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I would always worry that I would get whatever is in surplus rather than whatever they think is good. On the other hand, if everything they make is good then y

I would always worry that I would get whatever is in surplus rather than whatever they think is good. On the other hand, if everything they make is good then you’re fine and if their food is hit and miss then who’s to say you’d have a better chance of getting something good through analysis of the menu

pyrale 6y ago
If they give you surpluus that is bad, odds are that their best isn't great either.
AtlasBarfed 6y ago
Why wouldn't they give you the highest margin items?
- tptacek 6y ago
  For starters, in a lot of restaurants, (1) there's a set of dishes that are patron favorites, and (2) the servers make substantial amounts of money on tips. Their incentive is to make you happy with the experience.
- plorkyeran 6y ago
  Servers are paid based on how much the customer tips, not based on the restaurant's profit margin. The fact that tips are done as a percent of the bill means that they're incentivized to point you at the more expensive side of the menu, but it's much more important to pick something that'll impress the patron than to maximize the size of the bill. The restaurant's margin doesn't directly factor into this at all.
  - phonon 6y ago
    Servers also get told to push the "specials" which many times are only "special" in the eyes of the owner.
    - tptacek 6y ago
      If you think the specials at a restaurant are just designed to clean out the back of the walk-in, you shouldn't be eating anything there. By all means, though, order off the menu. Letting the server pick is a good play if you're optimistic about the restaurant.
- blaser-waffle 6y ago
  Not sure why this is downvoted, it's a fair question in the US. Tipping culture is gross, and this is coming from someone who was a bar manager for a bit. But to answer said question... - You make a good recommendation, you get a good tip, that simple. Helping your table explore the menu + what they're into translates to happy customers and better $$$ for you later - A lot of the high end items are loss leaders[1], part of the decoy effect[2], or are there just to round out the menu, e.g. how a seafood joint will have a steak or burger option for the spouse or kid or kosher person who doesn't do seafood. - Front of house staff get told to push things depending on what's in stock or what is in season. Like, we have another shipment of meat arriving on Monday, so let's sell off as many braised spare ribs as possible to make space. A lot of our daily or weekly specials were based on what had to be tossed out in a week. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect

pyrale 6y ago

If they give you surpluus that is bad, odds are that their best isn't great either.

AtlasBarfed 6y ago

Why wouldn't they give you the highest margin items?

tptacek 6y ago
For starters, in a lot of restaurants, (1) there's a set of dishes that are patron favorites, and (2) the servers make substantial amounts of money on tips. Their incentive is to make you happy with the experience.
plorkyeran 6y ago
Servers are paid based on how much the customer tips, not based on the restaurant's profit margin. The fact that tips are done as a percent of the bill means that they're incentivized to point you at the more expensive side of the menu, but it's much more important to pick something that'll impress the patron than to maximize the size of the bill. The restaurant's margin doesn't directly factor into this at all.
- phonon 6y ago
  Servers also get told to push the "specials" which many times are only "special" in the eyes of the owner.
  - tptacek 6y ago
    If you think the specials at a restaurant are just designed to clean out the back of the walk-in, you shouldn't be eating anything there. By all means, though, order off the menu. Letting the server pick is a good play if you're optimistic about the restaurant.
blaser-waffle 6y ago
Not sure why this is downvoted, it's a fair question in the US. Tipping culture is gross, and this is coming from someone who was a bar manager for a bit. But to answer said question... - You make a good recommendation, you get a good tip, that simple. Helping your table explore the menu + what they're into translates to happy customers and better $$$ for you later - A lot of the high end items are loss leaders[1], part of the decoy effect[2], or are there just to round out the menu, e.g. how a seafood joint will have a steak or burger option for the spouse or kid or kosher person who doesn't do seafood. - Front of house staff get told to push things depending on what's in stock or what is in season. Like, we have another shipment of meat arriving on Monday, so let's sell off as many braised spare ribs as possible to make space. A lot of our daily or weekly specials were based on what had to be tossed out in a week. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect