Should waiters understand margins? Selling to support restaurant performance
Waiting staff do not need the full profit and loss account. They need to know what to recommend, why and when, while keeping the guest’s needs first.
A full dining room does not tell you what remains from sales
A guest asks for a recommendation. The waiter names a personal favourite, the most expensive dish or the easiest item to remember from training. Any of these answers can be sincere. None guarantees that the choice works for both the guest and the restaurant.
I often see sales assessed mainly through bill value. Yet higher revenue may also involve expensive ingredients, extra kitchen work and longer waits. We need to examine what the team sells as well as how much.
Give the team guidance, not the entire P&L
Waiting staff do not all need access to the full profit and loss account, salaries or supplier terms. They do need to understand which items are worth recommending and why.
Owners and managers should translate menu analysis into practical guidance. “Sell more” is not enough. Explain who each recommendation suits, what goes well with it and whether the kitchen can deliver it efficiently.
- Suitable dishes and drinks, with benefits the guest can understand.
- Relevant extras and their prices.
- Availability and items running low.
- Dishes that overload a kitchen station during peak service.
- Accurate ingredient and allergen information, without guessing.
A higher margin percentage is not always a higher cash contribution
This fictional example compares net selling prices with net ingredient costs. The remainder is a margin after ingredient cost, not restaurant profit.
Dish A has the higher percentage, but dish B leaves more money to cover other costs. That does not mean B is always the right recommendation. Preparation time, additional variable costs, station capacity and guest preferences still matter.
Dish A: net price PLN 40, ingredient cost PLN 10.
Remainder: PLN 30, or 75% of net sales.
Dish B: net price PLN 60, ingredient cost PLN 21.
Remainder: PLN 39, or 65% of net sales.
Labour, rent and other operating costs still need to be covered.
Start with the guest
The most profitable item is not a good recommendation if it does not suit the person at the table. They may want something light, have limited time or a particular budget. Understand that first.
Ask whether they prefer a light or substantial meal, then explain a suitable option. An extra or drink should complement the choice, with a clear price.
Pressure may increase one bill while damaging the guest experience. Good selling leaves room to decline. Refusing an extra is not a service failure.
Recommendations must match kitchen capacity
Imagine a busy Saturday evening when most recommended dishes depend on an already overloaded station. A favourable ingredient margin does not remove queues, delays or complaints.
Before service, the manager and kitchen should agree on availability, constraints and recommendations. Brief the floor team so they can explain waiting times honestly and suggest appropriate alternatives. This is not about concealing menu items.
Start with a few dishes and a short briefing
For each selected item, explain which guest it suits, how to describe it in one sentence, what pairs with it and when recommending it requires care.
Staff should know the flavour and presentation. A tasting and a short practice conversation can be more useful than a long list of figures.
Give someone responsibility for keeping the guidance current. Recipe changes, purchasing prices and preparation methods can all change the economics. A document left untouched in the office soon loses its value.
Measure more than the average bill
Average spend can rise because prices increased or larger groups visited. Compare similar days and service periods, taking guest numbers into account.
Review the sales mix, the amount remaining after ingredient costs, preparation times and guest feedback. More sales alongside more complaints or extra staffing costs require a closer look.
I would not assess individual waiters solely through revenue rankings. Sections, shifts and guest groups offer different opportunities. Incentives based only on bill value can encourage pressure rather than good service.
The owner has responsibilities too
Before asking why staff recommend the wrong dishes, check whether you can identify the right ones using current data. Are recipes consistent with portions? Are purchase prices up to date? Are drinks and extras recorded correctly in the POS?
Without these foundations, training may simply accelerate sales of items whose economics nobody has checked. A waiter cannot carry responsibility for the whole restaurant’s performance.
How I approach this at Hospitality Pro
I combine sales and cost analysis with observation of service. Within the agreed audit scope, I review whether the menu, recommendations and ways of working support the same goal. The answer may be better costing, closer kitchen and floor coordination or helping a manager run briefings and review results.
Individual training for owners and managers can focus on interpreting data and turning it into practical team guidance. Staff need to know what to recommend; managers need to explain why and assess the outcome.