Owner: So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager URL:http://soyouwanttobeabanquetmanager.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:18:19 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Sure, it looked like a glamorous position when you attended your friends wedding last month. Watching the banquet manager, or maitre d’, escorting the bride & groom into the room, then directing his staff in serving the food, then later even taking ce Site statistics:Click here
Comedian Jackie Mason's Take on Starbucks 2008-06-04 09:40:00 Around 20 years ago, I had the pleasure to share the stage with JackieMason
for a private concert. This was before my days as a banquet manager. He was hysterical as usual.I came across these comments from him about Starbucks
and thought you may enjoy a laugh. Be sure to remember Jackie Mason’s voice as you read. If I said to you, “I have a great idea for a business. I’ll open a whol Read more:Comedian
Banquet Staff...a Strange Bunch 2008-05-28 18:01:00 Don't you get tired of listening to the B.S. you get from the typical banquet waiter? The same lame excuses, or justifications as to why they didn't do something, why they're unhappy or why they didn't make enough money. I thought I would list a few for you. See if you ever heard any of these...I forgot I was on the schedule.Frankie said he was going to pick me up, it's not MY fault I'm late.I t Read more:Banquet
, Bunch
, Staff
, Strange
Readers Comments 2008-05-22 16:31:00 This blog is only 2 months old and so far the response has been fantastic. I wanted to take the time to not only thank you but to post a few comments here from some of our readers.With your help, we can make this blog THE place on the web for banquet managers and anyone in our related field. With that as my goal, I will keep on sharing my stories with you (also, with the never ending B.S. we dea Read more:Comments
National Waiter and Waitress Day 2008-05-15 08:45:00 …are they kidding? This is a great country for so many more reasons than I could ever name, especially here. We celebrate political, religious, cultural and sexual diversity in every form. We even go so far as to name a “special day” after various types of people to remember and commemorate them. We have the normal days: Presidents Day Mothers Read more:National
, Waitress
Dinner in The Sky 2008-05-08 21:50:00 You have got to see this!I just got home from work and wanted to burn off some steam before going to sleep (those f@*^! waiters again). Anyway, I started surfing the web and came across the craziest thing I ever saw. A company called "Dinner
in the Sky" that serves you breakfast, lunch or dinner at a table seating up to 22 people, suspended over 150 feet in the air from a crane! WHAT THE F...!!
Restaurant Waiters -vs.- Banquet Waiters 2008-05-06 23:03:00 …who’s better? In addition to my banquet experience, I have also managed a fine dining restaurant. I have seen both the good and bad in both kinds of waiters. Here’s how I rate each. Banquet
Waiters Basically lazy. They want to do the least amount of work and get the highest tips possible.They will do everything they can to cover-up a stain or hole in a tablec
What's Coming Up Soon... 2008-04-29 18:39:00 I just wanted to write a quick note to tell you about some of the things I'll be writing about in the days ahead.Union Waitersdon't you hate those grievances?I don't care what the contract says, I gotta do what I gotta do!lazy bums...When business is slow, what's the right way to schedule?do you still give them 40 hours - heck no!who gets the "better" shift?pay them for a sick day even if the're n
Ok, Here’s What Happened Last Week… 2008-04-27 18:23:00 …thanks to our wonderful sales department. Last week I told you about my sales manager booking a group with a clause in their contract that allows for a discount of 50-100% off the price of any meal period. Well the group has finally come and gone. All in all it went pretty well with a few exceptions. Here we go: The group was not supposed to arrive until late Sunday night so they
You'll Never Believe This One 2008-04-18 08:29:00 …another reason I can’t stand sales people! Let me tell you about my day today… It started off pretty good. All the morning groups started-off fine with no issues. The waiters even seemed to be in a good mood (you never know with them). Then around 9:45am we were told that that was a pre-con (pre convention) meeting scheduled for today at 10:30am. Well, better hearing this lat
