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I actually talked about this in my previous article. At a time when hospitality is facing an unprecedented crisis and we see bars and restaurants closing left and right, it’s always hard for those of us with a trained eye to sit down and not notice the endless mistakes many operators make inside their own venues. We’re not talking about a random off night that can happen to anyone, but a total lack of fundamentals. You can clearly see when there’s no leadership and the place is just running on autopilot—with the cash register and the customer’s patience ultimately paying the price.
Service Errors at the Table and Bar: The Details That Ruin a Venue
As an active consumer, I often visit restaurants, bars, and pizzerias both in Italy and abroad. What I constantly notice are mistakes—sometimes downright basic ones—in service, menu design, plating, or overall management. Things that make anyone who has spent years in this industry cringe, because you instantly realize no one ever explained to those kids how to move around tables or behind a bar.
I’m not saying every operator, waiter, bartender, chef, or manager needs to be the absolute benchmark of their workplace, otherwise we’d all have top-tier venues, millions of Michelin stars, top restaurants, and thousands of World’s Best Bars.
Jokes aside, I think the real problem is that this playful vision isn’t even close to reality. Instead, there are still far too many places offering poor service, run in a sloppy way, with a staff that isn’t properly trained or capable. And the worst part is that people settle for this mediocrity, thinking customers will just tolerate anything—until the tables start staying empty.
From the most recent example of a waiter on his second day asking me if I want my grilled chicken rare or medium-rare, to a pizzeria owner who habitually brings drinks first and only brings glasses to the table minutes later. From waiters wearing hoodies or tracksuits like we’re at the gym, to staff wearing work clothes that haven’t been washed in days. From missing serving cutlery and sharing plates, to not knowing product costs and having no idea how to extract a profit! All missteps that ruin a venue’s credibility in less than two minutes.
Restaurant Management and Staff Training: Where Mistakes Stem From
All these errors point back to one root cause: a lack of commercial management knowledge and the resulting inability to train staff when they aren’t already operating at a high professional level. If you don’t know how service works in the first place, how can you expect the kid you just hired to know?
Many might tell me that training costs money, takes up time, this, that… These are all excuses that, if not addressed properly, only increase your risk of going under. And throwing money out the window right now doesn’t strike me as a brilliant idea.
- Leveraging Staff Potential: Have you ever considered that someone placed in a role unfit for their skills simply can’t express their value, making you lose money? Putting an introverted kid on aggressive door greeting only hurts their work and your bottom line.
- Cost Control and Menu Margins: Have you ever considered that if you analyze your menu to understand real costs and which food or drink items carry the highest margins, you could manage service much easily while earning significantly more? Pushing the right items at the bar or table makes all the difference at the end of the month.
- The Power of Operational Leadership: Have you ever considered that if you, as an operator or manager, are capable and hands-on operational-wise, you can train and educate your team? Giving clear directions, standards, and guidance ensures that the people representing your voice at the table sell well and bring in profit.
A manager without operational skills taking it out on their staff is like a soccer coach who doesn’t know the rules of the game, never runs practice, and then expects to win the Champions League.
Profit Margins in F&B: Why Adapting Is Mandatory Today
One of the biggest challenges right now is minimizing mistakes, because the risks are higher and profit margins are tighter than ever. You used to be able to afford bad pours, wasted inventory, or disengaged staff; today, with current utility bills and overhead, every single oversight costs you dearly.
Management and evaluation errors—even small ones—multiply this risk. With all the resources available today to study, learn, and improve, why not stop for a moment, do a reality check, and realize it might be time to make some changes? Sticking to “we’ve always done it this way” is the fastest way to file for bankruptcy.
In the past, these learning tools didn’t exist, social media wasn’t around to call out every mistake, customers had far less awareness, and lower living costs allowed for higher margins that absorbed sloppy management. Today, customers know what they are eating and drinking, and they instantly spot when you’re cutting corners.
To paraphrase a Darwinian maxim of mine… adapt and evolve, or close your doors.
Diego Ferrari
Diego Ferrari 