Burnt Hands Perspective
This is a raw and unfiltered look into the pu$$ification and state of the restaurant industry as a whole, powered by longtime friends Chef/Owner Antonio Caruana and former bartender turned News Anchor/TV Host Kristen Crowley.
Representing all aspects of the industry from the front to the back of the house we will dig into the juiciest stories and pull from decades of experience in one of the sexiest and most exciting industries in the world...the food and beverage industry.
From international chefs, sommeliers, industry pros, and so much more, this show will cover all of it without a filter. You turn up the volume; we'll turn up the heat.
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Burnt Hands Perspective
Ep 24 - Valentine's Day: From Obligation to Celebration - a PSA for servers AND diners!
Valentine's Day serves as both a challenge and an opportunity for restaurant staff and diners alike. This episode emphasizes the importance of mindset, gratitude, and the potential of one night to turn unfamiliar faces into loyal customers.
• Understanding Valentine's Day as a mix of opportunity and challenges
• The 'Amateur Hour' myth and its implications for restaurant service
• Importance of gratuity and what it means for service staff
• Transforming first-time diners into loyal customers
• Maintaining a positive vibe for both diners and staff
• Celebrating moments and experiences over perfection
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Listen up here. The restaurant industry is grueling and unpredictable, just like this show. From the front of the house to the back of the house and all in between. We will turn up the heat, you turn up the volume. I'm Chef Antonio Caruana. Welcome to the Tell All Podcast at Burnt Hands for a Record. Alright, it's that time of year again, guys. Valentine's Day, it's that moment. They're all coming. Get ready, have fun, don't bitch about it. They chose you because of what you do all year Fucking, give it to them. So guess what? What?
Speaker 2:Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day, this is a. Valentine's Day episode.
Speaker 1:Valentine's Day. I never got into it. It was carnations at school and the little freaking tear-up car.
Speaker 2:Remember when you could actually send Valentine's to other kids. Then they had the little box.
Speaker 1:You made a box and you put the shit in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's not allowed anymore. So anyway, everybody has to get a car.
Speaker 1:So I never really got into Valentine's Day.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I got back into the restaurant industry and, as I grew, valentine's Day in the restaurant was a fucking nightmare. You know what I mean. So it was a nightmare. I didn't get it, especially for young chefs who we just you's just say you're an online cook, right? Or wait staff, whatever you are, wait stopped anymore like it because it was considered the uh so we call, so you hear amateur night amateur diners, um same as like new year's eve, those kind of things.
Speaker 2:I want to talk about like the good and bad of it, because I think that there is a lot of misconception over people that come in and think, oh, it's amateur hour, it's gonna fucking suck, we're not gonna have any. You know, I don't know in a sense, oh, it's amateur hour, it's going to fucking suck, we're not going to have any.
Speaker 1:you know, I don't know, in a sense it is. So I say amateur hour. I don't know if it's amateur hour, more so that's the term for it, but I think more or less it's obligation hour. You know what I'm saying. I think it's obligation hour. You have to take someone outated to go out. They're obligated to take their spouse out where they normally typically wouldn't, or their girlfriend or boyfriend, whatever your girlfriend, girlfriend, boy, whatever you got right, whatever you, whatever your stick whatever it is yeah, whatever floats your boat, right, you got to take that boat out and float it right, at least for one night, yeah, at one night.
Speaker 1:So a lot of people go to places they don't typically go to and that brings people in the more finer dining or the more nicer restaurants in jeopardy, because here we are now having to entertain this and a lot of people are looking for discounts.
Speaker 2:So we think A lot of people are looking for the cheap way out or the best deal, or the two-for-one or the cheap way out, or the best deal, or the two for one, or they're just not used to the fact that it's busy you know wait times, like you know ticket times are going to be longer because it's busier. There's a lot of people who don't know what they're ordering, so they get it and they don't.
Speaker 1:You know, there's more complaints, more bad most restaurants, most restaurants are a hundred people above what they're typically normally doing, yeah, and a lot of people don't have that that. They don't have that luxury every other day, so they don't have that routine, they don't have that experience. So there's a lot of confusion in the kitchen. There may be a lot of confusion over the pass or the tickets that are coming in because they're not used to it, right? So everybody wants it. So I used to think about it as that amateur hour.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you thought of the negative.
Speaker 1:I thought of the negative but as I grew right and I got older into it and then become more of a businessman in the business mindset of it, I realize it's not no it's not what I, what I tell my staff now in our team is that it may be amateur hour you, because you don't feel like doing it, because it's just not into your routine, right, so you're going to be pissed about it, but what you got to remember is, like them, you are starting your culinary career and, like a lot of these people who are amateurs, everyone starts somewhere, right? Yeah? So this could be a lot of people. If we have 300 reservations tonight by the restaurant, this one here itself is packed in tomorrow night too, as well. Yeah. So what we have is hundreds of people that are coming in that may not have had to come in before because they're amateur or because they're giving it a shot.
