nice, would've said this myself, just didn't want to seem like such a huge nerd

Originally Posted by ghjkghkghkgh

It took me shockingly long to figure this out, but there's an easy way to do %s.

If it's a number that's divisible by 5 (like 20 or 15) then it's easy. Otherwise, just divide the price by 100, then add the result up as many times as percent you want.

So 17% = 10% + 5% + 2% = 10% + 5% + 1% + 1%.

If the price is $12, then 10% is 1.2, and 5% is half of that, so 0.6 making the running total 1.8. 1% of 12 is 0.12, so 2% is 0.24. Thus 17% of 12 is 2.04.

It's all about breaking things into numbers that are related to 10 (or 10 and similarly easy numbers like 2). We count in base-10, so doing multiplication by 10-numbers is fun! Once you see these relationships and practice a bit you can do tips in your head pretty quickly.

Originally Posted by ghjkghkghkgh

It took me shockingly long to figure this out, but there's an easy way to do %s.

If it's a number that's divisible by 5 (like 20 or 15) then it's easy. Otherwise, just divide the price by 100, then add the result up as many times as percent you want.

So 17% = 10% + 5% + 2% = 10% + 5% + 1% + 1%.

If the price is $12, then 10% is 1.2, and 5% is half of that, so 0.6 making the running total 1.8. 1% of 12 is 0.12, so 2% is 0.24. Thus 17% of 12 is 2.04.

It's all about breaking things into numbers that are related to 10 (or 10 and similarly easy numbers like 2). We count in base-10, so doing multiplication by 10-numbers is fun! Once you see these relationships and practice a bit you can do tips in your head pretty quickly.

Or you could just bust out your phone since a lot of them nowadays have a tip calculator as well as a bill splitter. (Meaning you can add the tip and split the bill between a number of people).

Originally Posted by jhan523

Or you could just bust out your phone since a lot of them nowadays have a tip calculator as well as a bill splitter. (Meaning you can add the tip and split the bill between a number of people).

boooorrrinnng ;-)

Originally Posted by adrian

nice, would've said this myself, just didn't want to seem like such a huge nerd

Poetry.

Usually for 15% It's just GST x 3. :p

A few observations that I have had from this week watching servers go with other tables.

1) It seems to me that a lot of the time the servers don't realise that people have sat a table that is not yet cleaned up. People tend to sit a lot at these tables, and so it just delays everything.

2) People tend to flock to the section that is in the back left corner booths. From what I understand, that is an entire serving section to itself, and a lot of the time one server has a bunch of tables while another has only a small amount.

3) A lot of servers are slightly in panic mode and are trying to move around as fast as possible without paying attention to clientele. On the other side of the coin, some find that there isn't anything to do so stand around doing nothing because their clientele has their food, drinks, doesn't need anything, and generally wants to be left alone.

4) A lot of people sit at booths and then order from the bartender, confusing the system even more. This is especially bad when a party takes a seat with a couple people who just came over from the bar with whatever drinks they have. The server tends to see the drinks and assumes they have been dealt with.

5) The food pace and quality has not lessened in the slightest. I was in there for a few hours last night and everyone seemed to be very satisfied with the pace and quality of service and food during the dinner rush.

--

Here are some things that I want to see happen, and they have been conveyed to management but I want to get some opinion from people.

1) A host/hostess with a table map.

This would allow for better organization of the restaurant. The host/hostess would make sure that people are put in sections where servers can handle them, spreading the workload.

Customers would get menus right away, and know that there is a server on their way, so it would allow them to collect their thoughts.

If the kitchen was rammed, and there was a delay on food, customers would be told right away by the host/hostess as opposed to waiting 15 minutes for a server and then being told that there is a 30 minute wait on the kitchen, even though they only have an hour break.

During peak times, servers could be paying attention to their customers while host/hostesses stepped in to clean tables, help bus drinks, cash out customers needed to pay via debit/credit etc.

