Solve the mystery of how to deliver stellar customer service and grow your business to higher heights! How? By providing enriched and continuous training/coaching for your staff/team.
Major keys to success of ANY business is to (1) know its demographic, (2) understand how to fill a need and (3) provide stellar customer service and experiences every time.
A client told me that a particular restaurant had the ‘right” location and excellent food but had not been on track to meet its profit projections for years. He asked me to train the servers in specific areas in order to help meet their financial goal. I agreed to help.
The restaurant business is one of the toughest industries in which to survive…just ask any number of hundreds of failed restaurant owners.
Proper etiquette can enhance or kill a business. Etiquette applies to every restaurant type. Staff should imagine themselves on the receiving end of enjoying uncommon courtesies. Let’s take a look…
* Make guests feel like celebrities the moment they drive into the parking lot…greet them the moment they walk in the door and mention something important about them — a recent positive news article, new business development, children’s accomplishments (do you know who your “regulars” are? Do they get preferential seating/treatment?)
* What do guests want/need? Is your staff trained to anticipate your guests needs? Do they address them as Mr., Dr., Madam, Sir…?”
* Are your hosts/hostesses/servers THOROUGHLY familiar with the menu/specials/dietary cautions (if someone has diverticulosis, will they recommend the house-made salsa with homemade flax seed tortilla chips)?
* Is your staff properly trained on how to LISTEN to guests AND TO ONE ANOTHER?
* Do servers know who to serve first at the table (hint: begin with women, then men, then children)? Do they know who is the table host or guest of honor?
* Do your staff serve, pour and refill drinks from the right and not allow condensation to drip into the diner’s food?
* Do your staff serve and clear food form the diners left being sure to not to interrupt the diner’s conversation but if so, apologizing to ask if they may clear/serve?
* Servers should understand the utensil position to know when to clear a plate and when the diner is “resting”. Servers should NEVER make the diner feel that “it is time to leave to accommodate the next diner”
* Do they firmly believe that the diner’s comfort and extraordinary dining experience should be an ultimate goal of the restaurateur and server?
* Do they understand that it is annoying to diners to call out the name of the entree to know to whom it should be delivered? Servers will find that it is best to exemplify class and develop a system so that they know to whom what entree goes to whom.
* Servers should let the guests know that the check will be delivered when they are ready to receive it.
Lastly, do you REALLY want to know what your guests think about you? Leave a comment card with the bill with a note stating your sincerity in wanting to know what they think.
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