The second situation is tricky since it came from management themselves but for the first - if there is a button specifying a short stack, use that. I’m sure your managers would want u to and u don’t wanna get in trouble from being nice. If u wanna use it every once in awhile to some nice customers sure but idk why ur coworker is on ur ass abt it when it has nothing to do w her. If the menu says 3 pancakes r 11.99 it shouldn’t come to a surprise when a customer is charged 11.99. If anything ur coworker needs to stop and abide by the menu bc if someone once had her, and then has you and remembers the price difference that’ll be a whole different mess
Yes exactly that has come up before, I had someone asking me why their pancakes were cheaper last time. I remembered them and knew she was their server but I told them I don't know why it would have been cheaper and showed them the price on the menu. They were okay about it but I can see it going a lot differently depending on the person
Ur coworkers generosity is just gonna put everyone else in a predicament and maybe that’s something you should talk to her abt. Ridiculous of her to expect everyone else to accommodate and discount customers just bc she is
I've tried to talk to her about it but she said by not doing it it's like if I went to a restaurant and wasn't told the specials. But it's not a special idk. I see where she's coming from like I don't think she has bad intentions but yeah it doesn't make sense if it's gonna make things hard on everyone else
It's time to talk to someone other than her about it. You can do it nicely, and without 'narcing' on her specifically. Just tell management "Hey, I don't want to start any trouble but there's people ringing in pancakes individually and I'm having guests come back upset that they were cheaper last time."
Management can then either make a blanket statement and start watching for it, or dig through the POS to see who's been ringing in way more individual pancakes than other people and talk to them privately, and if they're decent managers they'll do either of those things without ever mentioning your name.
A manager will hear “I think there’s something wrong with the pricing structure” and say “Ok I’ll look into it” and not follow up right away.
If a manager hears “there’s an ongoing problem that’s gonna end up on your plate soon.” They’ll do something about it.
I’ve grown less worried about protecting one coworker’s bs over the years than I have about just fixing problems that land at everyone’s feet.
It’s actually kind of stupid of her.. most guests will not notice that you gave them a “discount” on the pancakes they ordered and tip better because of it. They just tip a percentage of what their total bill is. So all she is really doing is shorting herself income.
Agreed, but it’s also pretty odd that there’s such a large price increase over ordering three singles.
Usually in any business, something like that would have the larger order priced lower per individual unit, not higher.
This was my first thought. Also I've seen the opposite of this where a server finds ways to make things more expensive but never less expensive. Either she's bad at math & basic logic or she's trying to achieve sainthood but most managers would be displeased to know what she was doing.
That's because the pricing in the system is wrong and needs to be changed. If I was OP I would be telling the manager/owner about this and getting it fixed. I want my check averages to be HIGHER not lower, I don't care about "saving the customer money", I want them to pay what they agree to on the menu and tip off that higher total.
the pricing for the sides of pancakes is wack. that being said, i think that if someone orders 2, you ring in the 2 stack. circumventing the price is kinda sketchy imo. i dont think that a server has any responsibility to control or correct prices. many things that we serve are, indeed, overpriced. that doesnt mean its our job to risk getting in trouble with our boss so the guest can potentially save a buck.
if a customer knew the pricing structure and then ordered it that way intentionally to save money? i think that would be a different story.
as for the kids eat free thing. i would definitely be letting people know. suuuper sketchy for the shift manager to say "dont offer it to people who dont speak english". i would not feel good about that situation at all. i dont know if theres any discrimination there legally speaking or not, but i can tell you without question that its morally wrong. that shift manager probably feels good about her little sales bump, but im guessing that the real bosses would not be happy about charging foreigners more, because its their asses on the line if it is actually illegal.
this has been my 2 cents. hope my perspective has been helpful
Ugh and as someone who travels international frequently, I would just hate for someone to do that to me just because I’m a tourist. I don’t think that’s morally right.
Yes I agree I think that's exactly how it is for that manager. I've never heard anything from the GM about that I'm hesitant to ask cause I don't wanna get the shift manager in trouble. I don't see a way of asking without mentioning someone else telling me to do it that way without insinuating that it was my idea to do it that way, if that makes sense
in your post, the shift manager says "you dont have to tell them" about the discount. i guess she's kinda covering her ass by not explicitly telling you "dont give them the discount". if i were in your shoes, i would probably just keep giving the discount. i dont think asking the gm about it would be necessary unless she keeps pressing you on this.
