5 Simple Ways for Servers to Get Better Tips

5 Simple Ways for Servers to Get Better Tips

by | Oct 28, 2016 | Career

When you’re a server, you often live on your tips. Increasing them by a dollar or two per table can make a big difference over the course of a night. Of course, you can’t reduce yourself to begging your tables to tip better, so how do you increase those all-important tips? These simple tips will help you increase yours.

Introduce Yourself by Name

Did you know that offering your table your name–regardless of whether you’re male or female–can lead to an average of $2 more in tips per table?

Introducing yourself by name helps create a sense of connection between you and your customers.

Introducing yourself by name helps create a sense of connection between you and your customers. They’re more likely to identify with you as a person, decide that they like you, and therefore tip higher as a result.

Dress Up a Little

Perceptions matter, and servers who are perceived as being attractive are more likely to get higher tips than those who aren’t, before you go to work, take the time to clean up. If you’re female, do your makeup and fix your hair. If you’re a man, same goes!

Also, try to avoid stains on your uniform or apron, and if you need to, freshen up occasionally throughout the evening. You might be surprised by the results!

Get Closer

Making eye contact with your customers is a great way to encourage them to develop a connection with you and increase the amount of your tip. Crouch down by the table so that you’re looking at them at eye level, rather than staring down at them.

Watch your customers for cues; some would prefer that you keep your distance.

You can also try standing a little bit closer to your customers when they’re ordering. Watch your customers for cues; some would prefer that you keep your distance.

Encourage the Customer to Like You

When you repeat their food order back to them, you encourage customers to identify with you and think of you as “like them.” Letting the customer know that they made a good choice in their meal tells them that approve of them and that you like the same things they do.

You can also convince the customer that you’re on their side through the concept of reciprocity: convince the customer that you’ve done something for them, whether it’s writing “thank you!” on the back of their receipt, taking care of a minor inconvenience, or bringing them a little something extra like mints with the check.

Offer Great Service

At the heart of a great tip, is a great server – that is, one that provides a high-quality experience to every customer who comes to their tables. Strive to do this regardless of how your day is going, how you perceive the customer, or what they order.

At the heart of a great tip, is a great server.

There are some things that are beyond your control: the speed of the kitchen and whether or not they get the order exactly right, for example. Other things are well within your control. Make it a priority to keep drink glasses full, to bring food out as soon as it’s ready, and to be cheerful whenever you check on a table.

Learning to read your customers is one of the most critical parts of being a good server. Some tables are high-maintenance, but will pay well for it; others will pay for the privilege of discreet service and being left alone to enjoy their meals. As you learn to evaluate your customers’ needs from the moment they arrive at the table, you’ll discover that your tips start going up as a result of your improved service.

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What’s Your Restaurant Spirit Job?

What’s Your Restaurant Spirit Job?

by | Oct 24, 2016 | Career

Sometimes, the path isn’t so obvious…

Take our quiz to find out where your heart belongs when it comes to working in restaurants.

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Open Call: Comida at The Source & The Stanley Marketplace

Open Call: Comida at The Source & The Stanley Marketplace

by | Oct 21, 2016 | Sirvo Stories

Big news: Comida is hosting an open call on Nov. 2nd-3rd and Nov. 9th-10th and hiring talented individuals for two of their locations, The Source in Denver and The Stanley Marketplace in Aurora!

Comida at The Source

Nov. 2nd-3rd, Nov. 9th-10th

3350 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Please bring a resume or print your Sirvo profile

Comida will be hiring for the following positions with hiring managers on site conducting interviews: Bartenders, Bussers, Dishwashers, Foodrunners, Hosts, Line Cooks, Prep Cooks, Servers. Job descriptions can be found on their Sirvo pages at Comida at The Source and Comida at The Stanley Marketplace.

Comida is “Mexican-inspired street food made from sustainable, quality ingredients and an extensive cocktail menu in a festive indoor/outdoor space.” Started as a taco truck back in 2010, this amazing concept has grown tremendously over the past few years, and is now hard at work preparing for their newest location opening soon at The Stanley Marketplace.

“Stanley Marketplace is about community, and it’s about fun,” says owner Rayme Rossello. “I like both of those things a lot!”

If you are looking to work in a creative, energetic atmosphere and have a passion for hospitality, then be sure to attend Comida’s open call Nov. 2nd-3rd & 9th-10th. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity for you to put a face to a name, showcase your experience and get your foot in the door with one of the best restaurants in Colorado.

“What if I’m not able to go to the open call?”, then just login to your Sirvo profile and apply to the number of positions Comida has listed on our Sirvo.

See you there! 

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How to Prevent Employee Theft at a Restaurant

How to Prevent Employee Theft at a Restaurant

by | Oct 10, 2016 | IndiTips

Employee theft is something that most restaurant owners encounter at one time or another. No matter how well you think you know your employees there is always a possibility of theft. Employee theft in restaurants takes many forms, including giving away free food and drinks to customers without authorization, stealing customer’s credit card information and stealing food or alcohol for themselves. If employees know you have a system in place to trace theft, then most will respect that and not try to steal. Here’s how to prevent employee thefts at your restaurant! 

