It's Friday night in a restaurant in Anytown, USA. Let's say you are the owner and manager. Your experience and gut tells you it's going to be a busy night. A server just called in sick. No substitutes are available. What do you do? You have 3 options:
1. Give the other servers more tables to compensate (the easy option, but one I guarantee you'll regret at least once that evening).
2. Close off a section of the restaurant (if possible) to compensate hoping your gut is wrong.
3. Give that overachieving busboy his first shot at the big time.
4. Grab a scratch pad and a handful of pens and work that section yourself.
From years of personal observation, I know owners rarely opt for option #4. But I want to stop right there and make a generalization...those who do, and especially those who grab a table or work a section regularly, invariably build solid, successful businesses. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so.
Consider Paul Manno at his namesake restaurant or Matt McGuire working those booths at Monarch or chefs like Jim Fiala, running food out to tables, grinning like a proud papa. These guys definitely can feel the pulse. These guys get it. And if you're on the receiving end--or even observing it--it will have an impact. At a minimum, the owner will gain a "man, is that cool" level of customer respect. And more likely he'll gain a roomful of customers who'll want to see it again.
On Friday night, we were fortunate enough to be seated in Jim McInroy's section at Amici'sin DTK (Downtown Kirkwood for those of us over 18). He would otherwise have been making his appointed rounds, table to kitchen to bar to table, but that night he chose to work a side room (one he could easily have closed), and the room was watching him work it...taking several tables' orders at once, delivering them simultaneously, a quick eye sweep to gauge each table's needs, watching for eye contact, checking back...all the textbook stuff. "We just love when he does this," quipped his overachieving busboy, spoken half-smugly, half in proud reverence.
Even with McInroy picking up the slack, there was a 30 minute wait for a table. Without his help, the wait would have gotten out of hand. Well played and well executed, sir.
I don't recall meeting Jim McInroy before Friday night. Now I know I won't forget him. --George Mahe