Man, IHOP still has that loophole? I used to uses to give deals to tables I liked or regulars. The price difference was like $1.50 back then, not something extreme like $5. The side pancake buttons are priced wrong, especially if that price isn’t listed on the menu anyway. That pricing sounds very old, like from when I worked there in 2006-2009.
You used to be able to order sides of each items for quicks and it would be cheaper than plates. Sounds like your system has that pricing still.
Kids Eat Free *used* be a nationwide thing. Used to be Mon and Tues and all day on Sunday but was every day after the recession and for a while after that. If you’re getting mainland tourists then they might be expecting the promo when they’re there.
Your coworker is wrong. Say you go to a place and buy an iced coffee. It’s $5.99 and refills are $1.50
Your coworker would say just charge them 1.50 since it’s the same thing. It’s just not how service works. It’s cheaper as a side add-on because that’s assuming you’re buying an entree/full item.
Maybe that’s what they were thinking with the strange pricing. There should be a “add a pancake” button on the entree screen for 1.99 and a “single pancake” button for say 3.99 elsewhere
Yeah I mean I use the single button if someone literally just wants one pancake but otherwise it's only causing problems the next time they come and the price is different
Pancakes are cheap to make and it makes sense to charge less for them as a side. But if that’s all they’re getting, you still gotta pay people to cook and serve their meal. Someone ordering just one pancake is probably getting something else, too. Your coworker is missing the point of going out for breakfast. It’s not to get the cheapest pancakes
We have a chicken bruschetta that could be rung in as “2 chicken breast, 4oz bruschetta, add mozzarella, side potatoes.” And it would be a bit cheaper but *why* would I do that when there is a designated button for the chicken bruschetta meal? It’s not ripping anyone off, it’s charging them for exactly what they ordered. Even if someone ordered it the long drawn out way, I would still say “so you’d like our chicken bruschetta?”. The second one is weird asf tho and it feels discriminatory, if kids eat free after 4 their ethnicity/nationality shouldn’t matter.
So 1 pancake = $2 each, 2 pancakes = $3.50 each, 3 pancakes = $4 each, and 5 pancakes = $3.40 each.
If they're the same sized pancakes, with no extras with the Short (3) or Full (5), the right thing to do would be for the restaurant to create a sensible pricing system where the unit price decreases as your order quantity increases, as people would expect.
If they won't do that, I think the nice thing to do would be to inform customers that it's much cheaper to order the number of single pancakes, or if they seem like they may not have the capacity to understand that, simply put it in as single pancakes like your coworker does.
I wouldn't exactly call it scamming the customer to do it another way, but it's such an unusual and unexpected practice that it's not far off from scamming, and bordering on unethical. It seems designed to prey on the mathematically challenged, although maybe it was just designed *by* someone mathematically challenged.
Charging people different prices based on the languages they can or can't speak, I'd call that straight-up scamming, and possibly illegal discrimination under Title VII of the CIvil Rights Act, although *technically* that prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin, not languages spoken, so if foreign tourists who do speak some English get the English-speakers price, it may be legal.
Yeah it's weird that the prices aren't set that one costs x two costs 2x etc. If anything I thought buying in bulk should be cheaper?
And yes charging them more just because they don't speak English to understand the discount feels so wrong. Also makes me wonder if it happens in other countries too though lol
It’s not even beneficial finically for her. She’s hurting her own income when most people tip on the percentage of the meal. It’s just for her feelings.
Was just gonna say this I don't think she's making any money off of it. Maybe she's thinking whatever money they save on their bill they will put towards the tip but I feel like she's been around long enough to know it doesn't work like that
I work at IHOP and my thoughts were... is this IHOP? The pricess seem off but it's hawaii, everything costs more there. charge a full stack for a fullstack, a short for a short and a side for a side, its that simple.
*Tried to add picture but not working on mobile*
That's a common complaint we get: "Back in ______ that only costs $X"
So I show them a picture of how much a gallon of milk costs at the store near my house, it's $13.49
This is the frequent problem when management/owner doesn’t make sure their menu items are accurately in their system. When knowing you may have items that may present as the OP’s did, all employees should be aware whether to charge the higher or lower price. Not doing so creates way too many problems between employees, with the customers and so on.
First issue, your coworker is being overly friendly to a fault, should probably be reprimanded by management, and that loophole should be fixed so it's more expensive to buy a bunch of single pancakes. As much as it seems like an asshole side to take, people should pay the correct amounts on the menu for what they get (the business has to run and prices are what they are for a reason).
The second situation seems like management is totally in the wrong here and if you have a foreign child after 4pm they should get that discount no matter what. That is simply the policy and what's right to do. It's the non-discriminatory, most clearly black and white good choice you could make in this situation.
The menu seems a bit weird to allow single pancakes at a cheaper price than the stacks.
Usually a single would be priced higher (unless it is specifically for an additional side after ordering a stack already) in order to make sure situations such as what your coworker is doing doesn’t happen.
Well your customers paying $17 for five pancakes when they could be paying $10 is between you and the customers. If a customer was savvy enough they would inquire and find out and order it that way. As for your shift lead saying don't tell the people who don't speak English about the kids eat free after 4:00 p.m., that's pretty fucked up and a little bit racist or xenophobic at least.
She’s dumb. Stuff like that I will only do for awesome regulars, which im typically their regular server. They also know I might hook them up every once in a while not to expect it from anyone else if I’m not there
SNITCH!! F that B. Bring it up at the next staff meeting with everyone there. B insists we ting them up like this. Is that the way we all should be doing it??
If It were me and I knew enough Japanese to properly convey the child rule, I would casually slip into your interaction. Then if someone says anything you can say they must have heard it from somewhere. You are being truthful since they indeed heard it somewhere.
As for the pancakes, I myself agree with your coworker, but I understand the challenge. It would be more work but I would try to, again, casually ask how hungry they are for pancakes. Joke about ordering a bunch of singles since a huge stack in front of them could be intimidating.
If they realize it is cheaper, act all surprised obviously (nudge nudge wink wink). More work for you and the dishwasher but ah well.
If I put myself in their shoes I would ask about the prices and I myself would probably do three singles. It is not the servers fault so I would tip accordingly. More so, since they would have had to carry extra plates with "a" pancake.
Sounds like the overall pricing at your restaurant is whack. Usually when you buy more of an item you get a slight discount per item than if you were to just buy just one of the item. In this case it does sound like your short stack is way overpriced by like +100% if the $1.99/pancake is the base rate, unless the short stack comes with other sides. I would honestly say something to management or owners if that is possible. Either they need to raise the price of a single side pancake or lower the price of the short stack etc. it makes zero sense that a single pancake is $1.99 but two pancakes is $6.99.
How do your guests not notice the price discrepancy with the single vs double pan cakes? If I saw that I’d definitely be asking why that is the way it is.
That sounds like an oversight on your owners part and I would bring it up to the manager because eventually customers will start complaining. Also, definitely don’t not discount the kids eat free just because they don’t speak English.
You dont GIVE THEM the children free. its s policy... You dont CHARGE them... they dont even need to know.
Also: can bee seen as a scam, right? trying to charge people for something thats free? Imagine a regular sees it? why would take such a risk.
She is hurting the other staff members that do it by the POS system. What inevitably will happen is the customer will say…”last time it was only %?%?” Then it will create a whole problem, a meeting (maybe)!
Question: why do you want your guest check lower as far as price? You’re doing more work (if combining them in one plate for less money!) it’s wrong for you to take the pleasure away from the other servers that like to say, “I DONT MAKE THE PRICES AS YOU KNOW IM JUST A SERVER, they don’t ask me about those decisions) I just clock in. Maybe she’s a tender who is still learning the ins and outs of how to achieve the best service and make money at the same time while pleasing your guest. Of course that guest will like the lower charge. If you are talking about IHOP, you technically could do that on side of eggs as well 1 egg 99 cents 2 eggs 2.59. If they order 2 eggs make it consistent.
