Tip20! – Waiter, Waitress, Bartender, Kitchen & Consumer

Twitter com & Facebook com – How can the new social media benefit your restaurant?

How can social media such as Twitter com and Facebook com help your local business? Many restauranteurs suffer from incorrectly assuming that because they are a one location, mom-and-pop, brick and mortar operation, they could not benefit from online social marketing media such as Twitter com and Facebook com. The truth is they couldn’t be more wrong!

Today more than ever, people turn to the web first for information on new places, hot spots and venues to try. They often value what their friends have to say and want to be up on the latest buzz spots. To be absent in these markets is really missing the boat. Incredibly, this sort of marketing is simple and free!

Does your restaurant have daily specials? If so, what better way to get them out there than a quick Tweet on Twitter com a couple times a day? There are even solutions to help you automate the process! Put a status update on Facebook com with your specials, happy hours and events. It takes virtually no time at all and will cost you nothing. You simply can’t get a better review than a follower “liking” your post for all their friends to see or re-tweeting your special to all of their followers!

Setting up a “like” page on Facebook or a Twitter com page is very easy and painless. You will see that there is ample instruction and can be done in just a few minutes. Companies that fail to embrace the current social communication trends are unnecessarily making themselves non-competitive and putting themselves in danger of becoming irrelevant. Businesses on Twitter com and Facebook com simply appear to be on the cutting edge and therefore more relevant.

Recommended strategies include:

Daily Tweets of specials and/or upcoming events
Facebook status updates of available reservation times
Customizing your Twitter com profile page to closely match your current website or brand.
Advertising your Facebook and Twitter com pages in your print marketing, menus, website and signage.

It is also important to advertise that you can be found on Twitter com and facebook com. People will keep track of places they like and when it comes to a Friday night and there is a decision to be made where to go, it could be your business that was the most recent place they heard from, simply because you put the bug in their ear!

You can find Tip20! on Twitter com and Facebook com too, please look us up!

Shoes waiters, waitresses & bartenders should wear to keep their feet healthy.

When it comes to shoes, as in many professions, servers spend many many hours on their feet. One big difference however, is that at a busy restaurant, a server may not get a break. Not one chance to sit and take a load off. Waiters, waitresses and bartenders often have to keep running to meet the needs and expectations of their tables.

In addition to the shear length of time on their feet, the surfaces of the flooring can range greatly and be often tough to navigate, surfaces such as wet tile, hard wood, wharfs, and carpet. It is imperative that a server has a good quality, pair of slip resistant work shoes.

Prolonged use of the wrong shoes can lead to foot and back problems such as, stress fractures, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and acute and chronic osteoarthritis. This can be debilitating, and lead to time away from work and worse, permanent and recurring damage to the body.

While shopping for good quality shoes, keep in mind the following tips:

• Look for a light weight pair of shoes. You may be walking literally thousands of steps on any given shift. Each step you take can add up. The lighter the shoe, the less lifting you will be doing.

• Be sure to get slip resistant shoes, aside from wet areas, kitchen floors can have grease and oil on them. You may not always fall to the ground, but even something as simple as a twisted ankle can cause forced time away from work.

• A great fit, the right size and propped arch support. Shoes that are to big can slip, rub and chafe causing painfully sores and abrasions. Shoes that are to small can cause toe pain and overall achy feet.

When you have made the proper selection of shoe, the comfort and proper arch support should be built in, so you won’t feel compelled to purchase insoles or other slip in foot support.

Most online shoe retailers such as Shoes for Crews or zappos.com have very good return policies so that you don’t have to be stuck with a pair of work shoes that just aren’t right. There have been great strides (no pun intended) in the service shoe industry as well. Slip resistant shoes no longer need to look like something for a retirement home. Service and hospitality shoes now have great current styles available for men and women from conservative fine dining dress shoes to ultra-casual tennis shoe styles.

If you are on your feet for long tireless shifts, do yourself a favor and get a pair of good, high quality comfortable slip resistant work shoes. Your body will thank you and with that smile on your face longer, you’re destined to improve your tips!

Special Deal from Shoes for Crews:

Responding to Negative Online Reviews

As every restaurant manager knows, the reputation of his establishment is often closely tied to the way it is depicted online. If consumers review the restaurant favorably, these positive accolades can quickly translate into new business and repeat visitors. If they don’t, a restaurant can lose business faster than it takes to post a one-star review. Consumers, ultimately, are increasingly checking Websites such as Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Google Places before going out to eat, and even a couple mediocre reviews can have a very real impact on the dining decisions that they make.