Speaker 1:So if they, if you do your job right yeah, and I tell my team this, and we do our job right and we make it happen these people are going to, all of a sudden, it's going to work, it's going to bind and they're going to get it, they're going to understand it, they're going to get comfortable with it and and that becomes their future. So what became amateur is now be going to become something a loyal customer, a loyal customer time, because they're going to have a memory with it, whether good or bad. Yeah, right, I can't help you. Once you sit down, I can get the food to you. I can make this, your opinion, perfect. We can get the roses.
Speaker 2:We can get everything nice and nice like you're gonna fight, but if you can't, seal the deal, bro or girl.
Speaker 1:That's on you, man. I can't do nothing for you there. However, let's just say the seal deal is under control, right. Right, they seal the deal, right, they go home. It's all good, life is good. Now they're going to remember that as they go through, right? So Valentine's Day may be amateur, but in a sense, it's the building block of a future customer, because even if they are coming to you for the first time and it is the first time they're experiencing this type of night they're going to come back to it, but they're experiencing a you know, this type of night or?
Speaker 1:night. They're going to come back to it, but they're going to go to where they're comfortable a couple of more times before they search out, typically, right, and then they're always going to come back to home base, yeah, so don't think of it so much as it's amateur hour. Think of it more as it's a beginning block or a stepping stone for a lot of people who don't typically get to experience it. Right? If you're forced to take someone out into a position or place you're not really comfortable with, don't look at it as those people are evil. Those are the beginning steps. That's your future, right?
Speaker 2:That's your future For all you people who are going out for Valentine's Day, like you said, let's do tips on if you're going out somewhere and you know what you should expect and what you should let go and what you should accept sure you need to understand a couple things.
Speaker 1:one, it may take a little longer to get your food, but in the same turnaround they're trying to get that table turned because they have three other people behind you. So there's going to be a little bit of that going on. So, um, gratuity huge. The biggest problem is a lot of people don't and I'll be the one to say it, I don't give a shit. Yeah, a lot of the wait staff doesn't like it. They call it amateur hour, because people tend not to understand the tipping system. 20% or above, your service will be good. If it's not good, then you have an issue, then you have something to say. But on a normal, average service where everything is great, your steps of service are the way they should be and of the way they should be. And if you don't see anything wrong and you probably don't know what should be perfect, you're doing okay, that's 20%. Yeah, right out the gate. So just add 20% to your bill and don't put your people in a hole. Okay, that's what's causing the happy hour. I mean the-.
Speaker 2:Well, that's why they get negative about it, that's right. They don't want people coming in and sitting at the table wasting their time and giving them like five bucks on a hundred dollar check. That's right, correct I?
Speaker 1:mean a hundred dollar check, twenty dollars, twenty percent for all. You have to pull out your calculator. It's pretty simple. For every hundred dollars is twenty dollars. If it's 89, 90, round up to 20 and be a good person and you're gonna always be. Yeah, that will. That will get you in the program.
Speaker 2:Get into the program, man well like so you're going to be doing lineup, you know, tonight. So I guess for anybody that's going into work that has that mindset, because we all did it I mean we're all guilty of it and I think, yeah, with age we get a little better of saying everybody's money is important. You're developing a customer. We're looking at it from a different mindset now. So how do you tell them in the beginning of the night to change their mindset for lineup?
Speaker 1:It's as soon as you walk through the door. So it's not just tonight, I'm saying, it's all week long, because it's a week-long buildup, yeah, especially with Valentine's Day being on a Friday, right? Yeah, so you have Wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and sometimes into Sunday. So we have a long road. Our nights are booked all the way through.
Speaker 1:Four nights, but for the day Valentine's Day, we have to remember. I tell them the same thing. People are coming to us because they trust us with their moment and it's very important. You understand that. People are coming into your restaurant, no matter where you are, because they're choosing you for their moment. Whether you understand that, whether you like that, whether you want them to go somewhere else, it's all irrelevant. Right? You chose to work here, you make a good career here, we have a great team here and those people are coming in here because they heard about it, read about it, want to be about it. Have come many a times. Why should tonight be any different? Tonight should be the epitome of your service. You should be putting it out there. So good to wine and dine, so homie or home met gets that ass like they wanted to. That's the whole point of this. They want to make sure that their whole circle is filled right.
Speaker 1:The goal is to get your customers laid correct is that and even if well, even if they're not even going to get laid that we just get hold on.
Speaker 2:Is that like h? Could you say that in line up? Yes, who cares? I? Know, you don't care, but I'm wondering for other people out there.
Speaker 1:Here's the best way to here's the best way to not have to mess with the hr department. Right, don't have one, we don't have one, don't have an hr department, we're in this respect.
Speaker 2:It doesn't happen we don't have one, my company doesn't have one, you don't have one I don't have one.
Speaker 1:So it's, it's common sense and it's get in where you fit in, and that's the hr. Get in where you fit in. If you don't fit in here, you don't like what we talk about, you don't like what we do, you don't fit in. So therefore, there's the hr. It's called the door, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And and it's not to be hard right not not to destroy people or put people down, but that's common sense man. We're talking about demonstrating common sense. However, on valentine's day, there's a lot of people that come in the door. They don't really understand what's going on. They may understand what's going on. It could be a first date. It could be. Typically. That's not the case, it'll be a tender match.