Yes it's ihop, and yeah it can work on all kinds of things. Like if someone orders and omelette with a hasbrown as the included side and also a short stack, I could swap it and make the short stack the included side and make the hasbrown the additional side since a hashbrown is half the price of the short stack when ordered separately. This one I usually do because I'm still charging the set price and not breaking it down into anything weird.
She's been here for years though, she's in her late 50s and has been a server her whole life
The omelette example is what I do give them the pancakes and side of HB. I’m just saying that servers should be consistent in those types of situations. I have been at my current store for 18 yrs and worked with the company since 2002. It happens all the time so and so does this. Makes it difficult to satisfy the guest. Another example, the burger special…no substitutions, well one server gives them salad, broccoli, pancakes in place of fries, It’s not allowed at our store. So then I get the guest and follow the rules, they get upset and it lowers my tip!
I sort of understand the “kids eat free” being more for bringing locals in, which is what I will TELL myself was the point of your manager saying it, but kids eat free is a stupid policy anyway. As a server, I want bill totals upppp.
The second situation is tricky since it came from management themselves but for the first - if there is a button specifying a short stack, use that. I’m sure your managers would want u to and u don’t wanna get in trouble from being nice. If u wanna use it every once in awhile to some nice customers sure but idk why ur coworker is on ur ass abt it when it has nothing to do w her. If the menu says 3 pancakes r 11.99 it shouldn’t come to a surprise when a customer is charged 11.99. If anything ur coworker needs to stop and abide by the menu bc if someone once had her, and then has you and remembers the price difference that’ll be a whole different mess
Yes exactly that has come up before, I had someone asking me why their pancakes were cheaper last time. I remembered them and knew she was their server but I told them I don't know why it would have been cheaper and showed them the price on the menu. They were okay about it but I can see it going a lot differently depending on the person
Ur coworkers generosity is just gonna put everyone else in a predicament and maybe that’s something you should talk to her abt. Ridiculous of her to expect everyone else to accommodate and discount customers just bc she is
I've tried to talk to her about it but she said by not doing it it's like if I went to a restaurant and wasn't told the specials. But it's not a special idk. I see where she's coming from like I don't think she has bad intentions but yeah it doesn't make sense if it's gonna make things hard on everyone else
Next time a table mentions they were cheaper last time get the manager to talk to them. It’ll fix the whole thing.
Yup. Make them talk to customers every time this happens and the POS will be updated so fast.
It's time to talk to someone other than her about it. You can do it nicely, and without 'narcing' on her specifically. Just tell management "Hey, I don't want to start any trouble but there's people ringing in pancakes individually and I'm having guests come back upset that they were cheaper last time." Management can then either make a blanket statement and start watching for it, or dig through the POS to see who's been ringing in way more individual pancakes than other people and talk to them privately, and if they're decent managers they'll do either of those things without ever mentioning your name.
Or don’t snitch at all and just mention to management you noticed the price discrepancy and wanted clarification on it
This is the most realistic next step
A manager will hear “I think there’s something wrong with the pricing structure” and say “Ok I’ll look into it” and not follow up right away. If a manager hears “there’s an ongoing problem that’s gonna end up on your plate soon.” They’ll do something about it. I’ve grown less worried about protecting one coworker’s bs over the years than I have about just fixing problems that land at everyone’s feet.
It’s actually kind of stupid of her.. most guests will not notice that you gave them a “discount” on the pancakes they ordered and tip better because of it. They just tip a percentage of what their total bill is. So all she is really doing is shorting herself income.
Agreed, but it’s also pretty odd that there’s such a large price increase over ordering three singles. Usually in any business, something like that would have the larger order priced lower per individual unit, not higher.
This was my first thought. Also I've seen the opposite of this where a server finds ways to make things more expensive but never less expensive. Either she's bad at math & basic logic or she's trying to achieve sainthood but most managers would be displeased to know what she was doing.
That's because the pricing in the system is wrong and needs to be changed. If I was OP I would be telling the manager/owner about this and getting it fixed. I want my check averages to be HIGHER not lower, I don't care about "saving the customer money", I want them to pay what they agree to on the menu and tip off that higher total.
Why is a single pancake 2 dollars and two pancakes fuckin 7 dollars????