A restaurant that offers good food and solid service can benefit from the free advertising that a review service offers. But even the most reputable dining establishments will get their share of less-than-satisfactory reviews – reviews that bluntly criticize the food, décor, service, price, or any other element of the restaurant. Most managers would probably agree that such criticisms, although to be expected, are unnerving nonetheless.
When you see a negative review, how should you approach it? What should you do? In most situations you’re going to want to respond directly to the review online. This may appease the consumer who gave it, and it can reassure others that you are committed to quality and that any negative experience was likely an aberration.

Here’s a step-by-step approach for dealing with negative reviews:

Step 1: Decide whether to respond

Most negative reviews can be broken down into two broad categories: those that criticize the reviewer’s experience and those that are unhappy with the restaurant as a whole. The former should receive a response while the latter, in most cases, should not. Consider the following two reviews:

A. “Ordered the risotto. It came out sticky, soggy, and tasteless, and the waiter refused to take it back. Very disappointing.”

B. “This is a dark, unappealing, crowded restaurant. You’d be far better off shopping at your local grocer or stocking up at BuyEmergencyFoods.com. Don’t eat here.”

Both of these reviews are highly critical, but only A should merit a response. The reviewer in A gave the restaurant a chance (unlike reviewer B) but simply had a bad experience. Your response may convince them to come back. Along similar lines, a person who reads both reviews is likely to give more credence to A, considering that this review was more specific and factual. You want, then, to respond directly and show the experience to be an aberration.

Step 2: Apologize

Every direct response should begin with an apology, even if you don’t believe that your restaurant or any of your waiters did something wrong. Make sure that you apologize for the “bad experience” that the reviewer had – not for a specific dish or other shortcoming.

Step 3: Note the Experience as an Aberration

Then, you should explicitly convey to the reviewer and to other readers that the experience described was not a usual one. If you were responding to review A above, for example, you may want to say “normally our risotto is very well-received” or “our waiters are expected to take dishes back that do not meet your satisfaction… I will look into this.”

Step 4: Keep Open Channels

Finally, you should end your response on a positive note by making one of two offers. You can offer either (a) that the consumer call to discuss any issues with you personally or (b) more generally, that you hope they visit again and are sure that they will have a better experience when they do. This will demonstrate your desire to concertedly correct the criticism and forge a better relationship in the future.

Following these four steps can help you appropriately respond to negative online reviews. These reviews are unfortunate, but they are ultimately just another part of doing business in the digital age. By being prompt, apologetic, and confident in your response you can negative much of the negative publicity that such a review generates.

H.R. 1139: Tax Free Tips Act of 2011 Sponsored by Ron Paul

112th Congress: 2011-2012, Sponsored March 16th, 2011

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

Dr. Ron Paul has been a proponent of tax free tips for a long time.

Paul introduced the Tax Free Tips Act of 2011 in March. The measure would end all income tax, Social Security withholding and other federal levees on any tips earned by salaried workers.

Paul said in 2009, when he introduced a similar bill (H.R. 3664) “Unlike regular wages, a service-sector employee usually has no guarantee of, or legal right to, a tip”.

“Instead, the amount of a tip usually depends on how well an employee satisfies a client. Since the amount of taxes one pays increases along with the size of tip, taxing tips punishes workers for doing a superior job.”

From CampaignForLiberty.org:
“America’s hardworking waiters and waitresses deserve this most basic protection of their wages. Often times they are paid low hourly wages and expected to earn the rest of their income from tips. The problem is that tips aren’t always a guaranteed, steady income and depending on various factors can fluctuate wildly. The IRS makes an estimate of how much service-sector workers will make in tips, and taxes them on it even if the taxpayer did not actually earn as much as the IRS’ estimate!

Many waiters are simply young people trying to put themselves through school or single parents working multiple jobs to try and pay their bills while raising a family. Taxing their hard-earned tips is a disservice to service-sector workers across the country.”

A gratuity should be just that. A gift for a job well done. There is no reason that the government needs to be a part of that thankful exchange. Tip20! Supports Ron Paul.

Full text of the bill:

H.R.1139 — Tax Free Tips Act of 2011 (Introduced in House – IH)

HR 1139 IH

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1139

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 16, 2011

Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

———————————————————

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Tax Free Tips Act of 2011′.

(b) Amendment of 1986 Code- Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

SEC. 2. TIPS NOT SUBJECT TO INCOME OR EMPLOYMENT TAXES.

(a) In General- Section 102 (relating to gifts and inheritances) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(d) Tips- For purposes of subsection (a), tips shall be treated as property transferred by gift.’.

(b) Exclusion From Social Security Taxes-

(1) SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES-

(A) Paragraph (12) of section 3121(a) is amended to read as follows:

`(12) tips;’.

(B) Section 3121 is amended by striking subsection (q) (relating to tips included for both employee and employer taxes).

