That one dinner rush where a server taught me about timing

I was working a Friday night in a busy place downtown Portland, tickets piling up. A veteran server named Deb walked by and just said "your proteins are cold before your sauce is done." I stopped and realized she was right I was starting steaks way too early and letting them sit. After that I adjusted my whole order of operations so everything finishes at the same second. Now I swear the tickets come out smoother and the expo line is quieter. Has anyone else had a front of house person drop a weird but useful tip like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_scott15d ago

God that Deb sounds like a REAL one. I've had front of house people give me little nuggets like that and it's ALWAYS the stuff you don't see coming. "Your proteins are cold before your sauce is done" hits hard because it's SO specific but SO true for timing. I remember a hostess once told me I was "rushing the calm part" during a slow moment and I was like "what does THAT mean" but then I realized I was spinning my wheels instead of just taking a beat. It's weird how the people who aren't IN the weeds with you can see the big picture clearer sometimes. Those little offhand comments genuinely change how you work for YEARS after.

xena_miller3115d ago

Wait, you used to not listen to front of house people? Yeah that changed my mind too.