how does one decide if they will be counter order or seated with a waitress?
I estimate we will have about 20 tables
my wife is all about qsr (order at the counter seat yourself)
my thought is waitress should pay for them selves as they should upsale and deserts!
YOUR THOUGHTS?
I see it as a business model decision: What sort of place do you want to provide and create? Each way has its pros and cons. Each model of service will be more and less attractive to customers. If you anticipate enough traffic, then wait personnel could indeed payfor theselves in terms of upselling, attracting clientelle, and reducing the workload at the cashier/phone station.
Wait staff also bring added labor costs, management hiring needs, accounting, critical control point for $$$ and supervision. I believe that a top rate and reliable table server is worth their weight in gold in terms of customer satisfaction and driving business.
Make the style of service fit the overall business model you have now, or make the whole thing feel seemless. It would be really odd to have a qsr feeling place (LC, PJ, PH) with white table cloths and a semolier . . . just like having a really high style feeling place with a counter service and paper plates. Have a sense of continuity when you do it, so you don’t confuse your identity in the minds of the customer.
IMO it just depends on what you want or are inclined to manage. Personally I like to do something in between. Give them a number on a stand and bring their order out when it is ready. When the cashiers have a chance they can help clear their tables of trash and finished plates, refill drinks, etc. You can reward cashiers with a percentage of deserts that are ordered at their suggestion when at tables.
I’ve worked the full service restaurants and much prefer the streamlined labor of quickservice.
we have 16 booths and 8 stools at out slice counter…originally we tried QSR-type service and people just did not get it (even though we had clear signs “ORDER HERE”, etc. We have since switched to having 1 waitress handle dine-in. Sure it gets hectic especially on weekends and lunchtime, but our counter help and I help serve and expedite. I have found that since the switch the tips have inceased dramatically thus helping employee turnover.
PS we also take orders at the counter for dine-in and simply hand them a table number and cups for self-serve drinks to please the customers in a rush or do not care for full service…the waitress will run the food down when it is ready and bus the tables and most of the time she will get tipped as if it was full service
I would recommend to decide one way or another to avoid confusion down the road and always having a backup person to handle the dining room for sick days, etc.