Proactive Measures: Strategies to Reduce Mistakes in Restaurant Operations

It can be costly for your restaurant business to serve the incorrect dish repeatedly. Initially, restaurants typically dispose of the wasted food, which drastically affects profit margins and is detrimental to the environment. Also, restaurant order mistakes can potentially destroy the consumer experience forever. 

Online debate ensued after a video showed a waiter misreading a client’s order at an eatery. This sparked discussions about restaurant order mistakes. Everyone is asking who will be held responsible for the damages. Is it the waiter or the management? Let’s find out.

Is the Waiter Responsible for the Restaurant Order Mistakes?

In the video, the waiter misread the order and served the client over a hundred extra chicken wings. Upon close observation of the video, the manager returns the chicken wings to the waiter and informs the waiter that he will be responsible for paying for them. The waiter tells the manager that he won’t pay for anything.

This raises the question of whether it is permissible for an employer to take out money from an employee’s paycheck in such restaurant order mistakes circumstances.

California’s Law on Deducting Employees’ Paycheck

Under California law, employers can deduct employees’ pay for restaurant order mistakes only under certain circumstances. These deductions are permissible under Labor Code Sections 221 and 224:

• Employers must deduct income taxes and garnishments required by federal or state law.

• Employers deduct insurance premiums, medical fees, and approved expenses from employees’ paychecks. These deductions require written approval and don’t withhold pay or constitute refunds.

• Salary agreements or collective bargaining agreements allow deductions, particularly for pension or health benefits.

Ugo Lord, the popular attorney, confirmed that the federal government of the United States allows employers to deduct salaries from employees whenever they make a mistake, for example, breaking dishes or ordering too many chicken wings. 

According to the lawyer, several states have passed laws restricting employers’ ability to deduct pay from employees for restaurant order mistakes.

For example, in the state of California, an employer cannot deduct an employee’s pay unless the employee committed the act deliberately, dishonestly, or with gross negligence. None of that happened in the video because the waiter was genuinely unaware of the restaurant order mistakes. However, under federal law, it is legal for employers to deduct pay.

As a Manager, What Can You Do to Reduce the Restaurant Order Mistakes?

Mistakes inevitably occur, particularly within the food industry. According to California courts, employers should pay for any losses that arise from employee error or basic carelessness. Because they are unavoidable in practically all commercial operations. 

But how can you reduce the possibility of mistakes in your restaurants, aside from selecting exceptional staff and providing them with ongoing training? One of the best ways is to let the chef know exactly what the customers need. 

While using paper and pen is less expensive, it also provides limited opportunity for efficient order monitoring and plenty of opportunity for human error. On the other hand, digital orders are simple to understand and follow, thus reducing restaurant order mistakes. 

The kitchen crew can view specific client requests, including adding or removing particular components or customizing recipes. So, there is no opportunity for misconceptions because every piece of information and the appropriate sequence are prominently presented on the screens.

Another thing to do is update your menu. If you have a big restaurant, it is inevitable to substitute ingredients and serve unavailable meals; nevertheless, if this is not properly explained, you face the danger of unhappy customers. 

Since we are in a digital era your menus should always be kept up to date with digital menus or online ordering options. That way, if you want to make any changes, you only need to make adjustments once, and it will be automatically corrected.

Conclusion

Serving the incorrect food to a customer who has dietary restrictions puts you at risk for more than just a bad review. It is said that over 250 million individuals worldwide experience food allergies, with many of them potentially fatal. So as a waiter even though restaurant order mistakes are unavoidable, you should be very careful in handling customers’ orders to avoid legal battles.