Restaurant FAQ

Hello, first I would like to introduce myself. My name is Scott Sebastian. My wife Patrice and I own Sebastian's restaurant in beautiful Caledonia. I've been cooking professionally for 35 years and have been an owner for 15. In addition to my career in the restaurant business, I spent ten years as a firefighter with the Milwaukee Fire Department. I've been writing a personal blog for several years half jokingly as therapy. You can find that at www.saltyskitchen.com. I'll probably have to clean up my act a bit for general consumption.

I don't claim to be a writer, I do it for fun. So please excuse the grammatical errors. (Thank God for spell check) I'll be posting about restaurants, food and fighting fires. To kick it off I thought I'd start with some restaurant frequently asked questions.

Restaurant FAQs

Q: When a restaurant is near empty why do they seat me right next to the only occupied table?

A: Long story short is most restaurants seat servers by section. Often times during slow periods there is only one server and the person seating you is doing what they always do without thinking. It's a pet peeve of mine. We are often guilty of the same thing but we'll do it because we have two tables next to each other that overlook the garden.

Q: Why do I have to wait for a table when there are several available?

A: There may be tables available but most likely a server isn't. Reservations are appreciated.

Q:What do I do if my steak is not cooked properly?

A: Your server should check back shortly after your first bites. That's the time to bring to bring it to their attention. Hopefully there is time to make it right without ruining your dining experience. Once that steak is consumed all bets are off. If your server didn't check back in a timely manner then you have a legitimate gripe.

Q: Why do restaurants charge so much for wine? I see it in store for so much less?

A: There has to be X amount of profit in all sales to make it work. Wine is often marked up three times or more as part of the mix. Funny how people don't complain about cocktails being marked up ten times.

Q: Speaking of beverage sales, do restaurants really make most of their money on drinks?

A: No. The profit percentage is higher but beverage sales only make up for 30 percent of total sales.

Q: Why are the prices so much higher at some restaurants than others?

A: It's about the overall dining experience and details. Everything from the art on the walls to the weight of the silverware. The devil is in the details. It all costs.

Q: I've always wanted to be a chef. How do I become one?

A: Don't.