BRIAN BRUSHWOOD: The following program contains secret hacks.
Attempting some of these shortcuts
can be dangerous and is ill-advised.
The restaurant business.
It employs nearly 10% of the US workforce.
-[dings] -MAN: Table seven.
BRIAN: And it's trying to save a buck or two.
Who likes snapper?
Did you know that some of the fish you order
isn't even the species you thought it was?
More Merlot?
Some restaurants repurpose wine.
BRIAN: Yes. Of course.
And some restaurants repurpose bread,
and that might not be all they repurpose.
The specials may not be that special,
and the menu is designed to make you spend more.
There'’s no end to the shortcuts and tricks
that restaurants will use to get the better of you.
But I'm gonna show you how to hack back.
Hi, there. Table for one, please.
Get a better table.
-Chicken rustic. -Oh, my goodness.
Get better service.
Would you please give this to the chef?
Spend less.
WAITER: Compliments of the chef.
BRIAN: Even get ahead in line.
Can I get a hot dog and a drink?
Hey! There's a line here, and you're at the end of it.
BRIAN: Dining out will never be the same.
I'm Brian Brushwood
and I've picked up the tools of scientists and spies,
of criminals and con artists.
I'’ve mastered incredible tricks and dangerous stunts
as a professional magician.
Now, I have an encyclopedia of shortcuts, secret data,
and helpful hacks designed to help you make life easier,
and give you the upper hand.
This isHacking the System.
Did you know the average American household
spends almost half its food budget on eating out?
Well, let me show you how to make the most
out of your budget with a few easy hacks.
My buddy Jason and I are going to a popular restaurant,
and they don't take reservations.
With the restaurant owner's permission,
we've placed some cameras inside.
The restaurant staff knows nothing about it.
I'm gonna use every hack I can think of
to get the best service and value for my money,
or maybe even a free meal.
Jason, he'll just be his ordinary self.
Let'’s see who makes out better.
First off, I'm dressed well, while Jason is more, uh...
Sexy?
...casual.
If I look like I have money to spend,
there's a chance that the maitre d'
will put me at a better table.
Let's find out. Jason, you're up first.
-Hi. Table for one, please. -HOSTESS: Hi.
It's about 30 minutes wait time.
Ahh.
Would you like to wait?
-Uh, yeah. -Okay.
-Hello. -Hi, there.
-How are you doing? -Good. Good.
Table for one please, I usually sit over there,
but if it's not open, that's fine.
I'm telling the hostess that I'’m a regular customer
because repeat customers often get better treatment.
Uh, it's a little bit of a wait time.
-Totally cool. -Okay.
How long are we looking at?
Might be a long as 30 minutes.
Okay. I understand you got your hands full.
Yeah, I do, but let me see what I can do for you.
-Sure. -Would you like a glass of water while you wait?
-Yeah, that'd be great. -All right.
Steve, can you get a glass of water
for this man in the suit?
-STEVE: Sure. -HOSTESS: Quickly, please.
Thank you.
STEVE: Sir, here you are.
Thanks, boss.
I asked for what I wanted in a polite way.
I indicated that I'm busy and that I have money to spend.
All of these things signal that I'm worth
paying attention to.
We have a table right over there.
-Wonderful. -Okay.
BRIAN: Thank you.
Jason asked for a table first.
Not only am I getting seated first...
I've got your table over there.
BRIAN: ...but look where Jason ended up.
Right by the kitchen,
where the foot traffic is heaviest.
Next phase is to convince my server that I know my food
and that I care about my service.
I need to come off as knowledgeable,
but not so stuck up that he can't help me out.
Here's some bread for ya.
Thank you, sir.
Here's some more water.
So I'm thinking about something that would
pair with a white wine, like a fish or a chicken.
Ooh, we've got a really good rustic half chicken.
-Uh-huh. -Fabulous.
What do you recommend for wine with that?
Are you looking for something dry or sweet?
You know what, you drive.
Go with the Madonna Estates chardonnay.
Nice and dry, it'll bring out a lot of the flavors in that plate.
That sounds perfect, awesome. Thank you so much.
You bet.
BRIAN: By giving my server the power to make a decision,
he's more likely to give me better service.
