How To Make Big Tips: Working In Diners, Coffee Shops And Restaurants

Every day, over a million people apply for positions in coffee shops, diners, and restaurants across the United States. As the food service industry continues to expand—reaching from small towns to major metropolitan areas—the demand for skilled and dependable staff grows with it.

This training manual is designed to prepare both new hires and current employees for success in today’s fast-paced, customer-focused hospitality environment. Whether you're entering the field for the first time or looking to sharpen your skills, this guide offers practical tools and insights to help you thrive.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Handling Customer Complaints and Common Money Pitfalls in Service
• Interpret menus and understand kitchen terminology
• Navigate floor plans and organize your workstation
• Write customer checks and kitchen tickets using shorthand
• Calculate totals, including tax, and process orders accurately
• Operate a POS system with confidence
• Collaborate effectively with managers, chefs, and coworkers

By the end, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to deliver excellent service from open to close—and how to stand out in a highly competitive industry. I’m proud to share the knowledge and experience I’ve gained to help you succeed. Let’s get started.

I worked for many years as a waitress. When I first started to work I began to look for books that would help me in my new profession, “Unfortunately” I only found books designed to train employees for the upscale restaurants and not for the everyday Diners, Coffee Shops, and neighborhood Restaurants. I was given the opportunity to work and be trained to become a professional waitress at Pete's Cafe by the restaurant owner Pete Nikolopoulos who gave me my 1st waitress job and my co-workers whom thought me everything I needed to learn about the job requirement. My 2nd waitress job was in Carnegie Delicatessen on 54th street and 7th avenue as I move on to work in many other Diners, Coffee Shops and Restaurants I gain experience. When I first started to work in Manatus Restaurant in the NYC, West Village my ex-boss Costadino gave me a great complement, he was very surprised of how well I was train and worked. I really didn’t think about it before but I was honored to share with him were I got my training from “Pete's cafe employees”. As I move on I worked in Artie's Delicatessen the management loved the way I worked they had me training new employees. After many years of experience and not only witnessing but having to train new employees I realized I needed to write a book to teach new trainees and to refresh experienced wait staff who might need a little extra help. Everything they need to know from the moment the doors open in the morning until they close in the evening. From learning how to read and understand "a menu" a floor plan, a workstation, writing a customer check and kitchen dupes in shorthand, adding State tax to calculate the final cost of the customer's check, adding the information into the computer, working with your manager, chef, and co-workers.