Running a #restaurant Italian style vs American style.
OR
“I could run this whole place with 4 people”
A thread.
OR
“I could run this whole place with 4 people”
A thread.
Think about your most recent experience at a restaurant in America:
Your waiter:
- took your order
- brought your drinks
- brought your food
- maybe even bussed your table
- brought you the check
Your waiter:
- took your order
- brought your drinks
- brought your food
- maybe even bussed your table
- brought you the check
They probably were doing this for a section of the restaurant aka a bunch of tables.
This means that any given time, the server is managing a 2 dimensional status board in their head with tables on one axis and order, drinks etc on the other.
This means that any given time, the server is managing a 2 dimensional status board in their head with tables on one axis and order, drinks etc on the other.
As you can imagine, and have probably experienced as a customer, a delay in any of the above leads to cascade effects across all the tables.
Eg one table takes forever to order, now the drinks end up being late to another table.
Eg one table takes forever to order, now the drinks end up being late to another table.
You also have people running all over the place as every set of N tables has their own server, servers have to line up to being out drinks etc.
It looks like mayhem.
It looks like mayhem.
Now, go to a restaurant in Italy (or a restaurant in the US run like one).
There are 2-3 waiters for the entire restaurant and they spend most of their time standing around but the food comes out, tables get cleared quickly etc.
There are 2-3 waiters for the entire restaurant and they spend most of their time standing around but the food comes out, tables get cleared quickly etc.
How do they do this?
Instead of the “these are your tables” American model, they divide up the restaurant workflow so that each person does one thing.
Instead of the “these are your tables” American model, they divide up the restaurant workflow so that each person does one thing.
Specifically:
- 1 person to take orders
- 1 person to bring out the food
- 1 person to bring drinks
- 1 person to clear tables
- 1 person to take orders
- 1 person to bring out the food
- 1 person to bring drinks
- 1 person to clear tables
The beauty of this system is that as soon as any step is ready, someone is there to take care of it.
Ready to order? Order waiter walks over.
Food is ready, food waiter brings it out.
Ready to order? Order waiter walks over.
Food is ready, food waiter brings it out.
A benefit to this model: the order waiter is spending most of their time “standing around” which in reality gives them plenty of time to keep an eye on the customers and deal with any issues that come up.
Another benefit: the restaurant appears calm and quiet.
Another benefit: the restaurant appears calm and quiet.
As a customer, it also means you look up and make eye contact with the order waiter and they walk right over.
In an American restaurant, you have to wait for the server to be in your general vicinity and not doing 5 other things.
In an American restaurant, you have to wait for the server to be in your general vicinity and not doing 5 other things.
EVERY time I go to a busy American restaurant and see the “your tables” model I think through this whole thread in my mind.
Now hopefully some restaurant owner will read this and think “Hey, that’s not a bad idea!”
Now hopefully some restaurant owner will read this and think “Hey, that’s not a bad idea!”
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