Track all sales

As the restaurant owner, it is hard to be everywhere at once, therefore, it is important to have a good tracking system for food and beverage sales. Tracking food and drink orders through a POS system, you can cut down on the amount of “freebies” that staff might give out without your knowledge. Once an order is placed and sent to the kitchen or bar, the ticket cannot be changed without the manager/owner password. Of course, a POS system used for security purposes only works if the kitchen staff and bartender know not to give out orders without a ticket.

Track food inventory

Stealing food can be as simple as eating a forbidden piece of dessert while on break or it can be more serious, such as taking cases of food right off the delivery truck. Prevent food theft by closely monitoring orders, usage, and waste. Set up a system where at the end of each shift, inventory is taken and waste should always be written down. If the kitchen staff knows they are accountable for the food inventory, they will be careful to keep track of it.

Tracking food and drink orders through a POS system, you can cut down on the amount of “freebies” that staff might give out without your knowledge

Keep all alcohol under lock and key

Alcohol will vanish like magic if left unattended, so the best way to keep employees from stealing alcohol is to keep it locked up. Only the restaurant owner, manager and perhaps bartender, have access to the supply. Like food, you should keep a running inventory of alcohol and check your POS system if a certain type of alcohol is consistently running low. If there are no sales to account for the alcohol use, you can assume that employees are helping themselves to it.

Update your PCI for handling customer credit and debit cards

PCI stands for Payment card industry data security standards. It means the rules that any business, including restaurants, agree to follow if they accept credit cards. PCI standards are administered through banks that handle credit card transactions. A major liability of using a POS system as a credit card processor is that transactions are via the Internet and could be hacked and your customer’s credit card information stolen. It is important to make sure all your computer firewalls and other safety precautions are periodically updated.

You should keep a running inventory of alcohol and check your POS system if a certain type of alcohol is consistently running low.

Limit access to cash drawers and the safe

Only the restaurant owner, manager or head server during their shift should have access to the cash drawer, register or safe. In some instances, only the owner knows the combination to the safe. The fewer hands that touch the cash, the less chance of it being stolen.

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5 Things That Make Your Profile Look Unprofessional

5 Things That Make Your Profile Look Unprofessional

by | Oct 7, 2016 | IndiTips

Good Profile=Hired

One of the great features of online hiring platforms, like Sirvo, is the ability to create a profile unique to you and your accomplishments. Your Sirvo profile acts as a digital resume and is the first thing employers look at when deciding to consider you for an open position. Here are a few suggestions to assist you in making your professional profile stand out from the rest.

Profile & Cover Photo

It’s not necessary for you to upload a profile picture or a cover photo on Sirvo, but if choose to do so, you should definitely use one that shows you in your best light. The hospitality industry is still a fun industry, so we are not suggesting that you should look like you work at a bank. We are just suggesting to maybe not use photo of you and your friends at the bar. Your phone has an amazing camera and plenty of ways to edit and apply filters to enhance your best features.

Completing Your Profile

On Sirvo, your profile acts as a digital resume and is the first thing employers see when you’ve applied to a position. We provide options for you to include your work experience, education, skills and interests. It’s a simple template that can be filled out quickly and is your chance to showcase what you’ve accomplished and why you’re qualified for the position. An unfinished profile is 99% less likely to receive a response from an employer.

Know who you are trying to work for and dress accordingly.

Grammar/Spelling

One would think living in a world of spell-check that simple grammatical or spelling errors would be a thing of the past, but the reality is that the existence of spell-check has made us worse writers prone to simple errors. We see these mistakes being made on all levels, even by major news organizations. We are not casting judgement here (we are guilty of this). But what we are saying is that when you are applying for a position, check your writing and then double-check it. The last thing anyone wants is to be disqualified for consideration of a new job because of a simple grammatical error.

Dress the Part

We live in a pretty laid back culture and as a society we have become a lot more accepting of a looser and somewhat less professional culture in the workplace. The hospitality industry is one of those industries that has accepted this relaxed decorum. That being said, there is a level of professionalism that should be maintained and is expected of applicants seeking open positions. Just because you are applying for that Barista position down the street at your neighborhood’s hippest coffee shop, doesn’t mean you should wear a t-shirt and jeans to the interview. Know who you are trying to work for and dress accordingly.

An unfinished profile is 99% less likely to receive a response from an employer.

TMI

Sharing too much information, be it in within your profile or in a job interview, is also something we suggest not to do. Everyone knows it is an election year, your interview is probably not the best place to get on your soapbox about what you think is wrong with this world. We also recommend not revealing too much about last week’s music festival. Speak to your qualifications and what sets you apart from other candidates applying to the same position.

We recognize that for a lot of our applicants, making a career in the hospitality industry is not the plan. A lot of times the attitude seems to be that some people are just doing this until they find their “real job”. Well the fact of the matter is that for most employers, this is their real job. We should carry ourselves as professionals in all lines and at all levels of work. The same person offering you that Dishwasher position, may be the same person who offers you that Sous Chef position down the road. How you carried yourself in that initial meeting will go a long way.

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