Hit 1,000 covers in one week for the first time and it broke me in a way I didn't see coming

Brian Rivera · 2026-10-10T05:00:05.268039+00:00

So my spot near downtown Austin did 1,042 covers last week, which is our record by like 300. Sounds great right? But here's the thing, my grill cook of two years put in his notice on Saturday because the pace is grinding everyone down. I looked at the labor numbers and we're running the same six people through triple the tickets we did this time last year. The food is still solid, no comps, no big mistakes, but I watched two guys just stare at the wall after close on Friday. I keep wondering if I should cap our reservations or just hire two more bodies and eat the cost. Any of you run a place that got too popular too fast, and how did you keep your crew from quitting on you?

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Hit 1,000 covers in one week for the first time and it broke me in a way I didn't see coming | Chefs - SMM Buzz