Know the angles to help you get the most out of your restaurant visit.
It’s the show that helps you spend the bucks.
Recent statistics: Americans now spend roughly half their food budget eating out. Large glass wine towers with robots retrieving wine, prompt diners to buy more wine.
Lot’s of noise and music encourages faster turnover of tables, as does bright lights and colors.
Some menus list items with the most profit first so it catches your eye. They bury the high-price items in the middle.
Smile, you may be on candid camera.
From white- table cloth, pricey restaurants to a lunchtime sandwich shop, cameras are everywhere. Mostly these are to deter employee theft, but you may be in the picture, too. In some very upscale restaurants the cameras are focused on the plates so the chef can tell when each course needs to be plated and served.
Watching your cholesterol? Beware.
Ordering a salmon fillet may be a healthful choice, or maybe not. Many restaurants use butter and other calorie-heavy ingredients in their dishes. An average restaurant meal can be well over 1000 calories.
Who gets the tip?
Many restaurants have a tip pool. What you leave for the waitress or waiter will be divided amongst the people who serve you – bartender, busboy. But, sometimes the management dips into the tip pool even through it is against Federal Law.
Watch your bill. Some restaurants have included the tip in the bill. If you’re not sure, ask. It’s a rare server who will remind you that the tip is included once you’ve left another tip on the table.
Be guaranteed to get a table at the local hotspot.
Become a regular at your favorite “in” restaurant. Go on off nights and be sure to tell the maitre ‘d you enjoyed the meal and will be back soon. Ask for his/her card. When you want to return on a busy night, a good maitre ‘d will make sure there’s a table for you.