to pick up the slack.

The opposite is true too–when everyone’s working together and in a rhythm, it’s magical. You’ll try to recreate the team experience in every future job you have, and you’ll feel lost (and annoyed) when other people just don’t get it.

People skills

From the restaurant owner to the head chef to that annoying guy at table 9, you engage with a lot of different types of people every single day that you work at a restaurant. Working at a restaurant helps you quickly figure people out so you can engage with them in a meaningful way. This is going to come in handy with every single job you have after you leave the restaurant industry.

Working at a restaurant helps you quickly figure people out so you can engage with them in a meaningful way.

Organization

Everything has its place in a restaurant kitchen, and things don’t go well when anything is out of place. You’re going to be organized (possibly to a fault) after working in a restaurant, and you might freak out when your roommate keeps leaving pans on the stove instead of in the pantry, where they CLEARLY belong.

Working in a restaurant isn’t easy, but it can be incredibly rewarding. You’ll learn major life skills by working in a restaurant that can’t be taught anywhere else. These will help you when you decide to leave the industry, and they’ll definitely be a bonus if you decide to make a career out of working in a restaurant.

Find restaurant jobs on Sirvo now! →

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How Boilermaker Made It To Upscale Cocktail Menus

How Boilermaker Made It To Upscale Cocktail Menus

by | Jul 20, 2016 | IndiNews

As with most classic cocktail names, no one is really sure when the term “boilermaker” was first used or exactly what was originally served. In the workplace today, the name is associated with the trade union that represents blacksmiths, shipbuilders and a variety of welders and iron workers. The Oxford English Dictionary puts the origin of the word as a term specifically for steam engine builders first used sometime in the 1830s. So it’s appropriate that, throughout its history, the pairing of a strong shot of hard alcohol with a cold beer has always been associated with the working class.

BoilerMakerThat is, until recently, when it’s suddenly become the darling of any number of upscale (some might use the term “hipster”) drinking venues in the world’s trendiest cities, the patrons of which are unlikely to have work-calloused hands or come in at the end of the day covered in soot.

While the traditional dive bar boilermaker was cheap whiskey or bourbon paired with a PBR or Bud, this new incarnation is more likely to be Sazerac or Four Roses paired with a craft beer. It’s also more likely to run for much closer to $10 than any dive bar Boilermaker ever has.

The first evidence of the term “boilermaker” being used for the whiskey-beer pairing comes from British pub menus in the early 1900s.

How did we get from there to here? The beginning of the story is the most unclear part. The first attempts at distilling grain into what would eventually become whiskey began roughly 800 years ago, in the waning days of the medieval period in Europe. At the time, what they distilled was potent, but tasted absolutely nasty. So this is the likely origin of chasing whiskey with a beer to cleanse the palate.

Though it’s widely thought of as an American drink, the first evidence of the term “boilermaker” being used for the whiskey-beer pairing comes from British pub menus in the early 1900s. There was a long history throughout Europe of chasing a hard alcohol with a beer, but the practice was extremely uncommon in the United States until immigrants in the 1800s brought it over with them.

It’s unclear where the name “boilermaker” actually first appeared in the United States, but we do know that by the 1940s it was commonly seen on the menus at bars all around the country.

The “slam then drink” approach is widely regarded as the original method, though there’s no real evidence to prove this.

Boiler MakerThe traditional method of drinking is also a subject that is not historically verified and is still very much up for debate. There are three approaches to drinking a boilermaker: slam the shot first then drink the beer, chase sips of the shot with sips of the beer, or drop the shot glass entirely into the beer so that the two liquids mix. The lattermost of these methods was known to be practiced in British pubs in the 1600s, though under a variety of different names such as the “Pop-In.”

Modern bartenders will often call this a “depth charge” so that there is no confusion over what is being ordered. The “slam then drink” approach is widely regarded as the original method, though there’s no real evidence to prove this.

Boilermaker makes the upscale bar a more accessible place for those who don’t have the time to plumb the depths of the craft cocktail.

The only thing that is certain is that whiskey aficionados are cringing at the prospect of any of these options being perpetrated on anything better than a Jameson!

That’s the central point of the Boilermaker, however, and why it’s made a comeback in the most unlikely of places. It makes the upscale bar a more accessible place for those who don’t have the time or inclination to plumb the depths of the craft cocktail or Scotch scenes. It also represents a growing sense of embracing working-class roots in such venues, even if the price point is now at a level that the average working-class patron can’t afford.

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11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Read

11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Read

by | Jul 11, 2016 | IndiNews

From high altitude baking to Southwestern recipes, to Denver’s and Boulder’s burgeoning food scene, there’s plenty of fodder for local food bloggers to cover. Here is DiningOut’s list of 11 Colorado food blogs to read! 

Oh, Ladycakes

11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Follow

Blogger: Ashlae Warner

Homebase: Denver

History: I started Oh, Ladycakes in late-2011, as a way to chronicle my adventures in baking.

Specialty: Vegan baked goods (and other sweet confections) that don’t taste like they’re vegan. Basically, I could trick your meat-loving uncle (who thinks vegan is synonymous with the word gross) into eating one of my desserts. And he’d probably ask for seconds, too.

Favorite CO restaurant: It’s always changing, but I’m currently digging Mercantile Dining & Provisions. The space is stunning and the vegan plate (not officially on the menu) is always outta-this-world delicious.

Use Real Butter

11 Colorado Food blogs to FollowBlogger: Jennifer Yu

Homebase: I split my time between Nederland and Crested Butte.

History: I started the blog in 2004 to write down my thoughts after the untimely death of my only sister earlier that year. It eventually evolved into a personal blog full of photos and stories about my daily life including lots of food. In 2007, I stripped out the most personal content and went public with my food blog so I could participate in a fun and supportive group of food bloggers called The Daring Bakers (now The Daring Kitchen).

Specialty: My blog is about me—my life in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, my dog, outdoor adventures, places I like to eat, my cancer, some travels, some thoughts, some science, and lots of recipes with step-by-step photographs. There is plenty of photography because I’m a visual person. It’s part diary, part archive, and part a place to share things that I find beautiful, fascinating, or delicious. I don’t specialize in anything other than whatever is on my mind.

Favorite CO restaurant: That’s a tough one, because both Boulder and Crested Butte have great restaurant scenes and I know Denver does, too—although I don’t get to Denver often (I prefer to stay in the mountains).  I would have to go with Frasca in Boulder, because the food and wine are divine, and the service is beyond exceptional.

Climbing Grier Mountain

11 Food Colorado Blogs to FollowBlogger: Lauren Grier

Homebase: Denver (the Highlands)

History: I started Climbing Grier Mountain (CGM) in 2010 as a way to showcase all the wonderful experiences one can have while living in Colorado. The stories from CGM quickly morphed from just lifestyle to more food-focused when I got married, and figured it was time to learn how to cook a proper meal. I was working in the financial industry in 2010, and I lost my job due to the market crash. I figured the best way to pass the time between job interviews was to teach myself how to cook. If I could cook, I imagined that others could do the same.

Specialty: Curiosity.

Favorite CO restaurant: My favorite restaurant right now is Blue Pan Pizza. Their Detroit-style pizza is absolute perfection. Cheesy-topped dough with crispy edges—I’m hungry just thinking about it. I always order either the Parma Italia or Rocky Mountain.

Elana’s Pantry

11 Food Blogs to FollowBlogger: Elana Amsterdam

Homebase: Boulder

History: I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998. I tried a gluten-free diet and had mixed results so went on a grain-free, or paleo, diet in 2001. I started blogging to share my recipes as well as research on health issues in 2006 with others. Now, I have more than 800 recipes on my website and have written three cookbooks for Random House.