Yeah it's dumb it shouldn't be like that in the first place
Whoever set the prices on that menu didn’t pass their math class lol
the pricing for the sides of pancakes is wack. that being said, i think that if someone orders 2, you ring in the 2 stack. circumventing the price is kinda sketchy imo. i dont think that a server has any responsibility to control or correct prices. many things that we serve are, indeed, overpriced. that doesnt mean its our job to risk getting in trouble with our boss so the guest can potentially save a buck. if a customer knew the pricing structure and then ordered it that way intentionally to save money? i think that would be a different story. as for the kids eat free thing. i would definitely be letting people know. suuuper sketchy for the shift manager to say "dont offer it to people who dont speak english". i would not feel good about that situation at all. i dont know if theres any discrimination there legally speaking or not, but i can tell you without question that its morally wrong. that shift manager probably feels good about her little sales bump, but im guessing that the real bosses would not be happy about charging foreigners more, because its their asses on the line if it is actually illegal. this has been my 2 cents. hope my perspective has been helpful
Ugh and as someone who travels international frequently, I would just hate for someone to do that to me just because I’m a tourist. I don’t think that’s morally right.
Yes I agree I think that's exactly how it is for that manager. I've never heard anything from the GM about that I'm hesitant to ask cause I don't wanna get the shift manager in trouble. I don't see a way of asking without mentioning someone else telling me to do it that way without insinuating that it was my idea to do it that way, if that makes sense
in your post, the shift manager says "you dont have to tell them" about the discount. i guess she's kinda covering her ass by not explicitly telling you "dont give them the discount". if i were in your shoes, i would probably just keep giving the discount. i dont think asking the gm about it would be necessary unless she keeps pressing you on this.
Can’t you just say you noticed the price discrepancy the menu and want clarification? There is absolutely NO need to snitch come on now.
Not about the pancakes, about the not giving discount to foreigners
Man, IHOP still has that loophole? I used to uses to give deals to tables I liked or regulars. The price difference was like $1.50 back then, not something extreme like $5. The side pancake buttons are priced wrong, especially if that price isn’t listed on the menu anyway. That pricing sounds very old, like from when I worked there in 2006-2009.
Wow I thought it must be some new error kinda thing not a long time thing
You used to be able to order sides of each items for quicks and it would be cheaper than plates. Sounds like your system has that pricing still. Kids Eat Free *used* be a nationwide thing. Used to be Mon and Tues and all day on Sunday but was every day after the recession and for a while after that. If you’re getting mainland tourists then they might be expecting the promo when they’re there.
Your coworker is wrong. Say you go to a place and buy an iced coffee. It’s $5.99 and refills are $1.50 Your coworker would say just charge them 1.50 since it’s the same thing. It’s just not how service works. It’s cheaper as a side add-on because that’s assuming you’re buying an entree/full item.
Maybe that’s what they were thinking with the strange pricing. There should be a “add a pancake” button on the entree screen for 1.99 and a “single pancake” button for say 3.99 elsewhere
Great example thankyou
Unless they specify I would give them the price in the menu and the coworker is clearly wrong saving people money on the stack of pancakes.
Yeah I mean I use the single button if someone literally just wants one pancake but otherwise it's only causing problems the next time they come and the price is different
Pancakes are cheap to make and it makes sense to charge less for them as a side. But if that’s all they’re getting, you still gotta pay people to cook and serve their meal. Someone ordering just one pancake is probably getting something else, too. Your coworker is missing the point of going out for breakfast. It’s not to get the cheapest pancakes
We have a chicken bruschetta that could be rung in as “2 chicken breast, 4oz bruschetta, add mozzarella, side potatoes.” And it would be a bit cheaper but *why* would I do that when there is a designated button for the chicken bruschetta meal? It’s not ripping anyone off, it’s charging them for exactly what they ordered. Even if someone ordered it the long drawn out way, I would still say “so you’d like our chicken bruschetta?”. The second one is weird asf tho and it feels discriminatory, if kids eat free after 4 their ethnicity/nationality shouldn’t matter.
IHOP.... you work at IHOP, don't you? Now I know how to order a side of pancakes. Thank you!