2) Secret Shopper programs.

I had made this a point when I ran for VP Finance, but want to rehash it. The Promo Coordinator would be in charge of this, but they would go through student centre and find a couple people who haven't been to 1280/have had a sour experience and say "we'll pay for your meal, but can you go in and fill out this survey on your experience".

They would go in, and do so, and so there would be legitimate feedback given about the service and quality of service, but the information would be a lot more comprehensive than an isolated post on MacInsiders.

It also serves as great incentive for servers who score very highly, and gives servers who score low great feedback as to what they are doing wrong.

3) Push the specials and upsell.

The specials are key to success and I feel as if the servers aren't pushing them as much as they did last year. Some of the best food I've eaten have been the daily specials. Moreover, there needs to be more emphasis on things like Wednesday wing night etc. I was there last night and not enough people were getting the wings even though the new wings at the place are freaking incredible.

my friend and i met up at 1280 the other day and we sat down at a booth and after about 10 minutes a server came by and gave us menus, then left. We decided what we wanted, closed our menus and waited another 10 for her to return to take our order. Our food came in a decent amount of time, but i ordered a greek salad with chicken and an ice tea and it came to almost twelve dollars. When we were finished eating we waited another 10 minutes to get the bill, which never came. We watched the table next to us stand up and walk about without paying because they could not get the attention of the server. we got up and walked up to the cash to pay and a line up started to form behind us for people who wanted to pay-reason for the line up? they were training girls on cash DURING lunch time rush. we were left standing there for about 25 minutes when finally the girl came up and i asked her to pay, then she asked me who her waitress had been (it was her). she did not even know that she had 'served' us. Anyways, overall it was a very bad experience and the food definitely was not even worth the wait... i think things would have turned out a lot better if they had trained/practiced more before opening because lunch time rush is not the time to be training people how to use the computers. ill try again later on in the year when everyones more experienced and hopefully that will improve the experience.

Regarding the comments about letting servers settle into their jobs, I COMPLETELY disagree. I think even on the first day, slow service from a server is unacceptable.

I work at a Vietnamese restaurant in Westdale. I started as a server, and became the storefront manager for half a year. I ended up getting another job which was more career relevant so now I am just a supervisor at the restaurant. Either way, I help hire new servers and train them. If any of them perform the way the staff at 1280 have been performing (at least according to descriptions .. I HAVE NOT been there yet so I'm not going to judge or anything yet), they would be fired. Even if it was the FIRST DAY OF TRAINING they would be fired.

Where I work, if servers are slow even on their first day .. they are fired. Or at least, they aren't asked back. If they seem like they are hard workers who are just a little overwhelmed, I'll DEFINITELY cut them some slack. But if they are just plain lazy or have poor work ethic, which becomes apparent pretty quickly, even if I want to cut them some slack, my boss won't let me schedule them in again. The moment any "veteran" servers start getting lazy, their shifts are cut back, or they aren't asked back at all.

I expect new servers to take a menu home and learn it before their next shift. There are over 120 menu items, but if they want the job (and we have a zillion people who hand in resumes, all of whom are Mac students), they can study the menu. I don't need them to memorize every dish, but at least know what the dishes are. Just so they can answer questions and make reccomendations.

If there are EVER any servers standing around doing nothing, it's an enormous no-no. Even if it's completely dead, they should be refilling condiments, sweeping the floors, refilling napkin dispensers, cleaning, etc. If they are standing around behind the cash counter, the boss starts getting pissed off. I generally try to be on the side of the servers, so then I have to start encouraging them to find things to do. Often, servers we hire don't understand a thing about customer service, and I have to nag them to go and make sure customers don't want refills, that their food is good, etc. While FAST service is our priority, if a server isn't friendly, never smiles, etc., we figure it out pretty quickly and don't give them as many shifts.