Specialty: My recipes are incredibly simple. I use very few ingredients and test my recipes more than a dozen times to make sure they really work for my readers. I get a lot of feedback thanking me for short ingredient lists and recipes that work.

Favorite CO restaurant: Larkspur in Vail. The food is incredible and they easily handle requests for special diets. Thomas Salamunovich is a genius.

Boulder Locavore

Toni-Dash-BoulderLocavore-Head-Shot-BoulderLocavore.com-76Blogger: Toni Dash

Homebase: Boulder

History: I did a personal experiment to see if I could source my protein and produce exclusively from within a 100-mile radius over a winter in Colorado. I succeeded and in the process discovered all sorts of new farmers, markets, and food artisans. People constantly asked for my resources so I decided to start a blog in September 2010.

Specialty: Exciting, approachable seasonal food and cocktail recipes with twists that are all gluten-free, most also with a gluten option (if not naturally gluten-free). I also share travel stories—often with a food focus.

Favorite CO restaurant: Very difficult to answer, but I’ve been smitten with The Kitchen since it originally opened in Boulder. I love their food quality, innovative recipes, focus on sustainable practices, and involvement with the larger food movement through projects like supporting school gardens. And I found my farm CSA through them!

Culinary Colorado

11 Food Blogs to FollowBlogger: Claire Walters

Homebase: Boulder

History: “Culinary Colorado,” my guidebook to Colorado restaurants, gourmet food stores, artisanal bakeries, cheeseries, cooking schools, wine specialists, food festivals, etc., did really well as soon as it came out of the bindery, but became outdated quickly. It proved too complicated/costly to create an immediate second edition only to face the same challenge again. When the publisher decided not to issue a second edition, I added a “Dining Diary” page to my website. Then when blogging appeared, I launched on October 10, 2006.

Specialty: I write about meals I’ve eaten and food I’ve cooked, trends, and news that intrigues me. My blog is Colorado-centric, but not Colorado exclusive, so I also celebrate Colorado chefs and restaurants that appear on “top” or “best” lists.

Favorite CO restaurant: I have no single favorite. That’s not a cop-out. It’s the truth. My favorite might be where my last delicious meal was–or one serving the food I’m in the mood for. One thing is that I do not go to chains–unless a restaurant is part of the [Frank] Bonanno empire, the Frasca [Food and Wine] family, the [Jen] Jasinski/[Beth] Gruitch collection, or similar.

Dough Eyed

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Nicole Espinosa

Homebase: Southeast Aurora

History: I’ve always baked with my mom as a child, and my grandma was an amazing baker and cook as well. I started the blog in 2009 when I lived in Boston for college–it was called Small Kitchen Big Head because I had maybe the smallest kitchen in America. I have also always been a writer and went to school for journalism. When I moved back to Colorado, I started to improve my baking skills. I’d be baking just as much whether I blogged about it or not, so blogging is just an excuse for me to keep on baking!

Specialty: Baking and sweets are really my passion. I’m also building up some high-altitude baking resources as I learn more, which I think are too sparsely available online today–it’s hard to find high altitude recipes that actually work! I have a high altitude section on my site that I’m building up.

Favorite CO restaurant: Right now, I’m obsessed with a small breakfast and lunch spot in Aurora called The French Press. They make graham cracker syrup to go with stuffed french toast and other sweets, and it’s incredible! They also have chorizo biscuits and gravy that are EVERYTHING.

Grace(full) Plate

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Grace Boyle

Homebase: I live in Longmont and work in Boulder.

History: I had been blogging since 2008 on my personal blog, while also working at my day job in the blogging/publisher industry, so it was part of my day-to-day already. I love uncovering hidden restaurants when traveling, cooking, providing tips on where to eat (I get so many: “Where should I bring my family when they’re in town” questions), and sharing my love of food and how it binds us as people, so it felt very aligned to start another blog on food. A trip to Taos, New Mexico inspired me to finally take the leap in October 2010 so I could share the incredible food I had there.