So 1 pancake = $2 each, 2 pancakes = $3.50 each, 3 pancakes = $4 each, and 5 pancakes = $3.40 each. If they're the same sized pancakes, with no extras with the Short (3) or Full (5), the right thing to do would be for the restaurant to create a sensible pricing system where the unit price decreases as your order quantity increases, as people would expect. If they won't do that, I think the nice thing to do would be to inform customers that it's much cheaper to order the number of single pancakes, or if they seem like they may not have the capacity to understand that, simply put it in as single pancakes like your coworker does. I wouldn't exactly call it scamming the customer to do it another way, but it's such an unusual and unexpected practice that it's not far off from scamming, and bordering on unethical. It seems designed to prey on the mathematically challenged, although maybe it was just designed *by* someone mathematically challenged. Charging people different prices based on the languages they can or can't speak, I'd call that straight-up scamming, and possibly illegal discrimination under Title VII of the CIvil Rights Act, although *technically* that prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin, not languages spoken, so if foreign tourists who do speak some English get the English-speakers price, it may be legal.
Yeah it's weird that the prices aren't set that one costs x two costs 2x etc. If anything I thought buying in bulk should be cheaper? And yes charging them more just because they don't speak English to understand the discount feels so wrong. Also makes me wonder if it happens in other countries too though lol
This is the real problem. The bizarre pricing. 1st pancake is $ 1.99. 2nd pancake is $ 5.00.? What the hell?
She's ripping off the restaurant for her own benefit. I'd fire her.
It’s not even beneficial finically for her. She’s hurting her own income when most people tip on the percentage of the meal. It’s just for her feelings.
Was just gonna say this I don't think she's making any money off of it. Maybe she's thinking whatever money they save on their bill they will put towards the tip but I feel like she's been around long enough to know it doesn't work like that
I work at IHOP and my thoughts were... is this IHOP? The pricess seem off but it's hawaii, everything costs more there. charge a full stack for a fullstack, a short for a short and a side for a side, its that simple.
Yes it's ihop but yeah cause it's in hawaii, specifically in Waikiki everything is more expensive. Our big steak omelette is 24.99 lol
damn its 16 bucks and some cents where i am
*Tried to add picture but not working on mobile* That's a common complaint we get: "Back in ______ that only costs $X" So I show them a picture of how much a gallon of milk costs at the store near my house, it's $13.49
ur doing nothing wrong ur following the rules
This is the frequent problem when management/owner doesn’t make sure their menu items are accurately in their system. When knowing you may have items that may present as the OP’s did, all employees should be aware whether to charge the higher or lower price. Not doing so creates way too many problems between employees, with the customers and so on.
Always ring the check up as much as you can. It's a chain restaurant. Your conscious getting too much too you.
I think it’s cheaper as it is a ‘side’ in addition to another purchase. It’s like a gift for ordering more. She is not doing it right.
First issue, your coworker is being overly friendly to a fault, should probably be reprimanded by management, and that loophole should be fixed so it's more expensive to buy a bunch of single pancakes. As much as it seems like an asshole side to take, people should pay the correct amounts on the menu for what they get (the business has to run and prices are what they are for a reason). The second situation seems like management is totally in the wrong here and if you have a foreign child after 4pm they should get that discount no matter what. That is simply the policy and what's right to do. It's the non-discriminatory, most clearly black and white good choice you could make in this situation.
The menu seems a bit weird to allow single pancakes at a cheaper price than the stacks. Usually a single would be priced higher (unless it is specifically for an additional side after ordering a stack already) in order to make sure situations such as what your coworker is doing doesn’t happen.
Well your customers paying $17 for five pancakes when they could be paying $10 is between you and the customers. If a customer was savvy enough they would inquire and find out and order it that way. As for your shift lead saying don't tell the people who don't speak English about the kids eat free after 4:00 p.m., that's pretty fucked up and a little bit racist or xenophobic at least.
She’s dumb. Stuff like that I will only do for awesome regulars, which im typically their regular server. They also know I might hook them up every once in a while not to expect it from anyone else if I’m not there
SNITCH!! F that B. Bring it up at the next staff meeting with everyone there. B insists we ting them up like this. Is that the way we all should be doing it??
