Playbooks
Remembering Wine Regions Without Taking a Course
Guests ask six questions, none of which need a certification. The fact that unlocks European labels, and the twenty anchors that cover most restaurant lists.
Lawrence Arya··10 min
Playbooks
Learning Menu Prices When You Have Dyscalculia
Dish names stick and the numbers slide out. Which prices you actually need, why spoken form beats digits, and the supports that are not memory at all.
Lawrence Arya··12 min
Playbooks
How to Describe a Dish in One Sentence
The four-part formula that answers what guests actually ask, the two optional clauses that prevent complaints, and how to describe a dish you have never tasted.
Lawrence Arya··10 min
Playbooks
Upselling Without Being Pushy: What Works
Good upselling is information delivered when it is useful, not a script. The four moments that work, the language that does not sell, and when to sell less.
Lawrence Arya··11 min
Playbooks
Gluten Free and Cross Contact Basics for Servers
Two guests ask the same question with very different stakes. The question that tells them apart, the foods people forget, and why cross contact gets missed.
Lawrence Arya··10 min
Playbooks
How to Answer What Do You Recommend
The highest-leverage question at any table, and almost nobody is trained for it. The four things guests mean, and a ten-second answer for all of them.
Lawrence Arya··11 min