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The Manager On Duty

Navigating the Manager's Tightrope

Deena V | Monday, February 2, 2026

| Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes ish

The Manager on Duty
Service Bulletin // FOH-BOH Bridge

86D

Being a restaurant manager is a constant balancing act.

Walking the fine line between the demands of owners, the needs of workers, FOH and BOH dynamics, and the never-ending goal of driving profit while keeping everyone happy.

It’s a role filled with tough decisions, many of which aren’t always popular but are often necessary for the greater good of the restaurant.

So here’s a look inside the mind of a manager.

We’re exploring the reasoning behind the decisions and providing answers to the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. From behind-the-scenes insights to tough calls, our experienced manager is here to help bridge the gap.

All Lines Transferable

Deena, our experienced Manager on Duty, is here to answer your questions and shed light on why managers make the decisions they do :

Host-controlled sections and server income

Restaurant host seating etiquette and fair server section rotation

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Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena I am a server, and at my restaurant a 19 year old host controls the seating… why is this system used, and what is supposed to prevent it from being unfair?”

Well, in my personal opinion, I would not consider that particular system fair.

I understand that hosts are hard to come by, we often employ younger folk as well, 17-20.

However, a manager should be responsible for the section planning and the host should only be responsible for ensuring equal covers between sections.

Personally I would not allow an hourly employee of any kind to be responsible for sections.

If this is happening in your restaurant, and you enjoy working there, I would ask your manager, not at 7pm when this is happening, but before the shift, go in a few minutes early and have a conversation.

Perhaps they have an excellent reason for doing it this way, if so, let me know. I’m curious.

Server to restaurant manager career path: Pay, benefits, and lifestyle trade-offs

Mosaic subway tile sign in a restaurant hallway that reads: SERVER TO RESTAURANT MANAGER CAREER PATH

Server to restaurant manager career path: Pay, benefits, and lifestyle trade-offs

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Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena , From your experience, when does becoming a manager actually make sense, and when is it not worth the pay, hours, or stress?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

That is a very individual question. In my life experience, I became a manager at 24.

I was making excellent money as a server in a very well known restaurant, however I mixed business with pleasure and married a coworker. After that, one of us had to leave as that was the policy.

I made the move to another place, excelled and got into their management program right away. So for me, it made sense. I’ve also been married for 21 years, so it was worth it.

I also think there comes a time when you need more stability in life. You may need a credit score, a steady, weekly paycheck. You may want to settle down and have a house, a family. You might just be the type of person who excels in telling other people what to do (like me).

Jokes aside, there is a certain self sufficiency, a certain pride that comes with having people look to you to solve issues, they look to you to make decisions.

It’s never an easy decision, but weigh the pros and cons, literally make a list. Then keep track of your daily tips and see, if in the end, you really aren’t that far off from what you would be making in a salary.

You will have less flexibility, less work life balance in the beginning. But if you stick with it, you answer to yourself, you make your own schedule and there are benefits, health insurance, PTO, maternity/paternity leave etc.

It’s a fork in the road where only you can decide which direction is right for you. I wish you the best of luck!

Blue and black mosaic subway tile sign with icons of a chef's hat and a stopwatch, featuring white text that reads: FOOD QUALITY VS. TICKET TIMES.

Balancing restaurant food quality and kitchen ticket times

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The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena, When the chef is pushing food quality and the MOD is pushing ticket times, which one actually wins, and how should cooks handle being caught in the middle?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

As a cook, you answer to your chef. The chef may or may not answer to the manager. Which in turn would decide either fast or good. IMO, food quality is the most important.

As a general manager, if we have a ticket running long, I will grab a fast appetizer or baguette and go to the table with a song and dance. There have also been times where our turns are tight and we have a full house.

I will always let the kitchen know which tables need priority when they come in so they can be sure we don’t run into long turn times. However, then I will ride the servers to make sure orders are taken quickly, mains are fired in time, and the payment is taken in a timely fashion.

There are a million front of house steps that can hasten a turn time without involving the kitchen at all. All you can do is answer to your chef, (how long out) and try your best to get it done quickly, but perfectly.

A manager should be speaking to your chef if and when something is needed. The guest should always win.

How to suggest restaurant operational changes and improve service efficiency

Blue and black mosaic subway tile art featuring a yellow lightbulb icon and bold white text that reads: EFFICIENCY & SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS

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The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena , What’s the best way to suggest changes that might improve efficiency or service?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

Break down the steps you are looking to change, explain why each change would benefit the restaurant and use terms like: time efficiency, labor saving, food/beverage cost etc.

Any manager who is worth their salt will take your feedback seriously and either attempt to implement it or explain to you why it cannot be done.

Disclaimer: Sometimes we are constrained by brand standards, ownership, or other various “cloudy apparitions” which you may not be aware of that would prevent us from changing certain things.

Or there are reasons we do them this particular way, perhaps circumventing issues that we have seen arise in the past that you may not have come across yet.

