From How to Burn Down the House: The Infamous Waiter and Bartender's Scam Bible (Promethean Books)
Chapter 3: Suggestive Stealing
"The enlightened waiter makes his own luck." -- R. Chip DeGlinkta
The Scam: Only a dope waits around for the perfect opportunity to drop out of the clear blue sky. By helping the customer make decisions that facilitate fruitful scamming, the intelligent waiter precipitates his own good fortune.
Create the Necessary Opportunities to Work Your Favorite Angles.
1. Convince successive guests to order the same items, thereby increasing your chances to re-use checks.
2. Convince guests to order items that you can get your hands on without a ticket and make more money in the self-service industry.
3. Convince a guest to order a particular item that you need to complete a profitable maneuver, i.e. -- if you have a ripe old ticket for two lunch buffets, do not push the Swiss and bacon burger.
Cheat If You Have To. If push comes to shove and no one is responding to your suggestions, 86 competitive items until you get the order that you need: "I'm sorry, Ma'am. We just ran out of vodka. Might I suggest a local draft beer instead?"
Blend In. Maintain a low profile by suggesting inventory that is difficult to track. If you are skimming the bar, draft beers are less traceable than bottles. If it's coming from the kitchen, move inconspicuous entrees that can be quickly and easily prepared, rather than steaks or complicated items that take a while to cook.
Playing It Off: If you're not careful, you might make Employee of the Month. Suggestive selling is too much work for most waiters, so your manager is going to be delighted to see you taking the initiative.
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