Specialty: I’m keenly aware of restaurant openings and food stories in Colorado, so as a naturally curious person, I keep readers up-to-date. As an Italian, I care deeply about food and feel strongly that no matter where you’re from or your beliefs, food is one of those few things that connects us. I like to think that insatiable passion comes through in my words as I showcase interesting and delectable stories about food in Colorado and beyond.

Favorite CO restaurant: I love Black Cat. Their menu is driven by their 130-acre farm just outside of Boulder, so the menu changes daily to truly reflect what’s seasonal and fresh. It’s not unusual to see Owner/Chef Eric Skokan at the Boulder Farmers’ Market with his Black Cat farm stand in the morning, then see him later that night in the kitchen at Black Cat, cooking and greeting customers in person.

Rocky Mountain Food Report

bryce-600x600Blogger: Bryce Crawford

Homebase: Colorado Springs

History: I was previously a reporter and restaurant critic for the weekly newspaper. After I quit and realized how much there still was to cover in the area, I started my site on September 1, 2015.

Specialty: We’re connected and plugged-in. We’re judging the events you attend and hanging with the people you want to know more about.

Favorite CO restaurant: My favorite restaurant is probably King’s Chef Diner. It’s a great greasy spoon with kicking green chile.

Saucy Dipper

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Sara Lancaster

Homebase: Denver (Denver Tech Center area)

History: I started in 2010 as a portfolio piece for my marketing agency (The Condiment Marketing Co.) and because I really do have a love for sauces and dips and felt food blogging would be a fun, creative outlet.

Specialty: Sauces and dips aren’t unique really, but to blog about only those two things is unusual as far as I know.

Favorite CO restaurant: I’ve got two little kids now, so I don’t make it out to try the restaurants I would like … at least not often. But my recent favorite is Los Chingones in the DTC. I think of their  Garden Guac often.

Creative Culinary

barbara-creative-culinaryBlogger: Barb Kiebel

Homebase: Denver

History: I learned HTML in 1995 when working in the Internet Division of a large cable company and decided to create my own recipe site to both categorize and easily share recipes with friends. I turned that site into an interactive blog in 2007 and became a full-time food and cocktail blogger in 2012.

Specialty: Though I feature more recipes for food than cocktails, I am most well known as a cocktail blogger since I started featuring cocktails five years ago in my weekly series called “FridayCocktails.”

Favorite CO restaurant: I love Ya Ya’s in the Denver Tech Center. While I have always enjoyed their food and ambience, they are my “Cheers” that that’s what makes them so special; everybody knows my name!

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How to Make Your Social Media Content Stand Out

How to Make Your Social Media Content Stand Out

by | Jul 8, 2016 | Management

If you run a hospitality business, marketing yourself is a large part of your success. To do that, you’ll need to be active on social media. With so much going on, it may be difficult to know just how to get started, but there are nuances that make each platform stand out–use the best practices for each platform in order to truly grow your business without extra effort, with these tips below:

Facebook

With the largest digital population of all social media sites, Facebook is where you will reach the largest segment of your customers and potential customers. Facebook also has the largest variety in terms of content you can post.

Facebook also has the largest variety in terms of content you can post.

Take advantage of the easy shareability the platform provides by posting an enjoyable mix of entertaining posts, from special event announcements to fun foodie facts and behind-the-scenes photos, and encourage your followers to share with their friends. With a small budget (starting at $5 a day), you can boost your posts, which will spread them to a much wider audience, outside your own internal network.

Facebook also allows you to source reviews and post them on a special tab. Since word of mouth is the best way to find new customers, don’t miss this chance; invite customers to review your business on Facebook as often as possible, including messaging on flyers, posters, your website, and more. Include these reviews on your website as well.

Twitter

Twitter is an of-the-moment platform. Followers see your posts in real time, so Twitter is the perfect place to react to customer comments and provide statements on relevant events as they happen. You’ll show that your business is up-to-speed, responsive, and attentive.

Make Twitter your forum for public service.