I will admit that I'm sure people have experienced bad service at the restaurant anyway. I know I have, when I eat there myself, but that's possibly because they know I'd prefer they serve the regular customers before they serve me. The restaurant also operates on a tight budget, so often, more than anything, it's understaffed and there is more work than the servers and kitchen staff can EVER handle even if they are literally running around. Between the hours of 11:30-1:30, it's complete insanity, because Columbia International School treats the restaurant like a glorified cafeteria. But the point is, even in that time period, people order their food and it gets to them within 10-15 minutes, 20 minutes MAXIMUM. Those kids only have a 30 minute lunch break, and they get their food and eat it fast enough that they can run back to school on time.

The SECOND the food is done, the server is expected to deliver it IMMEDIATELY. Especially since we serve pho, which should be piping hot. If a server doesn't deliver the food the MOMENT it is finished by the kitchen, the boss starts freaking out hard and screaming at you, calling you lazy.


Anyway, my point in this is, if those servers worked at my restaurant, they would be fired pretty quickly. Being new is not an excuse, we expect people to work their hardest the moment they start. If they don't know what to do, they can ask for help, but they should be working as hard as they can at what they have been taught to do. If you think that the management at the restaurant I work at is unreasonable, then I wouldn't blame you. But whether or not you agree with our methods:
1. Unless the staff is completely overwhelmed, at my restaurant, you should get your food within 10-15 minutes, 20 minutes maximum.
2. Students from CIC come in, get their food, eat it, pay, and leave within 30 minutes (so it is a restaurant where you can come, sit, eat your food, and then go back to class). This kind of service comes from servers who have barely been there for a week, so it IS possible to become a speedy server within days.
3. The food is always, always, always hot, or else the boss will start screaming at every worker within earshot. If food is ever forgotten (and it does happen) the boss will threaten to fire anybody who could be responsible for that occurence, so believe me, any apologies that are given to you for the forgotten food are actually completely sincere. (But we are all human so obviously sometimes orders get messed up / forgotten .. my main issue here is the issue of slow service or lazy workers).

I have seen servers start at our restaurant, who are superstars at their job after 2 hours of work. It's not rocket science, and some people are naturally good for that kind of job. If I ever got service like that at 1280, I wouldn't let them get away with saying they're new at their job .. being new at a job should NOT affect your work ethic. The good servers where I work pretty much literally run for the entire rush, always make sure the customer is satisfied, and always taket he food the moment it is finished being prepared, so that the customer gets it hot. It's NOT hard to do, even on a first day. If you have come into my restaurant and experienced an unfriendly server, or slow service (when it wasn't super busy .. if it's super busy, we're understaffed even if servers are working hard), believe me, the server either didn't last long, or had to beg for their job back.

I'm not trying to say I know a lot about restaurants or anything, because I don't. I'm just saying, where I work, if stuff happened like it appears to have happened at 1280, those servers would be fired. And we wouldn't take "I'm new" for an excuse for being slow or lazy. If I tell somebody who is completely new to help me clear a table, I expect them to clear the table as fast as they can.

Originally Posted by micadjems

I do!

If my old work taught me anything, it's that servers should NEVER be standing around idly! There's always something to do. At Emma's we were always sweeping, cleaning, even helping prep in the kitchen if there were no/few customers!!

I'm glad to find somebody who has the same perspective on this as me. We are expected to ALWAYS bust our asses, even for one customer, and when the customer leaves, we're expected to clean cutlery, dry tea cups, make new tea, etc.



To answer Rohan's survey, if it's not too late:


1) Do you tip, if yes, how much compared to what you would tip at Boston Pizza?
I always tip at least 15%, and I use the calculator on my phone to make sure it's 15%. If it's good, I'll tip more. If it's absolutely TERRIBLE then 10%. If the food is really cheap, then I'll tip more (like if I bought something for $4.99, I'll give them a $1-$2 tip). I have a superstition that if I tip other servers who serve me, they will tip me in return when they eat at my restaurant too.