STEVE: All right, here you have it.
-Thank you, sir. -There's your wine, sir.
-Wonderful. -Enjoy.
Thank you.
It's already working.
I have my wine, and Jason, he hasn't even seen a menu yet.
Ever notice how waiters make it look super easy to open bottles?
Turns out that takes practice.
So I'm gonna show you a couple of easy ways to open bottles
when you don't have a professional around,
or even a corkscrew.
Perfect.
[grunts]
Hard-soled shoes work much easier
than anything with cushioning rubber in it.
Yeah.
Be prepared for this to take a while,
and don't even bother with plastic corks,
they don't budge.
It's not pretty...
but it'll get you access.
It's kinda dry.
My friend, the chicken rustic.
-Oh, my goodness. -Yes.
That looks amazing.
I'm getting much better service
simply by engaging my server and showing him that I care.
-STEVE: Need anything else? -Uh, no, I'm good.
Thank you so much, Steve, appreciate it.
-Enjoy. -You got it.
I'll be around if you need me.
BRIAN: I got seated in a prime window seat
and served more quickly.
-Hey. Yeah. -You're ready to order?
BRIAN: Jason on the other hand
is a victim of what'’s known as mirroring.
Fusilli pasta?
Jason's barely talked to his server,
and he looks kind of unhappy.
All right, man. Be right up.
BRIAN: It appears his server is mirroring
that behavior right back.
I'm more of a beer guy,
but if there's no bottle opener around,
you can open up bottles
using nothing but a piece of paper.
Start by folding the paper in half
and line everything up perfectly.
Get it nice and smooth,
and then start rolling it as tight as you possibly can.
It is possible to do this with a dollar bill,
but you got to be super precise.
There we go.
Once you have it rolled into a tight tube,
fold it in half,
you're gonna place the webbing of your hand
over the backside of the bottle cap,
and you're gonna use your index finger as a fulcrum,
to pop the top right off.
Cheers.
All done?
Man, that was fantastic.
-You liked it? -Thank you, sir.
Take it away before I finish it.
[laughs]
Also, if you could, would you please give this to the chef?
Sure, not a problem.
-Thanks so much, man. -I'll be back.
-Good on the wine? -I'm all good.
While, sending a thank-you note to the chef
may seem a bit unorthodox,
you should never underestimate the value
of well-placed gratitude.
Hidden away in the kitchen, far away from customer's eyes,
chefs rarely receive actual recognition
from the people they're feeding.
Studies have shown that a simple thank you
makes people all the more likely to help you out in the future.
Thank you.
Special delivery.
Get out of town, what is this?
STEVE: Compliments of the chef.
BRIAN: And look at that.
My thank-you note worked.
It's not even a hack so much as common courtesy.
[laughs]
Nice special pairing here for ya.
Basically, you're looking at the special
chocolate mousse cheesecake that we have
with a Gibraltar cappuccino.
This is amazing. Thank you so very much.
-You're gonna love it. -Appreciate it.
[softly] Free dessert.
Let'’s check back in on Jason.
How was everything?
Ah, you know, it was all right I gu--
All right.
Woo, look at you. Handled it, huh?
You did it to me. You caused this.
-Thank you. -Want me to take this from you?
-Yeah, please. -All right.
I've got your check here for you, no worries, no hurries.
You got it. Thanks so much, man.
It was absolutely fantastic.
Pleasure's all mine, Brian. Hope to see you again soon.
You got it. Take care.
I got a great meal, great service,
and while I didn't get my meal comped this time,
I did get a free dessert.
That's just by employing some psychological tactics.
That was amazing.
-Enjoyed your meal? -Absolutely.
You guys are the best.
You're welcome to come back any time,
we'll have your place over there for you.
-Thank you so much. -All right, no problem.
-Take care. -Goodbye.
BRIAN: So how'd you make out?
You didn't like sitting at the waiter's station?
No. No, not particularly.
I got to admit, it was a great meal.
I hate you.
Look, man, you just gotta befriend the staff.
You gotta put some effort into it.
Americans spend an estimated 37 billion hours
a year waiting in line.
That'’s three years of wasted time
per average lifespan.