Speaker 1:Wait on right, but what we find typically is it's 20, uh, 20 year, a lot of 20-year relationships, 15-year relationships, yeah, five-year anniversaries, marriages, things like that. One night they get out. The one night they get out because it's obligatory, they have to, and because it is and they're choosing you, you might as well give them the best night they can have. Just remember to tip 20%. Tip your waitstaff If they deserve it, I know. If they don't deserve it, then that's up to you.
Speaker 2:However, and if one thing was wrong, like you had to wait an extra 10 minutes, don't go on fucking Google and put a one star. It's the one night of the year. You have to have leniency on timing.
Speaker 1:Well, not only that, it's the one night a year you chose to bring your girl out, or your guy out anyway, yeah, so don't be mad at us that that's the night you chose. Yeah, you know, we're going to put the food out properly, we're going to take our time with it, and we're also going to turn the table the way we need to. Everything is going to be fine.
Speaker 2:So don't linger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't linger, don't camp, we call it camping, no camping, no camping.
Speaker 2:All right, what else Get your dessert? Get the fuck up.
Speaker 1:Get your dessert, get the fuck up, go sit at the bar, go somewhere else.
Speaker 2:Have a drink, go out.
Speaker 1:Dance of life. Go go do something, son of a bitch. So wow, it's a friday night. Yes, you got the babysitter. Yes, you got the kids covered. Check, right, you're in the restaurant. Check and shut the damn world off.
Speaker 2:Shut it up try it and I usually avoid. Like I mean, you know, people who do dine a lot avoid the night because they just don't want to sit there and wait as long they know there's gonna be horrible weight there knows gonna be more problems.
Speaker 1:I mean. I think the most people who complain about that, though, are the ones who forgot to make the reservation, so they use that.
Speaker 2:Or they expect it. Yeah, they expect that you're going to let them in because you know. No, you're booked for weeks, Friends, all your.
Speaker 1:I don't have no more. I got no more. Stop texting. I got no more room. I got no more tables. I got no more chairs. I got no. I can't do anything more.
Speaker 2:You can sit in the parking garage.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I'll pull a truck. We'll put a tent down in the parking garage with tables. Exactly, do it like Europe. There's nothing more I can do for you. It is now Valentine's Day, but the show's over.
Speaker 2:But don't blame the restaurant, because you're a procrastinator. You didn't do your fucking job Like you, should have had this planned weeks ago.
Speaker 1:I have the same call when one of my boys texts me. I have the same reply. You forgot, didn't you Damn, with the emoji. It's funny, though. You know a lot of them are cool and I'll help them out. My tight people I can get in there, but we've got them all in there. There's no more tightness. I got no more shoe horns. There's neither a shoe horn. You can't wedge it in any more than you can wedge it in.
Speaker 2:That's it Every table's counted for, and Ronnie, my daughter's doing her first Valentine's dinner tonight her first ever.
Speaker 1:So they're going to. They don't have somewhere, so I'm excited to see how her night goes yeah well, she's young too, so she's along the line of amateur. Yeah Right, so she's going to walk in with her young guy. These kids are in high school and someone's going to roll their eyes. But that's where you're wrong, Because if everything goes well for them or one of them, it doesn't have to be both you created a lifelong customer and it could go wrong, it could go right, but it's going to go right for one of them.
Speaker 1:They're going to come back eventually. Somebody's going to come back. Somebody's going to come back, so you've got to understand that.
Speaker 2:Tonight. Treat it like an opportunity to grow your business and stop sitting there being negative about it, because the mindset that you walk in with is the mindset that every customer is going to leave with that night.
Speaker 1:Exactly, they feel you. Yeah, they feel your energy is there. So if the energy sucks.
Speaker 2:They're going to be like fuck this place.
Speaker 1:And so just chill out. Restaurant staff, restaurant teams, groups, whatever you call yourself these days and age yeah, chill the fuck out. Enjoy the night. Enjoy the fact that everyone chose you. There's no way out of it. You're not getting out of it. It is what it is, sorry. You put out an amazing product all year long and people want to celebrate it. That's heaven for fucking bid. So just suck it up. Enjoy your night. Enjoy the time in the kitchen on the floor, have your fun. Make a drink for each other at the end of the shift, because you know you're all going to get worn the fuck out tonight. Yep, I know we are. We already got worn out all week. So it's a great time of year to just understand that this is what we chose to do. This is what we are doing. There's no way out. Bring it to your customers the way it's supposed to be brought in customers. Just enjoy yourselves and shut the fuck up, man, and enjoy yourself.
Speaker 2:Valentine's Day PSA Check.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hey, have a rose.
Speaker 2:Have a rose.
Speaker 1:All right, that's it. Go out on Valentine's Day. Have a good time. Staff out there, teams, do your work, enjoy yourselves, kill it. Have a great day. Ciao for now.
Speaker 2:Ciao.
