Comments on: 5 Tips to Reading a Restaurant Menu (and Getting the Best Deal)

By: James

James — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:48:45 +0000

@Brendon: You wrote exactly what I was thinking as I read this useless piece o’ crap, so I won’t repeat it.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:00:15 +0000

Thanks for one of the most useless articles I have ever read. You basically said that the beginning, middle or end of the menu could be either their best items or highest margin items. How can you possibly believe that information is in any way useful?

Hey, here’s a great tip! To get the best meal at a restaurant, either go in the morning, afternoon or evening. Look at how great my information is. I should totally make a blog because I have such awesome tips! Here’s another free life tip because I am feeling so generous… Life is too short, too long or just right so make sure you live life to the fullest or just take it easy or spend your time somewhere in-between those extremes!

Thanks again for your wonderful article. I will either spend a lot of time, very little time or some time remembering this the next time I am eating out.

By: David

David — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:37:07 +0000

Maybe folks who look at the right side, what it cost, of the menu first should eat at home!

I eat out because I enjoy it, to lazy to cook or like being waited on.

Not into doggie bags!!!

By: Louis

Louis — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:06:56 +0000

Order the water. Yes alcohol is the make or break for overhead. But not everyone drinks nor wants to spend hard earned dollars on soft drinks. Tip well, be sensitive to table time and enjoy. My wife and I tend to order appetizers and deserts but we would normally not clog a table at prime time to do this.
Sometimes we want to split a dish simply to keep the calories down. We order a second dish to go. We have them cook it at the Same time and we tip on the entire amount. Works well and once we explain our reasoning we have never been charged a second plate fee. Likewise with two for ones. We tip on the gross amount of both dishes.
So order your water. Restaurants need all kinds of traffic to stay in business. If they have an attitude about the water may be time to find a more understanding place.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:19:06 +0000

I never thought about ordering “water” as making or breaking a restaurant. My family goes out to eat a lot, and we order water about 80% of the time. We drink water at the dinner table at home, so it’s no big surprise when my own pre-teens and teenagers order water at a restaurant, even though I have no problem at all with them ordering a Dr. Pepper or a lemonade. I usually tip really well for the wait staff, but for us, ordering water is not about being “cheap,” as some have suggested here. As for ordering a Perrier instead of tap water, that may be going a little overboard. I just can’t see ordering a Perrier for my 11-year-old.

By: Always a Server

Always a Server — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:54:26 +0000

I’m here again, the server that’s a bit reticent when making recommendations. I’m an excellent server–there’s no need to berate me for expressing an honest opinion. I of course make recommendations–I never said I didn’t. I know how to play the schmoozing game. One of the reasons I’m an excellent server (and that I can offer this observation at all) is that I over-relate to my guests–I sincerely want them to be happy. In my 10 years of service experience, I have found however that it’s a difficult dance to negotiate when you want to make a recommendation without risking. a. recommending something someone won’t like (but you do), b. tarnishing the reputation of the establishment where you work if you want to guide them away from a mediocre dish, c. over-selling a dish, and d. (the worst), accidentally insulting a person’s taste. I’m trying to advise that when you ask for a recommendation, do not then shift all of the responsibility of your choice onto your server. I ask for recommendations in restaurants when I’m having a hard time deciding, and I advocate getting recommendations in specialty restaurants like brewpubs, sushi places, etc,…but I generally think its a hard position to put your server in. That’s all I wanted to offer.

By: Louis

Louis — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:20:31 +0000

As a person who had many years in the service industry I want to respond to the server that was uncomfortable in giving recomendations. Oh please! Get off your mental butt. Pointing out recomendations can be as easy as asking the chef or cook what they would recommend. Is the prime exceptional today? Is the fish special really well received, does one cook have a particular talent for a pork dish Figure it out for goodness sakes. Customers do not expect a servers recomendations to be a old family recipe and yes sometimes they ignore it. But the server can also steer people away from dishes that may not be quite as well received. They can promote a special that is not only delicious but a good value? And avoiding telling a person the spicyness of a dish. I would speak to a manager or the chef before I would except a non answer. I assure you they would scratch their heads at a server who couldn’t adequately explain Servers earn by their ability to honestly enhance diners experiences, and also by helping to promote the restaurants bottom line. I would think I would prefer a drive through to this kind of server.

By: marc

marc — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:08:22 +0000

The statement by the restaurant owner above is more or less correct. Alcohol or at least non-alcoholic beverages other than water are what keep a “table service” restaurant afloat. A self seating, self bussing “counter service” place has far less overhead and can survive on food alone. But a full service restaurant is utterly dependent on beverage sales ESPECIALLY true if the owner leases the building as opposed to owning the property.
Did you ever stop and think about what is paying all those busboys, food runners, waiters, bartenders, and managers? Do you have any idea how many people it takes to run a kitchen? A well run, high volume, popular restaurant can make its payroll and pay the bills on food profits alone. Remember, this is a VERY WELL RUN and VERY POPULAR establishment that can do this. Do you understand this? Before the owner(s) have made a single penny, it has to take the money it makes from food and pay bills and employees! It is only from beverages that a restaurant is profitable and more often than not, the money made from beverages cover the losses food sales failed to achieve. When you order tap water instead of at least a soda, bottled water, or cup of coffee, you are bringing very little value to that establishment.

By: Johnny Clay

Johnny Clay — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:04:00 +0000

Lemme share a couple of tips:

1) Know your palet. It might sound dumb to say but if you know what you like that’s half the battle. A majority of people are incredibly picky eaters. They believe they are foodies but they not. I waited tables for 8 years, and when people asked me to suggest something it normally took about 4 questions to narrow down the choices.

2) Don’t change a dish to your palet, order something else. Good restaurants have good chefs who create dishes to balance flavor and feel. When you start substituting, you open yourself up for disappointment. One restaurant I worked at had an awesome Sea Bass that I refused to let any guest change.

3) Ask your sever but beware. The uncouth server will suggest the most expensive items on the menu. I worked at a sushi restaurant where the most expensive rolls were awful, so I didn’t suggest them. Be sure to ask the server “what do you like” or even better “what do you get when you order food?” Do not ask “what’s popular?” Popular dishes are 75% crap you can get anywhere and 25% good stuff. Asking “what’s fresh?” is a great question especially for seafood. Ask for whatever came in that day.

By: giniajim

giniajim — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:24:48 +0000

We usually order a drink of some sort (tea, coke, wine, etc), but we’ll also ask for a glass of water too. I’m surprised that a restaurant would run so close that water would make that big of a difference, but on the other hand, I’m aware of the huge markup for things like colas, and coffee, so maybe there’s a point there. I like the bottled water idea, and I do like Perrier! So thanks Alfy for that suggestion.