It'’s tedious, especially when you're waiting to eat.
And nothing makes standing in line worse
than when people cut in front of us.
It violates a commonly understood code of conduct,
first come, first served.
And yet, some people get away with it.
I'm gonna show you how.
I'm here at Pink's Hot Dogs in Hollywood, California.
This place is legendary for its long lines.
It's the middle of the lunch rush,
everyone's in a hurry,
and it looks like it's about 20 minutes wait
before you get your dog.
I'm gonna try to cut to the front of this line
and see if anyone even tries to stop me.
Researchers have found that although people
don't like line cutters,
they're often reluctant to do anything about it
because it might threaten their own spot in line,
and because it might cause an argument and draw attention.
Excuse me, can I get a hot dog and a drink?
-WOMAN: Okay. -All right.
-Hey, hey! -That'd be great, thanks.
It's only gonna take 30 minutes.
There'’s a line here and you're at the end of it.
Yeah, but I've already ordered. I don't see...
I don't care if you've already ordered. End of the line.
So apparently, marching to the front
with a sense of entitlement, not the best way to cut in line.
Part of that's because everyone at the front's
been waiting the longest.
I'm gonna try another tactic here in a bit.
Let'’s see what happens when I try to cut into the middle.
Because unoccupied time feels much longer
than occupied time,
on average, people overestimate how long they've waited in line
nearly four times longer than they actually have.
Maybe by starting in the middle,
people won't be quite as close to their goal,
and will be less likely to reject me.
I also have a secret weapon, Jason.
There's a chance no one will say anything
if the person directly in front of them doesn't complain.
First, I'm going to see if I can cut in line behind Jason.
Excuse me, boss, do you mind if I jump in with you?
No. There's a line back there, all right? Can you not see it?
All right.
All right, so that didn't work.
So now I'm gonna do literally one person
in front of this guy, and ask Jason.
Let's see if that works.
Hey buddy, do you mind if I join you?
Oh, yeah, go ahead.
The guy behind me who wouldn't allow me in, he'’s not happy,
but because Jason let me in, he's gonna go along with it.
But what if you don't have anyone to save a spot for you?
That requires a different tactic altogether.
I'’ll show you how in a sec.
But first, check this out.
Almost 1.3 billion tons of food
is wasted on this planet every year.
How much of this do you think America's responsible for?
Is it 35 tons, 35,000 tons,
or 35 million tons?
The answer is 35 million tons.
That'’s enough to fill the Empire State Building 91 times.
Okay. So I've tried cutting in at the front
and cutting in at the middle of this line.
This time, I'll try the back.
Excuse me, excuse me, do you mind if I jump ahead,
I just found out that my lunch date got totally canceled
and I have to rush back.
-WOMAN: Um, sure. -Thanks.
This time, I'm doing something different.
I'm giving a reason.
Excuse me, can I jump ahead of you in line,
because I just found out I have no time for lunch.
-Sure. -Awesome.
People are much more likely to let you in
if you give them a relatable reason.
Excuse me, do you mind if I jump ahead of you in line?
Because I just found out that they're expecting me back
in, like, ten minutes.
Okay. All right.
I made it almost to the front.
My trick, I asked nicely, and I gave a reason.
It's that simple.
-Dig in. -Hmm.
The question is, is it worth the wait?
Yes, it is.
I've shown you some hacks to get better service
while eating out, but I'm not the only one hacking the system.
Restaurants do it too, and it'’s not for your benefit.
This restaurant has agreed to let me conduct an experiment.
Using hidden cameras, I'm gonna show you the methods
used by successful waiters in restaurants
to manipulate you into spending and tipping more.
I'm gonna work as a waiter today
and I'll bet you, not only can I outperform
the waiter's average tips,
but increase the restaurant'’s income as well.
The best part is, I'll do it with just a few basic psychological tricks.
Believe it or not, the single most important thing
in a restaurant isn't the food or the ambiance,
it's the service.
BRIAN: Yes, of course.
Yes. I'll get right on it.
Bad service is the number one thing people complain about.
Service with a smile is never more important
than in the restaurant business.
The mere act of smiling puts people in a better mood,
and happy customers equal a happy tip.