Say Hello To a New Friend in The Business 2008-04-11 15:47:00 I had the opportunity to meet Amy. She's the founder of Fete Perfection.com one of the industry's best and most celebrated wedding planners (she has tons of awards & certifications), I just had to tell you about her (as if you didn't already know!)Anyway, you can learn a lot about what wedding planners look for in picking:the propertythe menuthe floorplanthe timingthe staffIn other words, th Read more:Business
, Hello
Why Can’t We Have an Executive Steward? 2008-04-10 10:32:00 Ever wonder why most hotels don’t have an executive steward position? It’s because the “big shots”, the F&B Director & General Manager, are usually so removed from the day-to-day operations of the hotel that they don’t really know what’s going on in their own property. Sure, you’ll see them walk the property each morning with a cup of coffee in their hand and ask you “ho Read more:Executive
Are You Nuts? 2008-04-07 20:56:00 What do you mean you want to be a banquet manager?Do you have any idea what that really means?Oh sure, you think wearing a tuxedo is cool & it makes you look like James Bond or something. But it only makes you look like a damm penguin!The term "the grass is always greener on the other side" really applies here. This job is great for you if you like the following: never getting paid w
Don’t You Hate it When This Happens…? 2008-06-09 12:00:00 A banquet manager has the hardest job in the hotel and the most unforgiving. When most of the hotels big-shots are home with their families or enjoying their weekend off, we're dealing with the most ridiculous crap day in and day out.Don't you hate it when this happens to you...The breakfast actual start times are 7:00am instead of 8:00am as on the BEO.The kitchen forgot to schedule a cook to wo
Hells Kitchen TV Show Can't Serve Food! 2008-06-11 11:04:00 I've been trying to watch the Hells Kitchen
TV Show as much as possible this season (when I'm not stuck at work overseeing a dopey dinner meeting). There has been one thing I've noticed that has me puzzled; they don't serve the food correctly!I don't mean the cooks can't serve food correctly (they have enough problems so I won't pick on them here). It's the waiters. They continually serve the p
Award-Winning Details 2008-06-17 13:27:00 From Hotel F&B MagazineJune 2008This came across my email today and I wanted to pass along these ideas for buffets & action stations. Congratulations to the Hilton Suites Phoenix.In the ultra-competitive world of banquets and catering, being recognized with an award is always good. But when its based on guest feedback, its even better. Hilton Suites Phoenix recently won a Connie a Read more:Award
, Winning
Is There Any Food That We Can Eat? 2008-06-18 10:09:00 The recent case of salmonella poisoning in raw tomatoes has caused me to write this post.Many fast food restaurants, with McDonalds leading the way, have removed raw tomatoes from their menu. The same goes for other restaurants. Now it's hitting the banquet departments. At work it’s a real pain in the butt since the chef has to modify some dishes that we serve. They don’t want to do it but it
Jonathan Tisch Going "Down the Ladder" Serving as Banquet Waiter, Line Cook, Room Attendant, Bellboy 2008-06-27 08:20:00 Wouldn't you love to see your F&B Director or GM do your job as mega-millionaire Jothathan Tisch did? They probably wouldn't know the first thing to do but they love to tell you how to do your job! Our bosses have no idea... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jun. 5, 2003 - The white tablecloths hung perfectly. The cutlery gleamed; Read more:Banquet
, Going
, Jonathan
, Ladder
, Serving
Don't You Hate it When This Happens - Part 2 2008-06-24 08:00:00 As banquet managers, and all hotel employees, we go through some kind of customer service training at every property. We're taught that service is # 1 and that we must do all we can to take care of the guest and anticipate their needs, wants and desires. (yeah sure, what about our needs, wants and desires?).Anyway, we start our hotel career with the best of intentions and "assume" that everyone
Baked Beans... 2008-07-14 10:42:00 Once there lived a woman who had a maddening passion for baked beans. She loved them but unfortunately, they had always had a very embarrassing and somewhat lively reaction to her.Then one day she met a man and fell in love. When it became apparent that they would marry she thought to herself, "He is such a sweet and gentle man, he would never go for this carrying on."She made the supreme sacrif Read more:Baked
, Baked Beans
, Beans
