Often times, restaurants order their menus for printing, receive the beautiful new menus, and then realize they should have included a few extra notations and sentences. Then, they have to make do with the slightly deficient menus until they have the money in the budget to have them reprinted. Doing things right the first time around can save everyone a few headaches -- especially your servers. Here are four notations and statements you should not forget to include in your menu if you want your servers to stay happy and smiling.

"No substitutions" or "Substitutions welcome."

"Can fries be substituted for the soup?" "Can you use pickles in place of the onions?" Waitstaff can quickly grow tired of answering substitution questions, especially if your restaurant policy is not to offer substitutions. A simple statement on the bottom of the menu cover, stating either "no substitutions" or "substitutions welcome" will make the servers' lives much easier.

"Gratuity included for parties of 6 or more."

Diners like to know in advance if gratuity will be included in their checks. If this is not printed on the menu, your servers will have to remind large parties of this fact, which can not only be time-consuming but also awkward. A good place for this notation is on the back of the menu, at the very bottom of the page.

"Free refills" or "No free refills."

Your servers will soon grow tired of answering the "Do you have free refills?" question. If you don't offer free refills and this fact is not printed on your menu, you're bound to get into a few discrepancies with customers who assumed their refills were free, ordered a few, and are angry that they were billed for them. Whether your refills are free, discounted, or full-price, include this notation on the menu near the list of drink choices.

"Breakfast served until..." and "Lunch served until..."

"Are you still serving breakfast?" This question can get old, whether it's asked at 10:00 when you are still serving breakfast or at 4:00 when pancake batter has been put away for hours. If you serve multiple meals, make sure your menu explains what time each service ends so your servers don't have to inform each table.

By including the notations above in your menus, you make less work for your servers. This way, they can focus more on getting food out promptly and being kind to customers.

If you're interested in learning more about printing options, contact a company like M13 Graphics.