Making More Money

I worked in a suburban Tex-Mex restaurant and not a very high end place. I still made good money. Could I have done better? Of course.

Here's the (not so secret) Secret

Waiting tables is a commission sales job. All of those tricks - smiley faces, get at table height, get repeat customers etc. Those may move the needle a little bit but if you want to make more money you need to sell more. That can either be via quality or quantity. 5 more tables a night should be at least another $100 a week. Raise your check average from $80 to $100 and you should see a 25% increase in income.

Your job is to balance between aggressive salesmanship, providing a comfortable experience, and turning that table. Now it is true that some of the tricks that people talk about - smiley faces on the checks, getting down to face the customers, greeting with a smile can help. Most of these are about connecting with the client. Things like prebusing and bringing boxes out (or better, packaging the leftovers for the table) are about turning the table.

As far as aggressive sales goes.

I always thought that about 60% of the people coming in weren't sure what they wanted. So I told them.

For Instance, "We have this amazing special today, These are real Buffalo Fajitas - the buffalo steak is free range and lower in fat and cholesterol but the thing is - It has an awesome flavor that you just don't get anywhere else." Two things helped. Actually try and like the special. If the special was something that I didn't care for I would still try it, in case someone asked about it. "Some people really like the Guacamole soup, but it is a little spicy for me. If you love heat it might be great for you though." and then I would sell something I really liked from the menu. (If it was something I really thought was awesome, I would often offer to buy it if they didn't like it. "I tell you what, if you try the Burrito Verde and don't like it, I'll buy it for you." I bought one special over the course of a couple of years. (Actually I got the restaurant to comp it after I told the manager what the customer said was wrong with it.)

There is a double benefit to selling specials. You raise check average and you usually speed the decision making process allowing you to turn the table a little faster.