Big Groups = Section Dominance
Generally speaking, a reservation of twenty or more can be a death sentence on a busy day. Hopefully you will have these people in a compartment of the restaurant that is separate or adjacent to the actual arena, in which case you at least have some idea of how many tables you will be stuck with when the rush hits its peak. On frantic nights, I have seen adrenaline-sick GMs start to panic and suddenly delegate incoming customers into whatever’s left of (or nearest to) that party server’s section. Once capacity rears its ugly head, you might find yourself with three deuces more than you expected. It only takes one moment of panic and exasperation to make your own personal strain irrelevant & acceptable to any manager. Scope out which tables are closest to your reservation before hand. It might not be a bad idea to try making sure these tables are sat and spoken for early, before things get crazy and it just makes sense to complicate your life inexorably. Monopolizing them as water/present tables can also solidify your section dominance. Unless, of course, you want the fire, in which case my hat is off.
Have ice water poured and set in glasses for these people ten or fifteen minutes before they are scheduled to arrive, with pitchers to boot. Drinks are difficult enough to coordinate in smaller groups, and when you start multiplying that hassle, even a good server can, unprepared, find his or herself smoked within minutes.
First and foremost: Are the bills separate, or together?
It's a good idea to ask this as soon as they sit down and get the groupings together in your head - when you write down the orders in your notebook, be insistent that you receive orders within those subsections. It’s okay to leave one or two to decide, but make sure you have a clear space marked in your notepad - put a star beside it if you have to. This is crunch time, and while I find myself more willing to fly by the seat of my pants than most, a big group can be an ugly thing if you don't know which direction you're heading. There is literally nothing worse (in the world) than realizing after your large order has gone through your system and back to the kitchen that you made a last minute addendum on the back of a sheet of paper outlining one straggler's order that you were convinced you'd remember. Asking a chef in heated atmosphere to bump this one entree ahead of several others and coordinate it with twenty other dishes already cooking is Herculean at best, and that's even without the desired outcome.
If the bills are separate, you're not looking at a best case scenario, but then, when are you? Chug through the orders and do the best you can. NUMBER YOUR SEATS. Most good restaurants will train you to do this anyway. Pick a table end and number the seatings clockwise from the first customer to your left, from whichever side you’ve decided to stand from. Seat one, seat two, seat three... It is common practice to find a long piece of paper (bill printing paper is ideal) and write these numbers out ahead of time. People who want you to skip their order and give more time are easier to remember after you've made your round, because you will find big white gaps between your seat numbers. Dominate these people immediately, and point out their indecision by calling out the orders back to the table once you’ve reached the end, and point out any vacancies at this point.
Remove the need for cognitive behavior; don't think, and don't put yourself in a position to have to think. Everything should be clear as day, enough so that those helping you run food won't need your assistance in sussing out which order goes where. When they get to the table they're likely to just auction the food, calling out orders and setting them down wherever hands go up, but at least you have your company together enough that screwups aren't likely.
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