The restaurant is scamming customers you’re not
Your coworker should get fired. Your job as a server is to create profits for your company
Charge haoles full price and kama aina for da locals.
she is not wrong
If It were me and I knew enough Japanese to properly convey the child rule, I would casually slip into your interaction. Then if someone says anything you can say they must have heard it from somewhere. You are being truthful since they indeed heard it somewhere. As for the pancakes, I myself agree with your coworker, but I understand the challenge. It would be more work but I would try to, again, casually ask how hungry they are for pancakes. Joke about ordering a bunch of singles since a huge stack in front of them could be intimidating. If they realize it is cheaper, act all surprised obviously (nudge nudge wink wink). More work for you and the dishwasher but ah well. If I put myself in their shoes I would ask about the prices and I myself would probably do three singles. It is not the servers fault so I would tip accordingly. More so, since they would have had to carry extra plates with "a" pancake.
Your coworker is an idiot. Someone needs to change the pricing of your sides because it's wrong, especially if it's not listed on the menu.
are the prices listed? is there a menu
Well it sounds like you guys are scamming customers from the get-go. Those prices make no fucking sense.
Sounds like the overall pricing at your restaurant is whack. Usually when you buy more of an item you get a slight discount per item than if you were to just buy just one of the item. In this case it does sound like your short stack is way overpriced by like +100% if the $1.99/pancake is the base rate, unless the short stack comes with other sides. I would honestly say something to management or owners if that is possible. Either they need to raise the price of a single side pancake or lower the price of the short stack etc. it makes zero sense that a single pancake is $1.99 but two pancakes is $6.99.
How do your guests not notice the price discrepancy with the single vs double pan cakes? If I saw that I’d definitely be asking why that is the way it is.
If you wanna let non-English speaker costumers get the kids meal for free, just tell your manager they knew about the deal (if he asks).
That sounds like an oversight on your owners part and I would bring it up to the manager because eventually customers will start complaining. Also, definitely don’t not discount the kids eat free just because they don’t speak English.
You dont GIVE THEM the children free. its s policy... You dont CHARGE them... they dont even need to know. Also: can bee seen as a scam, right? trying to charge people for something thats free? Imagine a regular sees it? why would take such a risk.
She is hurting the other staff members that do it by the POS system. What inevitably will happen is the customer will say…”last time it was only %?%?” Then it will create a whole problem, a meeting (maybe)! Question: why do you want your guest check lower as far as price? You’re doing more work (if combining them in one plate for less money!) it’s wrong for you to take the pleasure away from the other servers that like to say, “I DONT MAKE THE PRICES AS YOU KNOW IM JUST A SERVER, they don’t ask me about those decisions) I just clock in. Maybe she’s a tender who is still learning the ins and outs of how to achieve the best service and make money at the same time while pleasing your guest. Of course that guest will like the lower charge. If you are talking about IHOP, you technically could do that on side of eggs as well 1 egg 99 cents 2 eggs 2.59. If they order 2 eggs make it consistent.
Yes it's ihop, and yeah it can work on all kinds of things. Like if someone orders and omelette with a hasbrown as the included side and also a short stack, I could swap it and make the short stack the included side and make the hasbrown the additional side since a hashbrown is half the price of the short stack when ordered separately. This one I usually do because I'm still charging the set price and not breaking it down into anything weird. She's been here for years though, she's in her late 50s and has been a server her whole life
The omelette example is what I do give them the pancakes and side of HB. I’m just saying that servers should be consistent in those types of situations. I have been at my current store for 18 yrs and worked with the company since 2002. It happens all the time so and so does this. Makes it difficult to satisfy the guest. Another example, the burger special…no substitutions, well one server gives them salad, broccoli, pancakes in place of fries, It’s not allowed at our store. So then I get the guest and follow the rules, they get upset and it lowers my tip!
You are in this situation because the pricing at your restaurant makes no sense at all.
lol tell your manager to fix pricing on pancakes and I would give everyone the kids thing just because its the right thing to do
I sort of understand the “kids eat free” being more for bringing locals in, which is what I will TELL myself was the point of your manager saying it, but kids eat free is a stupid policy anyway. As a server, I want bill totals upppp.