Blue and black mosaic subway tile sign featuring bold white text that reads: HANDLING ABUSIVE CUSTOMERS

How to handle abusive customers and harassment in restaurants

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The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena How do you handle customers who are abusive toward staff?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

Simply put, GTFO. There is no room for harassment or abuse of any kind in our establishment. I would present the person with their check, service charge included and ‘politely’ ask them to pay and leave and do not return.

If I am threatened in any way or feel my staff is in danger, the police will be called. In no way shape or form would my staff be subjected to abuse.

The times where the customer is always right have gone the way of steam engine trains. There are lines, they are there for a reason. If your place of employment does not protect you, I would be looking for another right away.

blue and white mosaic sign readin Resoulving coworker Conflicts

Resolving Coworker Conflicts

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The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena What should I do if I have an issue with a coworker, but I don’t feel comfortable addressing it directly?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

First of all that’s what managers are for, that’s why we get paid “the big bucks”—quotes entirely intentional there.

However, if there is an issue with a coworker and you do not feel comfortable going to the manager, I would recommend either speaking to HR if your company has one, or another manager/supervisor you feel comfortable talking to, or a colleague that you feel comfortable with; either of the latter to then bring it up to the manager you felt you could not approach directly.

The larger issue would then be, why don’t you feel comfortable speaking to the manager? One would hope that they would all be approachable and accessible to their teams, of course this is not always the case unfortunately.

Busy Restaurant Subway |

Why Wont They Cut Us on blue and white mosaic

Understanding Restaurant Labor Costs and Slow Shifts

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The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena Why wouldn’t they cut us when it’s slow, and is there a way to ask without stepping on toes?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

One thing to understand is that, out of all employees, waiters and bartenders are the only ones who bring in money—they create a positive cash flow by selling to their customers. Every other position, although completely necessary, reduces income.

For example, cutting a host who makes $20 an hour reduces labor costs, while keeping a waiter at $2.13 an hour potentially brings in sales. In my personal opinion, there are three ways to approach this:

1. Approach the manager: Inquire whether they could use a lead waiter. This could get you a higher hourly wage at all times; I utilize several lead employees myself.

2. Suck it up, buttercup: Assess your earnings month-to-month or week-to-week. You’ll likely notice that the money works itself out.

3. Request off: Request off the slow days or find a new job.

I hope this bit of insight helps. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

Handling On The Fly Requests

M
The Manager on Duty

86D // DEENA

“Hi Deena, I’m a line cook… how should I handle ‘on the fly’ requests without causing a backlog or making things tense with the server?”

THE DEENA DIRECTIVE

I am going to shoot straight from the hip here. Refire tickets are a priority; it doesn’t matter who screwed it up or how it happened, the guest is suffering. If you put that order at the head of the line, the delay will be imperceptible to the guests after it.

At most restaurants there is a procedure to follow. For instance, in mine we use small pieces of paper that look like this:

RECOOK TICKET
ITEM:
TABLE:
SEAT:
SERVER:

The server will fill out the information and give it to the chef to place at the front of the ticket line. That means when the item is ready anyone can run it to the table, or the manager brings it and knows exactly where it belongs by reading the ticket.

We can always regroup at the end of the shift to find out what went wrong and discuss how to avoid that issue in the future.

Lesson: Refire tickets are a priority.

One thought on “The Manager On Duty”

intspei.com says:

January 25, 2026 at 7:58 pm

thanks for sharing

Reply

The Manager On Duty

Navigating the Manager's Tightrope

Deena, our experienced Manager on Duty, is here to answer your questions and shed light on why managers make the decisions they do :

Host-controlled sections and server income

Restaurant host seating etiquette and fair server section rotation

“Hi Deena I am a server, and at my restaurant a 19 year old host controls the seating… why is this system used, and what is supposed to prevent it from being unfair?”

Server to restaurant manager career path: Pay, benefits, and lifestyle trade-offs

Server to restaurant manager career path: Pay, benefits, and lifestyle trade-offs

“Hi Deena , From your experience, when does becoming a manager actually make sense, and when is it not worth the pay, hours, or stress?”

Balancing restaurant food quality and kitchen ticket times

“Hi Deena, When the chef is pushing food quality and the MOD is pushing ticket times, which one actually wins, and how should cooks handle being caught in the middle?”

How to suggest restaurant operational changes and improve service efficiency

“Hi Deena , What’s the best way to suggest changes that might improve efficiency or service?”

How to handle abusive customers and harassment in restaurants

“Hi Deena How do you handle customers who are abusive toward staff?”

Resolving Coworker Conflicts

“Hi Deena What should I do if I have an issue with a coworker, but I don’t feel comfortable addressing it directly?”

Understanding Restaurant Labor Costs and Slow Shifts

“Hi Deena Why wouldn’t they cut us when it’s slow, and is there a way to ask without stepping on toes?”

Handling On The Fly Requests

“Hi Deena, I’m a line cook… how should I handle ‘on the fly’ requests without causing a backlog or making things tense with the server?”

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