(C) Subsection (a) of section 3102 is amended by striking `; and an employer who is furnished by an employee a written statement of tips (received in a calendar month) pursuant to section 6053(a) to which paragraph (12)(B) of section 3121(a) is applicable may deduct an amount equivalent to such tax with respect to such tips from any wages of the employee (exclusive of tips) under his control, even though at the time such statement is furnished the total amount of the tips included in statements furnished to the employer as having been received by the employee in such calendar month in the course of his employment by such employer is less than $20′.

(D) Section 3102 is amended by striking subsection (c) (relating to special rule for tips).

(E) Subsection (a) of section 3202 is amended by striking the second sentence.

(2) TIER 1 RAILROAD RETIREMENT-

(A) Section 3202 is amended by striking subsection (c).

(B) Paragraph (3) of section 3231(e) is amended to read as follows:

`(3) Solely for purposes of the taxes imposed by section 3201 and other provisions of this chapter insofar as they relate to such taxes, the term `compensation’ shall not include tips.’.

`(s) Tips Not Treated as Wages- For purposes of this chapter, the term `wages’ shall not include tips.’.

(d) Exclusion From Wage Withholding-

(1) Paragraph (16) of section 3401(a) is amended to read as follows:

`(16) tips;’.

(2) Section 3401 is amended by striking subsection (f).

(3) Section 3402 is amended by striking subsection (k).

(e) Tips Defined- Subsection (a) of section 7701 (relating to definitions) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(51) TIPS- The term `tips’ includes any gratuity provided to a salaried employee by a customer or client of the employer’s business.’.

(f) Conforming Amendments-

(1) Clause (i) of section 32(c)(2)(A) (defining earned income) is amended by striking `tips,’.

(2)(A) Section 45B (relating to credit for portion of employer social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips) is hereby repealed.

(B) The table of sections for subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 is amended by striking the item relating to section 45B.

(C) Subsection (b) of section 38 is amended by striking paragraph (11) and by redesignating the succeeding paragraphs accordingly.

(D) Subsection (c) of section 196 is amended by striking paragraph (8) and by redesignating the succeeding paragraphs accordingly.

(E) Subsection (m) of section 6501 is amended by striking `45B,’.

(3) Section 220(b)(4)(A) is amended by striking `tips,’.

(4) Section 451 is amended by striking subsection (c).

(5) Section 6001 is amended by striking the last sentence.

(6) Section 6041 is amended by striking subsection (e).

(7) Subsection (c) of section 6041A is amended by striking `, 6052, or 6053′ and inserting `or 6052′.

(8) Subsection (a) of section 6051 is amended by striking `In the case of tips received by an employee in the course of his employment, the amounts required to be shown by paragraphs (3) and (5) shall include only such tips as are included in statements furnished to the employer pursuant to section 6053(a).’.

(9) Section 6053 (relating to tip reporting) is hereby repealed.

(10) The table of sections for subpart C of part III of subchapter A of chapter 61 is amended by striking the item relating to section 6053.

(11) Section 6652 is amended by striking subsection (b) (relating to failure to report tips).

(12) Section 6674 (relating to fraudulent statement or failure to furnish statement to employee) is amended by striking `or 6053(b)’ each place it appears.

(13) Subparagraph (B) of section 6724(d)(1) is amended by striking clause (xvi) and redesignating the succeeding clauses accordingly.

(14) Paragraph (2) of section 6724(d) is amended by striking subparagraph (X) and redesignating the succeeding subparagraphs accordingly.

(g) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to tips received in calendar months beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

———————————————

Sources: thomas.gov, CampaignForLiberty, New York Post

Make Your Restaurant Kid Friendly with These 5 Easy Tips

It’s always nice to get in the good graces of the apple of the one-with-the-money’s eye. In other words: the children. Although some restaurants are designed for adults to get away from the children, many restaurants offer a menu and a setting that is appropriate for children. If this describes your restaurant, it is important that you do not take this for granted. If you have a place that is welcoming to children, use that to your advantage.

Parents are always looking for a good place to take the entire family, but there are constantly disagreements. If you think back to your childhood, you remember the constant “I want to go here” and “but I don’t like that I like this” type of chatter in the car. Kids have a hard time agreeing with other kids, but there are ways to help ease the situation. If you make some changes that will help bring your restaurant to the front of a child’s mind, everyone will be happy (except for maybe your servers). Consider a few of the ways you can make your restaurant more child friendly:

5 Ways to Make Your Restaurant Appealing to Children

1. Offer Traditional “Kid” Food – No child is going to want to go to a restaurant that only servers fancy blue cheese burgers and lightly breaded tilapia. Make sure that you have plain, traditional choices for the kids. This would typically include dishes like mac and cheese, cheeseburger, personal pizza, and chicken fingers. Kids are usually picky eaters, so there is no need to impress them with anything “unique.” In fact, most probably won’t even notice the food when going out to eat unless there is nothing for them to choose from. Then, you’d better believe they will notice.

