Life Is Short, Eat Dessert First!

This is an idea I have had for a long time and it struck me at lunch today, after being asked the same question almost all wait staff ask after you've had lunch of dinner, "Did yo leave any room for dessert?" that maybe I should write about this concept and see what others think. And since a large part of our businesses are in the restaurant industry, maybe this will help someone make more money.

OK, here it goes. Why do waiters and waitresses always wait for the end of the meal to ask "Have you saved room for dessert?" of course we haven't. Who does? I'll bet dessert orders are way down at the bottom of a restaurant's revenue.

However, what if the waiter/waitress asked for the dessert order at the beginning of the meal? What would happen then? Would their percentage of dessert orders go up? Here's what I'm thinking. Ask for the dessert order along with the appetizers and main course when the person has come in, sat down and is HUNGRY! I've got to believe that the orders for desserts would go up when you catch a patron at their hungriest point. Put very simply, the dialogue might go something like this,

"May I take your order?"
"Yeah I'll have some of this and this."
"Great. Would you like to start the meal off with some fried mushrooms or calamarie?" (get that appetizer order in)
"Yeah, I'll take some fried mushrooms."
"And to top it all off, would you like to try a soft strawberry cheesecake or a sliver of zesty Key Lime pie?" (totally assuming the sale)

You ask for the drink order, appetizer and dinner order and then the dessert order.

It's a guarantee if a waitress or waiter waits till the end of the meal to see if I have "left any room for dessert," I'm too full and can't even comprehend the thought of eating dessert. But if you get me at the beginning fo the meal, I might just go for it.

What do you think? Is this a good idea for raising the percentage of dessert orders?