The Government Can't Run a Restaurant 2008-07-11 08:04:00 It's a good thing the government doesn't try to run a banquet department...By Paul Kane Washington Post Staff WriterMonday, June 9, 2008; Page A01 Year after year, decade upon decade, the U.S. Senate's network of restaurants has lost staggering amounts of money -- more than $18 million since 1993, according to one report, and an estimated $2 million this year alone, according to another. Th Read more:Government
I Can’t Go Out to Eat Anymore! 2008-07-06 09:35:00 Did you ever wonder what it was like when you could go to a restaurant or a friends wedding without spending most of your time critiquing everything about the place or the service? It’s gotten so bad that I need to sit facing a wall or the corner of the room just so I don’t see what’s going on. Since I’ve been banquet manager, I just can’t enjoy myself when I go out (which isn’
We've Always Done It That Way... 2008-07-30 09:36:00 That's one of the worst things a waiter can say to me. When I started working at this hotel, most of my banquet waiters worked here around 7 years and some up to 15 years. After a few days of observation, I made a list of the things I know we can do better on and designed the steps needed to make it happen. No big deal, I've done this many times before.When I sat with the staff and informed them
We Just Switched To Starbucks Coffee 2008-07-29 08:54:00 BIG Deal... Jackie Mason was right...And to top it all off, they wanted to charge us over $5 for a coffee mug with their logo on it! Are they NUTS? Read more:Coffee
, Starbucks
, Switched
Lesson on How Consultants Can Make a Difference in an Organization... 2008-07-26 08:50:00 Last week, we took some friends to a new restaurant, “Mike’s Place,” and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket. It seemed a little strange. When the busboy brought our water and utensils, I observed that he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket. Then I looked around and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets. When the waiter came ba Read more:Consultants
, Organization
Soup To Nuts Carnival 2008-07-23 15:04:00 Do you write a food related blog and looking for additional "traffic"? Then you should look at a blog carnival.If you've never participated in a blog carnival, here's all you need to know, it's the best way to attract visitors to your blog and to connect with other bloggers.Of all the carnivals out there, why is Soup To Nuts the one carnival you shouldn't miss? Because there is no other carnival Read more:Carnival
A $15 Tip On a $1400 Wine Order... 2008-07-21 07:24:00 You know, we've all read stories about what is the "proper" amount to tip a waiter, or maitre d', etc. Some say 15% for average service, some 20% for very good service, and even more for exceptional service.Well, during a wedding last weekend, I was asked by a guest if he could order a few bottles of wine and have it served at his table. "Sure", I said. I went to get our full wine menu and brou Read more:Order
Bacon Alarm Clock 2008-08-12 07:08:00 "No banquet manager likes to wake up early, especially by an alarm." The Wake n’ Bacon
gently wakes you up with the mouthwatering aroma of bacon, just like waking up on a Sunday morning to the smell of Mom cooking breakfast. A frozen strip of bacon is placed in the night before. Because there is a 10 minute cooking time, the clock is set to go off 10 minutes before the desired waking time. Onc Read more:Clock
Stiffed Again! 2008-08-08 08:48:00 I hasn't been a good month for me. First I get a $15.00 tip from a customer that ordered $1400.00 worth of wine then I got stiffed last weekend. Here's what happened.When the bridal party arrived to take pictures before the ceremony (which was taking place in the garden), a man approached me and asked it I was the maitre d'. I said "Yes sir" and introduced myself. He said "So you're the one I Read more:Again
I'm Ranked #4 in Google and #1 in Yahoo !!! 2008-08-06 08:11:00 "Sometimes you gotta toot your own horn."This blog was started on April 7th 2008 with the first post: Are You Nuts?When I started this blog, I didn't know what to expect or if I would even continue to keep it going. As with most banquet managers, I don't have much free time due to my job and life in general. But I kept at it and that's the key.I've been told I have "tunnel vision" and it's usu Read more:Google
, Yahoo
Guess Your Age By Eating in a Restaurant… 2008-08-05 06:08:00 "Don't tell me your age; you probably wouldn’t tell the truth anyway, but your waiter may know!" Did you know that doing a little “dinner math” your waiter, or banquet manager, can tell you how old you are. Try this to find out. No cheating… 1. First, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat to a restaurant. (more than once but less than 10) Read more:Guess
Recommend Site To A Friend
