How a Busy Restaurant can Increase their Revenue

The other day, my vicar, wife and I went to a Korean-Chinese restaurant for lunch. We really wanted to show him the best tung-soo-yook place in Burquitlam’s, famous Koreatown. (Tung-soo-yook is deep-fried battered pork with a sweet sauce containing veggies that is to die for!)
The restaurant is in this strip-mall in a busy commercial neighbourhood. Around lunchtime, it can get very busy with people waiting for up to 20–30 min. for a table. So we sat there waiting, twiddling our thumbs.
Many would come in the door, learn that there was a long waiting time, and then simply shrug their shoulders and leave. I know myself; I absolutely hate queuing up for anything! Though both my wife and our vicar are very funny and the conversation made the time go by very quickly, the smell of kan ja jang and shrimp fried rice wafting out from the kitchen was driving me bonkers! My stomach was growling at all the oblivious patrons seated in the restaurant. If only they knew what was going through my head:
Hey you! Eat faster and ship out! Don’t you see we’re all hungry, here? Come on!!!
About that time, an idea hit me: Why not have the wait staff take people’s orders while they’re sitting there in the back, near the entrance, waiting for a table, get the orders into the kitchen and prepare the food? Then when they’re finally seated at a table, the food would quickly arrive nice and hot, that would save so much time. Plus they could get more customers in the door and make a lot more money! What a brilliant idea! I thought. In addition, serve them some jasmine tea while they were waiting. Or better yet, have the customers text in their orders right into the kitchen, pay for it via one of their phone’s app. at the same time! Don’t get me started! (Maybe A Yeogiyoe bell on the table, just like they have in South Korea?!!)
I suggested my brilliant idea to the manager and she just glared at me as if a straight-jacket might be more apropos for the moment. (White really makes me look fat, don’t you think?)
Well, in any event, I think it is a brilliant idea and think that restaurants willing to implement it during busy meal times would make a lot more money. What do you think of it? Do leave a comment with suggestions on what you might do.
Yvon Malenfant