2. Kids Menu – A kids menu should be about more than just listing some food items that might interest children. Give them something to do on the menu such as a crossword puzzle, picture to color, or some tic tac toe squares. This will keep kids occupied which will be pleasing to the parents who are also sitting down to a meal at your restaurant. If you’re nervous about children writing over your things, consider providing placemats or a paper tablecloth.

3. Offer Desserts – Just about every child loves some kind of dessert. If you can offer a scoop of ice cream with every kid’s meal you will surly capture the hearts of every child that walks through your restaurant. If you’re concerned about health, make sure you offer alternative desserts and side items such as a fruit. This way, it’s in the parent’s control and not your restaurant’s hands.

4. Have a Kids Night – Consider having a kid’s night once a week where you really go all out with the kid friendly activities. Try giving out raffle ticks for prizes or purchasing a wheel kids can spin on their way out to win prizes. I have also seen restaurants hire a balloon maker or a magician for one night per week. After all, what kid does not like prizes and magic?

5. Establish Connections – Every adult likes a manager who really gets to know them and check up on their experience at the restaurant. What many owners do not realize is that kids feel the same way. Go around and talk with the kids and ask them about their meals. If they keep coming back and you keep chatting with them, you’re sure to have a friend for a long time to come.

What it comes down to is this: You want to be the restaurant that all the kids can agree upon. Sometimes all a parent wants is for the kids to agree, so when it happens that’s usually where the car is headed. In the end, it can actually be a lot of fun to offer options for kids.

Photo Credit: insidenorthpoint.org

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to postage meters. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including telemarketing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for Resource Nation.

5 Tricks to Training Great New Servers

Being a restaurant server was one of the most difficult jobs I’ve ever held because you have to be able to multi-task. With many office jobs you have a certain amount of time to get things done; if you don’t get them done, you have to work overtime. It’s unfortunate, but it happens and you can solve the problem. However, this is not the case for a server. A server has a small window of time to make things right before the customer leaves the restaurant. This can often be difficult because you have to worry about five or six tables at once, which often equals to about twenty people. In other words, you have a span of around 45 minutes to make sure each person hears all the specials, gets the right order, has full drinks, gets the bill, and leaves in a decent amount of time–and this isn’t an easy task.

For this reason, it is extremely important that your restaurant has the proper training in place for all new servers. Many restaurants hand out a book, some let employees try all the food, and some let new servers work up front before going on the “floor,” as they say. However, it takes a combination of all of these different tactics to really create a good server. If you want your customers to have a good experience at your restaurant, start with the people they’ll be speaking with. Below lists five steps to creating a great a new server:

5 Steps to Training a Great New Server

Step #1: Hold an Orientation
Orientation is the time when you explain to the new hire all of the safety rules, the proper greeting when talking with a table, and any history on the restaurant. Orientation should involve a packet with all of the information a new server at your restaurant would need to be successful. This will ensure that your new server is listening to all of your expectations and knows what is expected of them when they come to work each day.

Step #2: Start As a Host
Starting as a host will do several things for your new server. First, they will get a chance to meet the rest of the staff and feel comfortable without being under too much pressure. Second, they will have a chance to learn all of the table numbers and get a feel for the vibe of the restaurant.

Step #3: Free Food and Delivery
Delivering food to the tables will help get the new server up to speed on your menu. They will get a chance to see all the menu items, identify them by name, and even begin interacting with customers. It’s also a good idea to offer the new server to try all of the items on the menu for free. It’s important they have opinions and be able to describe each menu item if a customer has questions.

Step #4: Teach Them the Computer
Learning the computer thoroughly will ensure that they are able to punch in order quickly and correctly. Nothing is worse than when a server is standing at the computer looking for a button when they get a new table. It’s not only frustrating for the customers, but for the new server. Consider having the server work the phones and take to-go orders first.

Step #5: Shadow a Veteran Server
Shadowing a veteran server will help show the new server what to do by example. They will get right into a full night’s work, but they will have help. If they ever forget something or make a mistake, someone will be there to correct them. This is not only a great learning opportunity for the new server (and even the veteran server), but the customers will still get top quality service.

In the end, the server has complete control over whether or not the customer has a good time at your restaurant. Half of going out to eat is the experience, so you need to make sure that your servers are ready for that kind of responsibility. Good training will ensure that you’ve hired the right people, and everything will run smoother–a necessity in any restaurant.

Lana Mohr is a writer and marketer for Calvin Klein Underwear retailer, Chonies. She also writes for various blogs and marketing communities giving startup companies financial advice.