Restaurant Advice

My favorite restaurant has French fries, but not onion rings on the menu. Every time I go there, I fill out one of those comment cards things asking for onion rings, but they never get them! Since they obviously already have hot oil for the French fries, why wouldn’t they add onion rings too? Are onions way more expensive than potatoes?

The price of the vegetables is not the issue here, but cost is involved in another way. It’s the cost of replacing the oil. Depending on how busy the restaurant is, the oil is changed somewhere between daily and weekly. Particles from the onion ring breading stay behind in the oil and ruin it much more quickly than if the oil was just used for fries.

I’m a high school student and some of my friends work at one of those steak house chains. They swear that when the chefs drop food on the floor, they just pick it right up and serve it to customers. I think they are all kidding me because I always fall for jokes. What do you think?

I’m sorry to tell you - this is no joke! Different factors are involved. One is the cost of the food and another is timing. If several meals were ready to go to the same table and one had to be re-done, the sever would have to make one person wait while every one else got their food or let everyone else’s food get cold while waiting for the dropped dinner to be made again. To answer the next question on everybody’s mind, no, I would not re-use dropped food in my own restaurant, but I do know it happens in others.

I own a small independent diner where many people like to sit for hours ordering nothing more than a cup of coffee. Since we only charge 89 cents and they can get free refills, they are taking up valuable space especially around lunch and dinnertime. I have tried to rush them out, but people have actually told me that they have a right to stay as long as they like to enjoy what they paid for. Of course, I am making no profits, any suggestions?

The customers are correct, they do have the right to stay in the establishment as long as they’ve purchased something unless it is either closing time or they are causing a disturbance. I have two suggestions for you: charge more for the items and eliminate the free refill policy. That will move those lingerers along.

What is the best way to cook Chinese food at home? I’ve tried that canned stuff and it never even comes close to the Chinese restaurant down the street. Is there some ancient Chinese secret I don’t know about?

Ancient Chinese secret? I'll save that for another time. For your problem, equipment is one difference. Chinese restaurants use a large wok, which distributes the heat (of a very intense flame) among the food evenly. Everything is cooked on a special industrial-sized stove, which can’t be purchased for home use. Also, the restaurant uses fresh ingredients. The food in your canned version could be several months old. If you can’t make it to your favorite restaurant, your best home bets are a good wok, high heat, and fresh food.

I have never worked in a restaurant or bar, but it seems fun. What is the process to become a bartender? Do you have to go to school? What is a realistic salary?

It’s fun, but it’s also a lot of work! First, there’s no “salary” per se as a bartender. Many people do make a living as bartenders, but income depends on tips. Tips depend on your personality, how good and quick you are at the job, how busy the bar is, and what kind of establishment the bar is in. You would make much more money in a packed nightclub than you would in small neighborhood restaurant in which an occasional diner has a glass of wine with dinner. You will need a license so you want to find a mixology school or course in your area. (In my area, the cost is about $400.) The time commitment varies, but expect about 2 weeks – 1 month of classes.

What is the policy on food returned to the kitchen if it was an incorrect order and the customer never actually touched it? Can it be reused?

Officially, no. Realistically, yes. If the customer took a bite out of the food though, it would be thrown away.

I just opened a second pizza place in a neighboring town. I’m officially manger of both so I work 7 days a week traveling between both locations. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other family members in the business or in the area that can help out. Most of my employees are high school students and I’m positive that they are giving away free food and drinks to their friends. I’ve confronted them about this, but they deny it. Since I can only be in one place at a time, any advice on what I can do?

Cameras! Lots of them, too. Put them at all exit points, on the registers, in the kitchen, and in the food storage areas. Make some obvious and some hidden. As a bonus, you’ll also have footage for your own “slice of life” reality show: The Pizza Joint!

(Do you need restaurant advice? Write to Restaurant Secrets columnist Anna and watch for her response in her column and on the website Want to share your enthusiasm for her column with the world? Don’t forget to browse the Restaurant Secrets merchandise.)

PRESS RELEASE

I Wouldn't Eat That If I Were You - Restaurant Secrets Revealed

What goes on behind the scenes? What does it take to run your favorite eatery? Restaurant Secrets columnist Anna knows. She's owned a restaurant and held every job from server to head chef. Anna has managed all aspects of the business including accounting, vendor relations, and staff supervision. She's also a licensed bartender with a story or two of her own to tell. From fellow business owners who want some tips and tricks to fans of TV's The Restaurant and best-seller turned sitcom Kitchen Confidential, here's your chance to ask everything you've ever wanted to know about the restaurant industry.

Anna has been in the restaurant business her entire life. She literally grew up in her family’s restaurant, in which she learned the ins and outs of running all aspects of the business. Not one to just sit back and take things in stride, Anna took on more and more responsibility as she got older. She introduced menu specials, a radical idea to her traditional parents. “They had a more of that ‘build it and they will come’ attitude, while I was thinking more along the lines of marketing and watching the competition,” Anna explains.

Through the years, Anna has truly seen it all. “One time we had these really fancy and costly ceramic drink mugs that were disappearing. I would clear a table after the diners left and find that there were less mugs than I had served them. I couldn’t believe it. People were actually stealing them from the tables! The first time I thought it would be an isolated incident. Boy, was I wrong.” Anna finally put an end to it one day when a party of six made off with five of their six mugs. “I went to clear the table and realized the mugs were gone. The people didn’t even have the decency to leave an extra tip. As I stood there thinking that was several hours of profits that had just walked out the door, something just snapped. I actually chased them outside to the parking lot and caught them as they were about to drive away.” So did she recover the mugs? Anna winks. “Oh yeah, I got all five mugs back!"

Writer Matthew W. Grant, founder of ComprehensiveAdvice.com, says, “Anna is awesome. She could have a career as a private chef to a millionaire if she wanted to. Anna is a beautiful, smart, and talented businesswoman in addition to being a great person. Years ago when I was unemployed and had gone to her restaurant after a job interview, she refused to let me pay for my meal even though the cost would come out of her tips. Now that is a person from whom all businesspeople can learn something valuable and I am happy to launch Restaurant Secrets, her restaurant advice column, with her.”