Happy Friday, Hospitality Heroes.

This week, Brandon and Jess are breaking down the number one thing that raises your PPA.

Two restaurants just texted Jess recently saying they already have way more desserts and appetizers on every table.

It works that fast.

👉 The difference between planting seeds and featuring, and why your servers need both.

If your servers are asking "do you want a starter?" or "do you want a dessert?" … the answer is almost always no.

Here's what changes when you fix it:

✅ A starter on every table
✅ A dessert on every table
✅ Higher PPA without being pushy

Watch the full video here 👇

🎥 Planting Seeds vs. Featuring

You can watch the full video training on YouTube, or keep scrolling for a breakdown of Jess & Brandon’s lessons below.

🍸 Jess & Brandon’s No-BS Service Lesson:
Planting Seeds vs. Featuring

Let's be real:

Most servers are featuring. Very few are planting seeds.

And here's the difference.

Planting seeds is brief, energetic, and you're not asking them to order. You're just drawing attention to things before you leave the table. Featuring is slower, more detailed, and usually focused on entrees or specials.

Your servers need both. But planting seeds is where the money is.

Here's why it works:

🍸 Start With This

✅ 1 – Build a Day One sheet.

What are the questions your guests ask 500 times a week? Your sodas, your side items, your desserts, your beer list, what happens when someone orders a burger. All of it should be on one sheet that every trainee learns before their first day.

Right now, most trainees are getting to day four and can't name your sodas. That's a Day One problem.

✅ 2 – Every day is pass or repeat.

Set three to five days of training. Each day has a small written test and verbal coaching throughout the shift. They either pass the day or repeat it. And repeating is normal, not a punishment.

You'd way rather they make a mistake on day three than get a guest complaint in three weeks. And the question that decides if they're ready? Would the guest experience suffer if I wasn't with you anymore?

✅ 3 – Pick the right trainers. Not just the best servers.

Your best server is probably not your best trainer.

Most great servers are too Type A. They ring things in for the trainee, they do 90% of the work, and the new hire never learns.

You want the trainer who's warm, patient, empathetic. The one with a dad gene or a mom gene. And you should be shadowing your trainers too.

Watch how they interact. Have a dialogue with them after the shift about how it went.

🍸 3 Quick Wins You Can Try Tonight:

1️⃣ Make planting seeds a requirement, not a suggestion.

Every server, every table, every time. Before they leave the table after the drink order, they mention starters. Before they clear entrees, they mention desserts. No exceptions.

2️⃣ Kill the "do you want" questions.

It's not "do you want a calamari?" It's "we have a calamari." It's not "do you want dessert?" It's "the hot fudge sundae is two scoops with house-made fudge, whipped cream, and candied pecans." Big difference.

3️⃣ Practice scripts during pre-shift.

Have your servers actually say their planting seeds script and their feature descriptions out loud. Mocks, role plays, back and forth. They don't learn by reading the menu. They learn by saying it.

Your guests didn't come here to read a thousand-word menu. They came to enjoy the people they're with, eat great food, and have an experience.

Your servers' job is to guide them through that. Not ask if they want things. Show them what you have. Get them excited. Then let them decide.

✅ More starters, more desserts, higher PPA
✅ Servers who sell without being pushy
✅ Guests who leave feeling like they got the full experience

🚀 Tactical Reminders:

Jess & Brandon’s Last Three Videos:

• Steal This New Hire Training Format: Watch now.

• Restaurants Are Running Pre-Shifts Completely Wrong: Watch now.

• 5 Things You Need To Teach Your Servers: Watch now.

You can watch all the past lessons here.

Mike Romaine

Chief Email Ninja at The Restaurant Launch (TRL)

PS — On Tuesday, June 2nd, we’re hosting a free LIVE masterclass breaking down:

• Why your team isn’t selling — and how to shift their mindset

• Why most upsells fall flat — and what great servers do instead

• Why training isn't enough — and what real coaching looks like

Click here to save your seat.

PPS — The restaurants we work with become the gold standard.

• Servers carry themselves with confidence.

• Guests can’t stop talking about the experience.

• And the owner’s name? It carries weight.

Click here and let’s make it happen.