When you open your own business, it can feel like second nature to comp the check for friends, family members, and regular customers. But free meals are like hugs – if you go around giving them out to everyone, people start to expect it. Liz, Yianni, and Nikos are talking about the checks and balances of giving out free sh*t and answering questions, including:
- As an owner or manager, does it annoy you if people call you personally for their reservations?
- Should the customer whose meal has been comped tip their server above and beyond the industry standard?
- Do you consider gift cards free advertising?
- What’s the difference between comping a full meal and comping a single item, like dessert?
- Do sales make everything disappear?
- Is there really not one, but two, TGIFridays in Athens, Greece?
- Does your opinion of an owner change if they pay for their meal, even though they don’t have to?
