I recently had the opportunity to request bids for printing my book. I am spending a fairly significant (to me) amount of money on this project and wanted to make sure I was getting the best deal possible. I requested bids from seven local companies. One got back to me within 48 hours. I received […]
About David Hayden
David Hayden is a restaurant marketing and training consultant based in Kansas City, MO. He writes a series of 9 blogs collectively known as The Hospitality Formula Network and is the author of "Tips2: Tips For Improving Your Tips" and "Building Your Brand With Facebook"Author Archive | David Hayden

Dear Independent Restaurant Owner
Dear Independent Restaurant Owner, I really appreciate what you are trying to do. It is tough to run a restaurant. I appreciate you trying to bring a local alternative to the chain restaurants that are all over town. We are on the same team. I work at a locally owned independent restaurant and try to […]

The Theft Mentality
I recently read an article in which a local club owner justified the situation at Jardines Kansas City by stating that all employees steal. I found this quite shocking because I have never stolen from an employer and feel that most restaurant employees could say the same. I did agree with him on one point, […]

Seven Habits Of Highly Ineffective Restaurant Managers
Seven habits to avoid in order to be a better restaurant manager The main reason this blog exists is to help restaurant management professionals seeking insight on how to be a better restaurant manager. As a result it is filled with tips on what restaurant managers can do to improve their effectiveness. Today, I wanted […]

Managing Restaurant Hosts And Hostesses
tagged front door staff, hiring, maitre d, managing, restaurant host, Restaurant hostess, restaurant training, training. The first impression your guests receive of the hospitality and competency of your staff is the professional host or hostess standing at your front door. This hospitality industry veteran of forty years greets all returning guests by name and asks […]

Five Reasons You Should Have A Slip Resistant Shoe Program
Tagged chef shoes, cook shoes, lowering worker’s comp claims, manager shoes, non slip shoes, payroll deduction, preventing restaurant accidents, restaurant shoes, server shoes, shoe requirements, shoes for crews, slip and fall, slip resistant shoes, uniform requirements, uniform spec, worker’s comp in restaurants I don’t think anyone has ever taken a job as a restaurant manager […]

Five Questions To Ask About Your Restaurant’s Website
Not what you want your potential guests to see at your website Let’s face it, your restaurant’s website is probably not that great. I can say this without looking at your restaurant’s website because a vast majority of restaurants websites range from underperforming to an annoyance that drives away guests. I am not the only […]

The First Impression
It was 7: 45 am on April 2nd of 2007 when I arrived for my first day of work at my previous job. I hadn’t slept much the night before because of nerves. I had closed my old restaurant the night before and departed that night knowing that I was leaving a great deal of […]

A New Study Sheds Light On Groupons
Tagged are groupons good for restaurants, are groupons good marketing for restaurants, Customer Response to Restaurant Daily Deals, Daily Deal, Dholakia, groupon, Kimes, marketing, profitable, Restaurant, Sheryl E. Kimes, Utpal M. DholakiaThe “daily deal” wave took the restaurant industry by storm. It became prominent so quickly that most of the information restaurant owners had to […]

How Non-Alcoholic Beverages Can Increase Sales
tagged beverage costs, grown up soda, increase restaurant sales, jones soda, non alcoholic, profitable, Restaurant, restaurant market segment, soda vie. Stop for a moment and think about the bar in your restaurant. You most likely have set up a tremendous display with it. In many cases it will be the focal point of your restaurant. […]
- The Greatest Customer Complaint Response Ever September 23, 2010
- A Food Critic Intervention August 31, 2010
- My Response: 25 Things Chefs Never Tell You September 16, 2010
- Advice For A New Restaurant Manager January 18, 2013
- Learning Restaurant Spanish (Nouns) June 2, 2010
- Advice For A New Restaurant Manager January 18, 2013
- Was The 20/20 Restaurant Episode Fake? A View From The Cutting Room Floor November 21, 2012
- How To Hire Professional Restaurant Servers Fast September 10, 2012
- The Importance of Speed in Hiring Restaurant Servers July 2, 2012
- Six Dangers Of Restaurant Server Understaffing June 19, 2012
- Shiya Soni: One very important advice here would be to use a g...
- Colin Wilson: Please Charles Ferruzza keep your gentrification o...
- Ina Stefanova: This is an excellent resource, David! I will defin...
- John Blackman: My first visit to this site and what a great lesso...
- Master_Rabbit: Here’s advice from a 10 year veteran. Try anot...
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About The Author
David Hayden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He took his first serving job in 1996. Since that time, he has worked for over a dozen different restaurant companies. He has held both hourly and salaried positions at independent and corporate restaurants. He has waited on over 100,000 guests and trained hundreds of servers. He has been named "Best Server in Kansas City" the last three years by the local weekly paper.