When you concentrate on the fundamentals, the restaurant business can be very lucrative. But most servers are making far less money than they should be, simply because they fail to understand what is important or don't bother to work at their craft.

Don't shortchange yourself any longer. In The Art of Successful Restaurant Service, Dan Licitra, who has done just about everything in the restaurant industry, tells you how to boost your income by a minimum of 32 percent. Learn how to:

· Improve your concentration
· Build rapport with guests
· Sell more food and drinks
· Ask the right questions
· Reap the rewards from repeat customers
· Take advantage of special occasions
· And much more!

You don't have to work an extra day to make more money. You don't even have to work harder. It's all about working smarter.

When you're ready to beef up your take-home pay, thrive in your job, and open career opportunities, this manual has all the motivation, advice, and practical tools you'll need.

I’ve written this book as a realistic guide to enable servers to make more money. This is intended for every server (whether you are part-time, full-time, a career restaurant person, working through school or just serving as a side job,) or if you are considering becoming a server in any type of restaurant environment. The methods here have proven themselves true, time after time, without failure. If you want to substantially improve your tips without working more, or work less and make the same money, this book will be of tremendous benefit to you. A 32% raise is the minimum you can expect by reading (and following through with) this book. No matter where you work, or what type of results you enjoy now, you will profit by reading and applying the principles set forth. They may seem very commonplace on the surface, but isn’t success derived from mastering the basics? If you now earn an average of 15% in tips, you will earn 18% to 21%. If you earn 20% now, your goal will be to earn 25% on the average. And no matter what your average tip, you can generate more income by increasing your sales by 10, 20, 30 or even 50%. The math is quite simple. If you’re currently making $300 per week, you will be making close to $400 by applying these principles. If you’re making $500 per week, you’ll soon be earning about $660. That’s an additional $640 per month! What would you do viii The Art of Successful Restaurant Service with this extra money? No matter where you work or what you make, this book will improve your income drastically. So, while working in restaurants is fun, we don’t spend our days and nights interacting with our guests and serving food and drinks just for fun, do we? The goal is to make some money. How much? Well, how much is your time worth? That’s the question you need to ask yourself. Because if you work a five or six or eight hour shift at work, you must decide what it’s worth for you to be away from your personal pursuits; the very things you work for. My belief is that you should maximize your earnings, every minute of every hour of every shift. That’s what this book is all about. I have been in management for over 20 years and I have been involved with privately-owned restaurants and small corporations, as well as a world-renowned hotel chain with revenues ranging from less than $1 million to over $16 million a year. The biggest allure for me professionally has been the desire to help increase sales and profits for each particular company. Many of the challenges I undertook necessitated building revenues quickly. Tasks included three “start-ups” and several “turn-around.” By turn-around, I refer to a business, which is not making budgeted revenues or profits and needs an immediate fix. These were always, always, accomplished through the development and improvement of service procedures. Elements of the kitchen and menu would also place high on the priority list, but the materials here are dedicated to you; the person in the front of the house that has direct contact with the guests. This is the facet of my career I’m most proud of; working with staffs to create the proper environment in which to grow sales—and do so quickly. So what you are about to read are proven philosophies, which benefit the guests, the company, and you the server. Everybody wins when business is conducted properly. I couldn’t have enjoyed any success without people just like you.

Dan Licitra Daniel Licitra, 46, is general manager of Jordan, a catering, design and event planning company based in Cheshire, Conn. Licitra, who joined the company in 2007, runs Jordan’s marketing, business development, venue management, event planning and new product/service offerings. His also oversees off-premise catering operations. In late 2007, Licitra published “The Art of Successful Restaurant Service: How to Make More Money for You and the House,” a 128-page hardcover book on how to improve income and reputation for restaurant owners and operators. Licitra has served as manager for a number of hospitality and restaurant venues. Prior to joining Jordan, he was general manager of Milford Yacht Club, managing all aspects of food and beverage services at the facility. Before that, Licitra was Marriott International as the senior restaurant manager at the New York Marriott Marquis, restaurant manager at Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, director of food and beverage at Brighton Gardens in Woodbridge, Conn., and dining services director at the Edgehill Marriott in Stamford, Conn. Licitra began his management career as general manager and director of operations for Septembers, at the time a well-known restaurant based in New Haven, Conn. Licitra has been involved in the local community, working with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society, the Boys & Girls Village, and Special Olympics.