Owner of celebrity-loved New York restaurant Balthazar reveals the VERY unique rules he sets for waiters – from giving NO special treatment to stars to never going home with a customer… ‘for less than $500’

• Restauranteur Keith McNally, who opened the upscale eatery in 1997, shared some of the things that he tells his staff members to do – and not to do 
• He took to Instagram to reveal the requirements that he sets for his staffers, to ensure that diners have the upmost experience at the restaurant
• The owner said that waiters should never rush a guest and that they shouldn’t give stars any special treatment, but rather, cater to ‘a guest least expecting it’
• He warned his staff not to hover, explaining, ‘I can’t bear a server lurking. I don’t want him clearing until after I’ve left or dropping the check before I ask’
• Another major ‘don’t,’ according to McNally, is interrupting the customers ‘flow of conversation’ to ask ‘meaningless questions’ 
• Balthazar, located in the SoHo area of Manhattan, has become wildly popular over the last two decades, and has been visited by a slew of A-list names 

The owner celebrity-loved New York eatery Balthazar has revealed the hilarious set of rules he has set for his waiters, including not to give stars any special treatment and to never go home with a customer… unless they offer $500.

Restauranteur Keith McNally, who opened the upscale eatery in 1997, shared some of the things that he tells his staff members to do – and to not do – while dealing with customers at the restaurant.

Balthazar, located at 80 Spring Street in the SoHo area of Manhattan, has become wildly popular over the last two decades, and has been visited by a slew of A-list names over the years, including Anna Wintour, Zoe Deutch, Sienna Miller, Jared Leto, Mary-Kate Olsen, Tom Hiddleston, and Meryl Streep – to name a few.

The dining spot is so popular that it’s nearly impossible to score a reservation and there’s often a line down the block of customers hoping to get a table. And now, owner McNally has revealed some of the secrets to his success.

The owner of well-known New York City restaurant Balthazar revealed the hilarious set of rules he has set for his waiters, including to never go home with a customer unless they offer $500

Restauranteur Keith McNally, who opened the upscale eatery in 1997, shared some things that he tells his staff members to do – and to not do – while dealing with customers at the restaurant

Hotspot: Balthazar, located at 80 Spring Street in the SoHo area of Manhattan, has become wildly popular over the last two decades, and has been visited by a slew of A-list names

Keith McNally’s rules for Balthazar waiters 

• When describing the menu, always say ‘we have’ rather than ‘I have’
• Always repeat the customer’s order back to them
• Never rush the guest – however, don’t hover
• When possible, try to anticipate the customer’s needs
• Always give the price of the day’s specials 
• When a customer pays in cash, never assume the change is your tip. Always return the change to the table
• Never offer a celebrity a free drink. Instead, offer it a regular or a guest least expecting it
• Don’t interrupt the flow of conversation to ask meaningless questions
• Never go home with a customer… for less than $500

From not hovering around tables to always repeating orders back to customers to ensure no mistakes were made, McNally took to Instagram to reveal the requirements that he sets for his staffers to make sure that diners have the upmost experience at the restaurant.

‘Be friendly, but never chummy,’ he began in the lengthy post, which he titled, ‘Rules for restaurant serves.’

‘Always repeat the customer’s order back to him. Skate sounds like Steak after one martini.’

The owner added that waiters should never rush a guest and that they should always try to ‘anticipate the customer’s needs.’

‘Good service is based on anticipation,’ he explained, but added, ‘This does not mean hovering close to a table. 

‘As a customer, I can’t bear to sense a server or busser lurking a few feet away. I also don’t want him clearing my coffee cup until after I’ve left the table or dropping the check before I ask for it, or to EVER pour my water.’

Another major ‘don’t,’ according to McNally, is interrupting the customers ‘flow of conversation’ to ask ‘meaningless questions.’

‘Once the meal’s served, never utter the meaningless phrase, “How is everything?”‘ he warned.

‘If the server must break the flow of my customers’ conversation, please let it be a simple, “Do you need anything?”

Some more of McNally’s regulations included always letting customers know the price for specials and to use the pronoun ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ when discussing the restaurant or food. 

‘Always give the price of the day’s specials,’ he wrote. ‘There was an eternally hip restaurant in Greenwich Village called Da Silvano which refused to let the customers know the outrageous price of their specials until the check was presented. One of Silvano’s customers famously had a heart attack when scanning his bill. 

Spilling the tea: The dining spot is so popular that it’s nearly impossible to get a reservation. A waitress is seen working at the restaurant

‘When describing the menu, never say, “I have,” always, “WE have.” Saying “I have” is affected, and an insult to the cook who made the dish.

‘When a customer pays the check in cash, never assume the change is your tip. Always return the change to the table.’

McNally joked that staffers should never offer celebrities a free drink, but rather, it should be given to him instead.

‘Or [give it to] a regular or a guest least expecting it,’ he added. 

His final rule: ‘Never EVER go home with a customer… for less than $500.’ 

McNally is also behind many other popular establishments and restaurants, including Augustine, Cafe Luxembourg, Cherche Midi, Lucky Strike, Minetta Tavern, Morandi, Nell’s, Odeon, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller’s, and he has been branded as ‘The restauranteur who invested downtown.’ 

Straight forward: Some more of McNally’s regulations included always letting customers know the price for specials and to use the pronoun ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ when discussing the restaurant or food

McNally said waiters should always try to ‘anticipate the customer’s needs.’ He explained, ‘Good service is based on anticipation.’ A dish at Balthazar is pictured

Hilarious: His final rule: ‘Never EVER go home with a customer… for less than $500.’ Some of the food at Balthazar is pictured

‘Customer service at Balthazar begins with the staff I hire. I only hire servers who are natural and not one iota pretentious,’ he previously told Resy. 

‘On day one of training, my servers are taught to respect the coworkers below them more than those above them. 

‘This means that Balthazar’s dishwashers are given more respect than me. I actively encourage this.

‘As a result, my floor staff end up being more sensitive to the needs of the least confident customer in the dining room than they are to some Hollywood bigwig. 

‘That’s why we offer a free glass of champagne to single diners, but never to Al Pacino.’

Source: Read Full Article