Kharasch: Have a holly, jolly holiday meal at a restaurant

It’s the holidays and we all want to have a great time with our family and friends, and very often that means going to a restaurant for a relaxing and enjoyable time together.

Unfortunately, things happen, like the restaurant gets busy and service slows down. Staff are called out, there aren’t enough employees on hand and service is lacking. Suddenly, the good time we were looking forward to deteriorates, and if you’re the host, the anxiety is worse.

Let’s see if we can lessen the anxiety and increase the fun.

Fun starts before you walk in

Oftentimes during the holidays, we go out with larger groups than normal. Even a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations would be smart to make an exception for parties of six or more. My recommendations:

Step 1 — Call the restaurant and see if they take reservations. If so, make the reservations.

Step 2 — If the restaurant says they don’t take reservations, tell them you have a large party and hope they have a top-secret reservation policy for groups.

Step 3 — Your next call(s) should be to your guests letting them know you have a reservation and politely asking them to be on time. Even with a reservation, the restaurant may not seat you until your entire group is there.

Step 4 — If the restaurant doesn’t take reservations of any kind, be strategic. If you want to get your group in at 7:30 p.m., the wait time could be an hour or more. A few restaurants will put your name on the waiting list with a phone call, but once they tell you the wait time, get there 30 minutes ahead of time. This way they know you are there and ready to be seated.

If the restaurant requires the guest to be there in person to get on a list, send one person to wait it out, and then have your party show up about 15 minutes before being seated.

Let’s lower our stress level

Very often the stress begins once everyone is seated, and the server begins to take drink orders, then appetizer and then entrée orders. We have now been at the table for about half an hour and most of that time has been spent talking to the server and not each other.

Here is something that I do when I take out a large party.

Step 1 — Call the restaurant and, reservation or not, tell them you would like to organize the appetizer and dessert orders in advance. Select three or four dishes that everyone can share.

Step 2 — When you get to the restaurant make sure they know that your appetizer order has already been placed.

Step 3 — Once everyone is seated and has placed their drink orders, tell the server to fire up the appetizers.

Step 4 -— When the server comes back with the drinks, place the entrée orders and we are off and running for a very fun evening.

Step 5 — When the dishes have been cleared, let your guests know dessert is on the way and that they should feel free to order coffee.

Great times don’t always happen spontaneously. Work with the restaurant, let them know the size of your party and that you want to pre-order to make your life and their service better. Be a great partner and you will have a great time.

Izzy Kharasch is president and founder of Hospitality Works, Inc., a bar and restaurant consulting company. Over the last 30 years, Izzy has helped more than 700 food service, retail and consulting businesses worldwide improve their operations and profits. He is offering a free phone consultation with Daily Herald readers. Email him at: Izzy@hospitalityworks.com.