Howdy, folks, how you guys doing today?
-Good. -Wonderful.
BRIAN: Look what happens when I squat down.
Being at the same eye-level makes me appear more accessible,
a big advantage in service.
Are you guys celebrating anything,
are you having a special occasion?
[chuckles] It's actually our first date.
-Oh, is it? Right on, congratulations. -Thanks.
BRIAN: I made sure to touch the shoulder,
a small gesture that's not too invasive,
but cements the intimacy I'm establishing.
Well, once again, my name is Brian.
Lastly, I tell them my name.
I'm a real person, not just a waiter.
-Excellent. -Thanks, Brian, we'll let you know.
Awesome. Thank you guys so much.
Thank you.
Everybody knows that drinks are the most profitable items on the menu.
It's part of what makes a bar so important.
Instead of people standing around and getting mad
that they're not being seated,
they're actively spending money.
Wines and soft drinks have the biggest markup,
and drinks in general have the biggest markups on the menu.
Speaking of which, I may have some bad news
about your favorite water garnish.
Hey, Jason, when you go to the bar,
do you get a lemon in your drink?
Uh, it depends on the drink.
Sometimes, sure, why?
Because I've heard they're super gross.
Covered in fecal bacteria.
Okay. That's disgusting. Why? What are you talking about?
It makes sense. Think about it.
The bartender cuts up the lemons
at the beginning of the night,
and he lets it sit there for six or seven hours
before it gets around to showing up on your drink, right?
Let's take a look and see what's on there.
Here, tell me, what does that look like?
I don't know, but it's gross.
Like it's gonna try to crawl into your body and kill you.
BRIAN: It's actually not that bad.
This is the same kind of bacteria
that's on the outside of salt and pepper shakers.
If you have a healthy immune system, you should be fine.
Ironic, since we generally associate lemons
with cleanliness and freshness.
At least we used to.
You know where the filthiest place in a restaurant is?
No, but I bet you're gonna tell me.
The menu.
Everybody handles it, and that bacteria
can live up to 18 hours on that plastic.
Menus have a hundred times more bacteria
than the toilet seats in the exact same restaurant.
-You hungry? -No.
-Not anymore. -I am.
I'm going to get something to eat.
Hey, guys, get the chance to look everything over?
-WOMAN: We did. -Awesome.
Did you have any questions about the menu?
A good menu design will manipulate you
into buying the most expensive items.
The costly dishes are listed in the top right-hand corner,
since this is where the eye naturally settles.
But there'’s often a dish listed below
that has cheaper ingredients and a higher profit margin
for the restaurant.
Looks like a better deal because it costs less,
but in fact, it makes the restaurant more money.
This menu has no dollar signs at all.
The reason, the restaurant doesn't want to remind you
that you're spending money, neither do I.
Could I tell you about our specials?
-Sure. -Today we have a Kobe...
Wall menus or specials are often designed
to get rid of food that's about to expire.
You can tell if that's happening
by looking for common ingredients.
In this case, I know the kitchen's trying
to offload some ground beef,
so you'll notice the specials like shepherd's pie, burgers,
pasta and meatballs,
they all have ground beef.
That's a telltale sign.
Okay. Great.
The house-made spaghetti and meatballs.
And what about you?
And I'll go with the Kobe beef burger.
Kobe beef burger, right on, with Brie.
See that, thanks to the power of suggestion,
they ordered the overpriced special.
All right.
All right, quick quiz. You'll like this one.
There's a common ingredient in almost everything you eat.
What is it? Salt, skin, saliva, or all of the above.
The answer unfortunately is all of the above.
Salt, skin, and saliva.
There's salt naturally,
skin cells are in the dust in the air,
and through tasting the food and methods
like the lick and stick for garnishes,
there's chef saliva in almost everything you eat.
I'm at a local restaurant using hidden cameras to demonstrate
some of the ways waiters and restaurants
manipulate their customers into spending more money.
I think I can increase the income here
by at least 20% in a few hours.
So far, my service hacks are working,
but I'm not through yet.
Did you guys save room for coffee and desserts?
