How do you stop servers selling a dish you’re out of?How do you stop servers selling a dish you’re out of?

Why do servers sell a dish you are out of?

Because the kitchen knows and the floor does not. The cook sees the last salmon go. The server is across the building with a full section of guests. The news has to travel, and it often does not.

It is rarely the server’s fault. They are busy. They ring in the salmon because the menu says there is salmon. Then the cook says “we’re out.” Now the guest has waited and the server has to go back to the table. Everyone feels bad.

So do not blame people. Fix the path the news takes.

What are four habits that help?

You do not need a new system to start. You need four small habits, done every day.

1. One place for the list. One list, in a spot every server passes. Not two lists. Not a list in someone’s pocket.
2. Say it at line-up. Before service, the chef reads what is out and what is low. Everyone hears it at the same time.
3. A second check at the window. The window is where food goes out. If a ticket asks for a dish that is out, the person at the window catches it before it is cooked.
4. Tell the host. The host talks to guests first. If they know, they can warn a table before it sits down.

How do you run a good line-up?

Line-up is the short meeting before service. Keep it short, a few minutes at most. People stop listening after that.

Read the 86 list out loud. Then read what is low, because low today is out by Friday. Then say what is on special and what comes with what. Ask if there are questions.

The trick is to say it in the same order every day. People learn the rhythm. They know when to listen for the 86s.

If you want to know more about the list itself, we explain it in what 86 means in a kitchen.

What is a second check at the window?

The first check is the server knowing. The second check is the kitchen catching a mistake. Both matter, because people forget.

The person calling tickets at the window glances at the 86 list for every ticket. It takes a second. If a dish is out, they stop it and send the server back with a better answer. The guest gets told early, not after twenty minutes.

Make the check a habit, not a mood. Do it for every ticket, even when the line is calm. That is how it holds up on a Saturday night.

How do you know the habits are working?

You do not need a spreadsheet. You need to notice the sorry moments. A sorry moment is any time a server has to go back to a table and say a dish is gone.

Keep a small note at the window. Each time a server rings in a dish that is out, make a mark. At the end of the week, look at the marks together. Are they going down? Are they all from the same dish, or the same shift?

If they are all from one shift, look at how that shift starts. Maybe line-up is rushed. If they are all from one dish, look at when that dish runs out. Maybe the list is updated too late. Ask your servers, too. They know where the news gets stuck.

What changes when the server can see the list?

Habits work, but they rely on memory. A server who can look at a screen does not have to remember what was said at line-up three hours ago.

Heard has a server menu for that. Dishes that are out turn grey, and a server cannot add them to a table. If a server asks for more portions than are left, Heard says no and says how many are left. You can read the details on the server menu page.

Heard works inside its own screens. It is not connected to a cash register. In the demo, tap Side by side on a wide screen to see the kitchen and the server screens in one window. The pretend kitchen is Juniper Kitchen. Pick Jasmine, a server, and say “Table 12, two salmon and a caesar.” Try the demo and watch what Heard does with the salmon.

What if a guest orders it anyway?

It will happen sometimes. Have a plan, so the server does not have to invent one on the spot.

• Say sorry once, plainly. Do not make it a long story.
• Offer the closest dish at once. Servers should know the best swap for each dish.
• Tell the kitchen so the list gets fixed. Then the next table does not hit the same wall.

A guest forgives a quick “we just ran out, can I suggest this?” A guest does not forgive a long wait followed by bad news.