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You've made a great point. I frequent several different restaurants regular and I can't say I've seen a busboy in YEARS. I think most places are gradually doing away with them and Red Robin probably already has it in the works, but having the CEO make a comment like this probably gets him points with his shareholders.
Same here.
Generally, the wait staff picks up when they serve a new course, refresh the drinks, or bring the check.
"Let me get these out of your way," and they swoop up the used plates and disappear back to the kitchen.
By the time we leave, there is usually only coffee cups and napkins to clear.
I don't get the outrage. There are 4 restaurants I go to. There's no busboys there. Waiters/waitresses clean the tables.
I haven't asked them what they make but I do tip generously for good service. And tend to have the same waitress or waiter take care of me.
To me it shows efficiency.
If a waiter/waitress can place orders, walks by an empty booth/table on their way to the kitchen that they served they can clean it on their way to and fro. Takes what... 10 seconds to grab 4 plates stack them? Stack empty glasses and silverware in the cup and head to the kitchen. Drop the dishes off drop the order run back out to fill drink order and hit the table with cleaning product after delivering drinks. At least that's been my observation at those places without a busboy, and if it gets hopping, then the fat bald manager rolls his sleeves up and waddles. Which is the role of a manager to be able to fill in and do everything everyone else can do.
Unless it's a high volume in and out chain place like Applebee's or something else.
I notice the same thing at Applebee's, Outback etc. A lot of the removal of dishes is done by the waiters/waitresses.
They are better off, simply employed, than the ex busboys.
The kiosk is doing the work for free.
No whining. No protesting.
They can make UBER money for a HS graduate at a Red Robin. The one near me is PACKED every Fri to Sunday. One of their waiters is making about 70K there. Note: He is the exception:
You glass is NEVER empty
He NEVER chats with staff while customers wait. He eyes his section like an eagle looking for a rabbit.
He has an amazing personality.
He has many many regulars who ask for his section.
Some of his regulars are bitterly disappointed when the line for his section is simply too long to wait.
His days off are Tues and Wed. He works almost every Fri to Sun.
Companies are in business to make money for their stockholders. They have TARGET MARGINS they must maintain that the Board of Director as representatives for the stockholders mandate. If they exceed these margins, or other metrics, yes some execs are eligible for bonuses. It is how the MERIT system in the private sector works.
If expenses go up for any reason, (labor, supplies, taxes, occupancy costs, etc) or revenue decreases, the company must cut costs where it is able to maintain the MARGINS. It is that simple. The Trump tax rate reduction has not yet had an effect on expenses. When it does, due to the competitive nature of the market, companies will likely reduce costs to consumers, and/or increase an element of customer service to make their products more attractive. An expense reduction translates dollar for dollar to PROFIT. A increase in revenue does not.
As the wait staff has to pick up the slack for unreliable busboys, it might be just easier to start out with the wait staff bussing tables.
My daughter works at a restaurant. What many have is food runners. Their purpose is to take the food to the table and bus the table. The waiters and waitresses give them a percentage of the tips.
Since MW did not go up EVERYWHERE, why are they eliminating busboys at ALL their restaurants?
So they can get servers making 2.13 an hour to do it instead.
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