BRIAN: This guy doesn't want dessert or coffee,
but I'm going to convince him to get a coffee
using the door-in-the-face routine.
Named for door-to-door salesmen,
the door-in-the-face involves offering a big item,
in this case dessert, which is turned down by the gentleman,
so I offer coffee, a smaller item with a huge markup.
BRIAN: Sir. So maybe just coffee for you guys?
I would definitely do a coffee, yes, please.
Okay. So coffee over here,
we have three options for the dessert.
Now, I'’ll upsell desserts to the rest of the table.
But I cannot encourage you enough to get the flambe.
The flambe comes with a special presentation.
Waiters can even show off their unique talents
in an attempt to raise their tips.
I'd do a little performance for you
and then you get the flambe.
Okay. I guess we'll have one.
Yeah, we'll have one.
BRIAN: Wonderful.
Oh, and you guys wanted a coffee to go with that as well?
-Sure. -Two coffees?
-Okay. -And whipped cream.
-I'll be right back. -Thank you.
WOMAN [chuckles]: Thank you.
BRIAN: Upselling, or simply describing items
in an exciting way works almost every time.
There we go. You guys ready for a treat?
ALL: Yeah.
So to keep you guys entertained,
you are gonna eat the bananas, and I am going to eat the flame.
-Oh! -[Brian laughs]
All right, folks, we're gonna see
a little bit of fire eating here.
[whooping]
There we go. All right.
I used a gimmick to sell this dessert,
but now, another table of mine has ordered it.
It wasn't about the actual food, it was about the experience.
[cheering]
Scares me every time.
All right, maybe fire eating is a bit of a cheat,
but I could still blow it by taking too long with the check.
Its one of customer's biggest complaints.
I'm drawing a smiley face, which has been proven
to have a positive effect on tipping,
and I'm delivering the checks promptly.
The waiters here told me on average, for this shift,
they'd pull in about $150.
I pulled in nearly $200 by just using a few tricks.
That's a 33% increase.
And get this, studies showed
that the more people spend on their meal,
the greater satisfaction they report.
So it's like a win-win-win.
The restaurant makes more, the waiters make more,
the customer goes home happier,
but at least now, you'll be a more discerning customer.
Remember, behind the fancy menus and the big smiles,
restaurants are trying to manipulate you
into giving them more money.
All right. So we know we love eating out,
but what food do we Americans love to eat the most?
Is it steak, pizza, hot dogs, or chicken?
Anyone with kids knows the answer to this one.
The answer is, of course, pizza.
Man, do we love pizza.
So much so we spend over $32 billion every year on it,
making it our number one go-to food.
Pretty much everyone I know orders pizza.
So Jason and I were wondering,
which is faster, pickup or delivery?
We decided to find out.
-Hello. -Hello, welcome to Pizza Man.
Hey, pickup for Brushwood.
-All right. Large pizza? -Yep.
Jason and I ordered pizzas from the same place at the same time.
He's waiting for delivery, I'm picking mine up.
Now, of course, it depends on where you are and where you go,
but Jason and I conducting a highly unscientific test.
We're also going to find out which pizza's hotter.
So far, it's been 9 minutes and 32 seconds
since we ordered, and I'm back.
I wonder if Jason has a pizza yet.
Hot, fresh, and ahead of schedule.
-Yes! -Did your guy make it yet?
Uh, no. Of course not.
[laughs]
[beeping]
What's it at?
JASON: 155.4 and it's falling.
Well, then, we'd better hurry.
JASON: Where's my pizza, dude?
Probably out doing the eight other orders on the same run.
It's not profitable to send 'em out one at a time.
-[doorbell buzzing] -Oh.
Come on in.
-There's your guy. -[door opens]
Hey.
Hey, boss, how you doing?
BRIAN: Jason's pizza wasn't far behind mine,
but let's see how hot it is.
Congealed, and 17 minutes later.
[beeps]
JASON: 101.4
BRIAN: Nice. Just above room temperature.
-JASON: Yeah. -And what did we learn?
Hey, man, it may be a little bit colder,
and I had to wait a little longer,
but I didn't have to leave the house.
Touche, sir.
The point of pizza is to stay on the couch.
Captioned by Point.360