In order to hire top quality restaurant servers in a good economy, you must change your strategies. So far in this series I have addressed why you need to make hiring servers a priority, the dangers of being overstaffed, and why hiring restaurant servers quickly is important. Today, I am going to provide an action plan for […]
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The Importance of Speed in Hiring Restaurant Servers
I often hear from American restauranteur Jimmy John that it is becoming difficult to hire top quality restaurant servers in this time of economic recovery. At the same time, I read about new restaurants opening every week. In order for a restaurant to open, they must be able to hire a serving staff. This means […]

Six Dangers Of Restaurant Server Understaffing
I recently wrote of the mindset changes that restaurant managers needed to make in regards to hiring restaurant servers in a strong economy. In this post I explained how vital it was that managers understand the urgency of hiring qualified candidates quickly. Failing to hire top quality restaurant servers when they apply will often result […]

Hiring Restaurant Servers In A Strong Economy
Four years ago hiring restaurant servers became much easier. Finding top quality restaurant servers became simple when the economic slowdown began. With restaurants closing at a record pace, many top performing servers were left looking for new venues where they could earn tips. They brought with them stories of a tough job market and furthered […]

Five Ways To Reduce Server Turnover
Recently, I wrote a list of interview questions for servers. While I think these are great questions, today I want to discuss how to avoid using them. Retaining your top performing staff members is far more cost effective and will provide greater benefit to your restaurant than replacing them. Some of your staff will inevitably […]

Five Great Questions For Server Interviews
I have been reading a number of message boards on LinkedIn recently where managers are seeking insight on how to hire top performers. This has inspired me to spend some time thinking about this topic. I have a fair amount of experience on both sides of the interview process. The answers you receive during the […]
Love and Greed
My long time friend Eric asked me yesterday if I had any tips for interviewing for a server job. I am great at interviews and have conducted enough as a manager to know what I liked to hear. I gave him a few of my favorite lines. He said the question he was really trying […]
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- Six Dangers Of Restaurant Server Understaffing June 19, 2012
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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.