Make Twitter your forum for public service, and ensure that you respond to any customers’ mentions, tweets, or comments about your brand as soon as possible. By quickly reacting and offering commentary or assistance, you’ll be able to set your business up as a leader in the industry for client needs.

Instagram

Instagram is a highly popular platform that works best when the images do the talking for you. Use this platform to let your products shine! Showcase beautiful images of your business’s food, set-up, and fun employee moments as well, since followers love to see original and enjoyable behind-the-scenes snapshots and feel a connection.

Use Instagram to let your products shine!

Instagram is also a great place to source user-generated images, as people love to post their own material. Use this to your advantage by hosting contests on Instagram: invite followers to post an image of dining at the restaurant (or their favorite meal, or activity perhaps), then tagging your profile in order to win a free meal.

It’s an easy-to-enter and fun activity that will generate wonderful brand awareness to your followers’ followers, as well as a plethora of fan photos that you may be able to share and use, too.

Social Media Tools

By focusing on the aspects of each channel that will work best for your hospitality business, you can grow your brand without too much exertion. To make it even more seamless for your marketing team, consider using a social media scheduling tool or monitoring tool, where you keep an eye on all platforms at once.

To make it even more seamless for your marketing team, consider using a social media scheduling tool.

One of the best tools out there is Hootsuite, where you can schedule posts and track all of your activity at once. To watch multiple topics and conversations in real time on Twitter, you can also look into Tweetdeck, which will easily show you all topics, accounts, and conversations of interest in one simple layout.

Another option, if you’re looking to automate any posts from one channel to show directly on another, is IFTTT. If you’re looking into this, consider the relevance of each post for multiple channels to be sure you want to post that content widely.

With these platform-specific tips, you can begin to post and share to social media now, growing your business strategically – and enjoyably!

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Restaurants Should Always Be Looking For Fresh Faces. Here’s Why:

Restaurants Should Always Be Looking For Fresh Faces. Here’s Why:

Restaurants invest a lot in labor when they hire people. They train, sign employees up for food-safety certifications, and put money towards their health insurance. All this is a lot of work, but it is worth it to keep hiring throughout the year. In fact, you want to always be hiring. Why? Well, consider the following…

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How Skype & Digital Technology are Advancing Hospitality Hiring

How Skype & Digital Technology are Advancing Hospitality Hiring

by | May 9, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Choosing hospitality as a career has some great benefits, but, in the past, the hiring process and HR in general has not been a strong point. However, that’s all changing with the advancement of digital technology specifically made for the industry.

Take Skype for example, which is being utilized to conduct interviews remotely helping job seekers to apply for more jobs and allowing businesses to expand their talent network.

Skype is the most accessible video communications technology on the market and it’s making interviews possible from any distance. One of the benefits of working in the restaurant and hospitality industry is the ability to find work in any city across the world. In any given month,

In any given month, workers who are willing to relocate are looking for these job openings, but the holdup is not being able to get in front of managers.

Skype is changing that by making it possible for hiring managers to conduct interviews with prospective applicants at any time and from anywhere.

The interview is critical in any industry, but especially in hospitality, where workers not only have to get along with co-workers but also interact with patrons.

Skype enables decision makers to assess potential hires in real-time. Not to mention, it can be used from a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

As Skype is creating an innovative solution for interviewing, Sirvo is using technology to streamline the application process.

Sirvo is a premium recruitment service for the hospitality industry, where finding qualified applicants and choice companies to work for has never been easier. If you’re interested in learning more about our service, please contact us today at [email protected].

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Restaurants Should Always Be Looking For Fresh Faces. Here’s Why:

Restaurants Should Always Be Looking For Fresh Faces. Here’s Why:

Restaurants invest a lot in labor when they hire people. They train, sign employees up for food-safety certifications, and put money towards their health insurance. All this is a lot of work, but it is worth it to keep hiring throughout the year. In fact, you want to always be hiring. Why? Well, consider the following…

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