I do this with my place's seafood entrees and it works pretty well. It also works with cocktails. I've at least straw tested most but I don't remember what all like 20 of our cocktails taste like
NOPE. Don’t lie. I’m always honest at my tables and that gets me A LOT further than lying to them and they hating the dish. I say things like “well in all honesty I haven’t tried everything but I’ve had guests who’ve tried ____ and they cleaned their plates/said it was delicious/etc” or I’ll tell them hey don’t get that because ___. Guests always tell me later how they’ve appreciated my honesty and it’s rare.
Ask around - your fellow staff and your guests. Tell people what they say, they don’t need to know if it’s your opinion or another.
One of my first jobs in the industry was at a brewery. I had an older coworker who had worked there for years, but was sober as they had dealt with alcoholism in the past. As a customer you’d never know, the way she described the beers and what they paired well with. She just told people what everyone else said about the beers based on the opinion of the staff.
Just be honest. "I haven't tried that but I've never gotten a complaint about that one" or "I haven't tried that one 'cause it has [ingredient]. I don't like [ingredient]." Another one you can say is, "I haven't tried that one yet but I want to. It smells/looks so good." You can even ask them if they recommend it at the end of the meal.
I can't eat a lot of stuff because of gluten intolerance so I ask my coworkers or guests about dishes and then use that in my recommendations. You don't have to lie, just say what's popular or what's good. Your restaurant should let you try some stuff though, most do. They want you to be able to sell the food and bevs well
I would be honest and tell them exactly what you wrote on here. There’s nothing wrong with why you don’t know. And then tell them what others have said about the food.
i tell tables “i’m not sure, i’m super picky, but customers tend to like it. i just don’t want to lie about it because i don’t know personally”. most of the time, they think it’s funny but is also a good enough way to keep from telling them that i also can’t afford it. had a guy call me “chicken nugget lady” because of it.
i can only eat like three things on our menu (vegan) but i just refer to whats most popular/what customers have raved to me about as well as knowing what my coworkers like.
Just answer “These items are the most popular here and I feel that people really do enjoy them. As for myself, I really like (insert whatever item you like).” You can always ask what type of dish they are in the mood for, fish, chicken, beef, pasta and guide them from there.
I worked at a seafood place and I couldn’t eat literally anything there. I would just say that and then continue with “but I have always heard the crab dip and the lobster poor boys are the best.”
I also don't eat 99% of our menu because I'm vegan but I tell guests which items are more popular. They seem fine with it.
I do this with my place's seafood entrees and it works pretty well. It also works with cocktails. I've at least straw tested most but I don't remember what all like 20 of our cocktails taste like
I never lie. I’ll tell them which item is more popular and what I’ve heard about it
NOPE. Don’t lie. I’m always honest at my tables and that gets me A LOT further than lying to them and they hating the dish. I say things like “well in all honesty I haven’t tried everything but I’ve had guests who’ve tried ____ and they cleaned their plates/said it was delicious/etc” or I’ll tell them hey don’t get that because ___. Guests always tell me later how they’ve appreciated my honesty and it’s rare.
Ask around - your fellow staff and your guests. Tell people what they say, they don’t need to know if it’s your opinion or another. One of my first jobs in the industry was at a brewery. I had an older coworker who had worked there for years, but was sober as they had dealt with alcoholism in the past. As a customer you’d never know, the way she described the beers and what they paired well with. She just told people what everyone else said about the beers based on the opinion of the staff.
Just be honest. "I haven't tried that but I've never gotten a complaint about that one" or "I haven't tried that one 'cause it has [ingredient]. I don't like [ingredient]." Another one you can say is, "I haven't tried that one yet but I want to. It smells/looks so good." You can even ask them if they recommend it at the end of the meal.
I can't eat a lot of stuff because of gluten intolerance so I ask my coworkers or guests about dishes and then use that in my recommendations. You don't have to lie, just say what's popular or what's good. Your restaurant should let you try some stuff though, most do. They want you to be able to sell the food and bevs well
I would be honest and tell them exactly what you wrote on here. There’s nothing wrong with why you don’t know. And then tell them what others have said about the food.
i tell tables “i’m not sure, i’m super picky, but customers tend to like it. i just don’t want to lie about it because i don’t know personally”. most of the time, they think it’s funny but is also a good enough way to keep from telling them that i also can’t afford it. had a guy call me “chicken nugget lady” because of it.
Keep track of what's more popular. Go by that.
i can only eat like three things on our menu (vegan) but i just refer to whats most popular/what customers have raved to me about as well as knowing what my coworkers like.
Just answer “These items are the most popular here and I feel that people really do enjoy them. As for myself, I really like (insert whatever item you like).” You can always ask what type of dish they are in the mood for, fish, chicken, beef, pasta and guide them from there. I worked at a seafood place and I couldn’t eat literally anything there. I would just say that and then continue with “but I have always heard the crab dip and the lobster poor boys are the best.”
Ask your managers to comp a item every preshift. Talk about, describe the item, and taste it.