2) Do you have any serving experience? If yes, what would you do operationally at 1280 that you think they are not doing?
See above post .. supervisor at a sketchy restaurant (but it's super sketchy lol). And if it were me I would smack anybody who wasn't constantly working. At my restaurant, you don't even get braeks (if you work over 5 hours you get a free meal and you are allowed to sit and eat it, but you must eat as fast as possible, and you have to keep an eye on tables and deliver any food that comes out, though you're not expected to walk around and talk to customers during you're break you still have to provide basic service). The boss starts talking shit about you if you are seen standing around idly.
I would hire people conditionally. They get one or two shifts, and if I was impressed, I'd keep them, and if I wasn't, I'd get rid of them. It's hard to gauge work ethic just by an interview or resume. I would DEFINITELY call references. Sometimes my boss and I have conflicts when we're hiring, for example she'll hire some girl just because she's super stunning and pretty, will completely neglect to call references, and the girl ended up stealing out of the till ...
During the training shifts, I'd see whatk ind of work ethic they have (do they ever stand around doing nothing? If they run out of things to do, do they ask for new tasks?), and how they interact with customers. I would look for a sense of URGENCY (as in a customer should never be left waiting). If the server is new at the whole serving thing but seems like they are hard workers who have good people skills, I would keep them. If the server is somebody who has served in the past but is lazy, I wouldn't keep them.

3) Does the time you wait at a bar night for a drink affect your overall impression of 1280?
If the bartender was completely overwhelmed and working their hardest, I would feel annoyed at the management, but I would be impressed with the bartender and tip them a little extra since they are working so hard. Things are different with bars .. I expect to wait a little longer, so as long as I get served eventually, it's fine. If anything I'd rather pay a little less and wait a bit longer.

4) What do you consider a proper price point for a 6oz burger and fries?
My only experience is with Asian food so I can't give a good response. I'm reeallllyyy cheap too. I think the most I would pay for a burger and fries is $8 or $9. If a burger and fries were $9, I wouldn't buy it, but I wouldn't start a commotion about how expensive the menu items are either.

I just heard a story today about my friend buying a tallboy at the 1280 bar.

The bouncer approached him and told him he wasnt allowed that.... my friend said it was bought at the bar, but the bouncer insisted he hand the beer over. When he refused to do so because he paid for that beer, he got beaten up by the bouncer, and kicked in the ear.

Anyone heard of things like this happening?

doesn't sound like a true story. The bouncer should be fired for that. Your friend should press charges.

Originally Posted by micadjems

I just heard a story today about my friend buying a tallboy at the 1280 bar.

The bouncer approached him and told him he wasnt allowed that.... my friend said it was bought at the bar, but the bouncer insisted he hand the beer over. When he refused to do so because he paid for that beer, he got beaten up by the bouncer, and kicked in the ear.

Anyone heard of things like this happening?

Probably false. You can't just assault someone, even if you're a bouncer. How is that reasonable defence? It's a can of beer for goodness sakes.

If it was true, it's illegal. Bouncer would be fired, and the dude should definitely press charges.

Originally Posted by micadjems

I just heard a story today about my friend buying a tallboy at the 1280 bar.

The bouncer approached him and told him he wasnt allowed that.... my friend said it was bought at the bar, but the bouncer insisted he hand the beer over. When he refused to do so because he paid for that beer, he got beaten up by the bouncer, and kicked in the ear.

Anyone heard of things like this happening?

I've heard many stories that fall along those lines. Something similar to that happened to one of my friends 2 years ago. It wasn't quite as bad, because he was in the wrong was well .. it was more like a case of the bouncer using FAR more force and violence than was actually necessary.

Anyway, I just wanted to add that I think the service at 1280 (during the day, as a restaurant) has vastly improved. I always seem to get the same server, and she's very friendly and helpful. The food doesn't come as quickly as I'd like, but it's still much better than my initial experience. And I think the food itself is really good.