March 3, 2022

A Day in the Life of a Splash Café Server

Steaming bread bowls of Clam Chowder for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The enticing scent of freshly baked bread and desserts. Employee discounts. These are just some of the perks of being a server at Splash Café in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. But there’s so much more to being the person behind the register.

Since opening our doors in 1991, providing top notch customer service and creating a truly special Splash Café Experience have been #1 priorities. (Along with making the best Clam Chowder on the planet!)

Having happy, well-trained servers is an essential part of our recipe. When our employees are stoked to be at work, our customers pick up on that positive energy. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a Splash Café server.

Cutting insane amounts of bread

Splash Café is famous for its award-winning Clam Chowder served in buttery, toasted bread bowls. Ever wonder how those mouth-watering loaves turn into bowls? Our servers cut and shape around 1,400 a day out of sourdough baked fresh each day at our SLO store. (FYI: A Day in the Life of a Splash Café Baker blog coming soon!)

The bread bowls are the perfect container for our Clam Chowder, which is made with only California cream and three types of clams, coupled with fresh celery, potatoes, and other vegetables. Pro tip: Add toppers—seafood, extra clams, bacon, cheese, and green onions—to make a fully loaded bread bowl, and rip off pieces of buttery bread and dip them in your chowder for the ultimate eating experience!

Can’t make it to one of our Central Coast locations? Enjoy a GIANT Bread Bowls + Clam Chowder Kit from the comfort of your own home. We’ll ship it to your front door, nationwide, through goldbelly.com!

Taking orders in person and over the phone

Our servers are the heart and soul of Splash Café. They’re the first face you’ll see when walking through the door and the friendly voice on the other end of the phone. They work hard to make sure every customer has the ultimate Splash Experience.

That experience starts with a warm welcome when you get to the register or call in your order. If you have any questions about our menus, our servers are more than happy to help. They’ll even offer some recommendations if you’re having trouble deciding what to eat. (Good news: you can always come back to try more dishes!)
In a hurry? Order your meal online for pick up or delivery!

Preparing fresh, delicious Splash Café food and drinks

Now for some behind-the-scenes magic! Our servers are dedicated to getting your food to you quickly so it’s fresh and tasty. After you order, they set to work ladelling chowder, grilling bread bowls and grilled cheese sandwiches and, at our SLO location, making handcrafted espresso drinks. Fun fact: Servers at both stores pour more than 1,600 bread bowls a day. Combined with cups, bowls, and quarts, that’s approximately 210 gallons of chowder served per day!

Serving meals and talking to customers

Once the food is ready, it’s time to get it to your hungry belly! At Splash Café, you can always expect service with a smile, but honestly there’s nothing like seeing the satisfied smile of a customer when we’re serving up meals. Our staff is here to take care of you from start to finish, busing tables for the next customer ready to dig into an awesome meal. At Splash Café, our employees and our customers are part of the family. We are dedicated to building meaningful relationships with everyone.

Taking breaks on the beach

Our servers get to take their breaks on the Pismo Beach Pier! The fresh air and views simply can’t be beat when taking a breather. In SLO, servers can also pop into some downtown shops or go for a pleasant stroll on Monterey Street. Keep an eye out for their signature Splash Café shirts and hats. Want some swag of your own? Stop in at one of our locations or choose from a handful of styles and colors online at goldbelly.com!

Making friends for life

When we call ourselves the Splash Family, we really mean it. We love to celebrate staff birthdays with custom-made cakes and cards. We even have a costume contest for Halloween. That sense of community continues after people move from our restaurants through long-lasting friendships and frequent trips back to the Central Coast to say hello. We hope you’ll be able to join the Splash Family soon either by dining with us or seeing the server life firsthand by working with us!

Splash adventures

A love letter to the SLO community

Dear SLO Family and Friends, Almost 40 years ago, I moved to this incredible community from Colorado. Initially I worked as a manager at F. McLintocks Saloon downtown (many of you know me from back then).

Splash Café to Expand Bakery, Catering and Online Sales

Splash Café—a longtime foodie favorite on the Central Coast—is excited to announce you can now get more award-winning clam chowder, seafood, and treats delivered to your door!

Splash Café’s Must-Visit Places in SLO County!

Students and parents are gearing up for the new school year, which means it’s the perfect time to explore the beautiful Central Coast! San Luis Obispo County, home to the landmark destination Splash Café, offers a multitude of must-visit places for students and their families.

Create the Perfect Picnic with Splash Café

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They’re flaky, they’re buttery, they’re melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Splash Café croissants hit the spot whether you’re ordering one solo to dip in your coffee or going for the whole shebang with a croissant egg sandwich!

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Mothers are the glue that hold our families together. They work day and night to take care of all of us, whether it’s cooking dinner, helping with homework, or kissing booboos. Create the Perfect Mother’s Day with Splash Café for them!

Create the Perfect Easter Weekend with Splash Café

Family time, festivities, and… So. Much. CANDY! What’s not to love about Easter? It’s a time to start fresh and enjoy all things Spring, including sunshine, blooming flowers, and a sweet treat or two.

Celebrate National Clam Chowder Day—Eat at Splash Café and Help Fight ALS!

In honor of National Clam Chowder, Day, we’re donating 10% of our in-store proceeds from Feb. 25 and 26 to The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation (MOFF) to help fight ALS. So stop in at our Pismo Beach or San Luis Obispo locations to eat some super tasty food and get fully loaded for a good cause!

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