An Italian restaurant where I worked in Washington, D.C., sold a fantastic thick veal chop that we topped with fresh chanterelles and lemon and sage. Nearly every ticket that came into the kitchen had at least one veal chop sold on it. But one particular waiter suggested customers order single veal chops grilled with garlic and rosemary. The garlic and rosemary was a fine preparation but it wasn't the one that the chef had written nor was it the one that we prepped for. Fortunately it was simple enough to prepare so as not to be a nuisance. (The same cannot be said of the server - simple yes, but definitely a nuisance.)

While his freelancing was counterproductive to the kitchen and probably motivated by the waiter's desire to increase his tips (and prove his culinary prowess to be superior to the chef's), it shows that the power of suggestive selling, when used properly (unlike in this case) can be a terrific tool to keep your refrigerator inventory turning over at a healthy pace. You can write a lilting description of your venison chops with rosemary and caramelized onion crust so beautiful that it would make Shakespeare jealous but until your waitstaff gets behind it, you might not want to pre-sear any of those chops.

That requires inspiring your servers to become sales-minded professionals. That can be a tall order if you're not running a well-respected and expensive restaurant in a big city, say like Union Square Caf‚ in New York, where staffing your restaurant with quality, career servers is a relatively easy task. Servers who are motivated by a progressive healthy and vibrant workplace and, oh yeah, a very healthy wallet bulge, are naturally attracted to such environments. They're even willing to compete to work there.

But how does a chef in Wichita or Wilmington inspire his staff?

A premeal meeting between the chef and the waitstaff should be a routine in every restaurant. Ours always happens at the tail end of the employee meal time, just before service. It's a stolen moment of calm when the chef speaks to the servers like humans and explains not only specials but also tries to instill his passion in the front-of-the-house staff. When the chef shares his enthusiasm and pride, the feeling can be infectious.

But to really get the waitstaff behind selling an item, have them taste it. When the waitstaff can speak from experience instead of reading from a card, their genuine enthusiasm is irresistible to the customer.

The premeal meeting is also a time when servers can give feedback to the chef about prior specials or new menu items. The chef needs to leave his ego handcuffed to the Vulcan range when this exchange takes place because the feedback can't and shouldn't always be positive. But as long as the customers' comments (and decidedly not the servers') are presented in a constructive manner, the chef has only to gain by listening and acting accordingly.

Chef's Notebook: Conducting a Preservice Meeting

- Always hold a premeal meeting to discuss the day's specials or any special circumstances of the upcoming shift.

- Have the waitstaff taste any specials or, in fact, anything you want to move. If they can recommend from experience, their pitch has instant credibility.

- Provide buzzwords but encourage them to embellish on their own. - Specify ingredient origins whenever possible, like Oregon morels and Jersey tomatoes.

- Listen to customer feedback, especially negative, with an open mind. It's invaluable information but only if it's used.

Chef's Notebook: Responding to a Returned Meal

- Don't be defensive. Take the opportunity to investigate to make sure that your product is sound.

- Analyze the validity of the complaint only to avoid repeating the problem, not to dispute the customer's claim.

- Offer a small, quickly-made appetizer for customers to nibble while their dish is refired.

- Servers should be quick to suggest an alternative to the offending meal.

- Be sure to "acknowledge" the difficulty with something special.

- Don't exacerbate the situation by dwelling on the complaint. Work harder on making the solution as speedy as possible.

- Be apologetic but don't go overboard unless the situation really warrants.

- Have the waitstaff taste any specials or, in fact, anything you want to move. If they can recommend from experience, their pitch has instant credibility.

- Provide buzzwords but encourage them to embellish on their own. - Specify ingredient origins whenever possible, like Oregon morels and Jersey tomatoes.

- Listen to customer feedback, especially negative, with an open mind. It's invaluable information but only if it's used.