Servers are your brand ambassadors; they are your restaurant’s face and your business’s voice. But sometimes, it can also be a deterrent to repeat business. If you dine out regularly, you would know precisely the service you should receive in a restaurant representing an experience worth discussing. It’s about exceeding expectations and not just meeting them.
You walk into an outlet, and the waiter passes you the menu. A few minutes later, they will stand beside the table with a notepad, waiting for you to say your order. They repeat your order at the end and leave with the menu. In the end, they hand you the bill and off you go. I understand you; there is nothing fundamentally wrong with that. After all, that is the job of a waiter, right?
WRONG!
As famous chef/owner Tom Colicchio said, service has two parts. The mechanics of service, which I just described, and the hospitality of kindness make your customers return. Unfortunately, most restaurants and cafes train servers too quickly, and the focus is on efficiently taking orders, bringing out dishes, and closing the table but not looking into the customer service and hospitality aspect of the business that we are in.
So here are five tried and tested ways to incorporate into your customer service. I have used these and continue to train my teams in these simple but effective methods. By doing this, I guarantee you will have more returning and regular customers for your business.
Warm Greeting
The first impression is often the most important. And if I walk into a restaurant or cafe and the first thing I see is a disgruntled service staff, the meal is set to be mediocre at best. Always remember that customers are not there to fill their stomachs when they walk into a restaurant. They are there for a dining experience. Good food fills the stomach, but only good service fulfils the experience. Greetings can be simple and effective, but they must be sincere and consistent, not just for the first ten customers of the day.
(Big Smile) Hi, good afternoon. Welcome to Paul’s Restaurant. How may I help you?
How would you as a customer feel if you walked into a restaurant and someone greeted you like that? Immediately, you would think that you are appreciated.
Introduce Yourself
This is by far the most underrated way to show customers personalised hospitality. Most restaurants and cafes I visited never do this. A name badge is not an introduction. Dining at a restaurant is a social experience, and customers go there to learn about the brand and the people behind it.
When a server sits down and introduces their name to me, I immediately relate to the brand as more human. I know that if I need anything during my meal, Paul (the server) will take care of me. Also, if there were a mistake in my order, I would find it difficult to get angry with Paul, too.
Hello, I am Paul, and I will be your server today. Feel free to ask me for anything. Here is the menu; I will return in a few minutes to take your order.
Years ago in London, two friends and I walked into a bar with about 30 seats. We sat on the stools at the bar for a quick drink. The barman greeted us immediately and asked for our names. He had a small notepad, which he began to write on as we said our words. He then tore a piece from his pad and handed it to us with his name on it. As he gave it to me, he stated, “Here is my name; I am Brad, and I will leave you this”. “If you need anything, just call out my name”. I noticed he did the same thing throughout the night to everyone at the bar. During the evening, he would walk past every customer (about 25 people) and know everyone’s name by heart. He would serve drinks and say, “Here you are, Paul, and there you are, John, ” etc. I was so amazed at how he remembered everyone’s name.
Later that evening, I discovered that he never wrote his name down on the notepad before handing it to us. Instead, he wrote our names down and stuck them behind the bar. He had pre-written his name on the back of the pad and just gave it out, but he made it out as if he were writing it down.
In doing this, he could take everyone’s name down and add a personal touch. And you could only imagine how many tips he was making. To this day, I am still talking about it.
Comment on the Dish Choices
Remember when you walk into a new restaurant, and as you look through the menu, you wonder and have doubts about your orders? Should I get the garlic-roasted chicken? The prawn curry sounds good, too. What if I picked the wrong dish? I don’t know about you, but I always get that little voice. And the fact is that both words are probably good in their ways.
But when a server comments that the dish is their favourite, the most popular dish on the menu, or the restaurant’s signature dish, it immediately removes doubt and reassures me that I am making the right choice.
Great Choice! The garlic-roasted chicken is the most popular dish.
Have a conversation
I always appreciate it if a server has a conversation with me. There are plenty of topics that are suitable for this situation. We could discuss the new dish they introduced or a unique light decoration they just installed. If I am a regular customer, they could ask me how my work trip or family was. Little things like this make a customer feel special and show that people at the restaurant care and remember.
Hi Paul, It is so good to see you again. How’s little Sienna doing? Is she still enjoying ballet?
Say Bye With Appreciation
Saying goodbye is the last interaction with the customer and will wrap up the entire experience. So, it’s essential to close it with a positive note that customers will remember. And that goes beyond just saying thank you and goodbye. Could you tell customers in a way that shows how grateful you are for their business?
Thanks for coming to Paul’s Restaurant. I’m glad you enjoyed the soufflé and hope to see you again. Goodbye!
These five simple ways of interaction are not rocket science and can be applied to your food business today. So if you want to create loyal and returning customers, stop what you are doing and spend 10 minutes training your staff. Little details like these can go a long way to making good branding.
Turn Your Waiters Into Salespeople
Once your servers have the hospitality basics in place, the next step is teaching them to sell.
If your restaurant is mid- to upscale and incorporates a menu, bar and wine list sprinkled with high-dollar items, chances are you need a staff who can merchandise them to your guests. Many great bottles of wine and cuts of beef sell themselves, and a colourful menu description will undoubtedly impact your order sheets. However, no aspect of your restaurant can overhaul check averages like a dynamic, sales-driven service staff. Servers who come to work ready to sell are the puzzle pieces that complement the diverse and flavorful selections on your menu and wine list. Therefore, an operator must know how to assemble a service staff equipped to sell his product.
Some operators are fortunate enough to walk into a service staff that knows how to sell. Sometimes, the expensive items on a wine list and menu are sufficient incentives for servers to commit themselves to learning how to deal with them. For example, the restaurant I worked for in one of my first server jobs offered an $80 appetiser, and you can bet I learned how to sell it. However, most service staff are formed as a product of a store culture that encourages sales, an effective incentive program and a hiring manager who can identify sellers—first, a few notes on each.
A culture of sales starts with a few leaders on the floor who buy into your menu, bar and wine list. These people have a passion for food and wine and a genuine interest in what your restaurant offers. This may be why Italian-American servers do well in Italian restaurants. Leaders on a dining room floor encourage other servers to excel at sales through their high check averages and big tables. The mere presence of a bottle of Opus One on the server’s table in the neighbouring section encourages a server to want to learn how to sell big bottles of wine.
Conversely, a culture of disinterest in sales can undermine an operator’s extensive work to create an attractive menu and wine list. A service staff that takes orders rather than selling the menu is quickly apparent and is always the fault of the operator and management team. There are too many answers to turn around a service staff that doesn’t sell, including wine tastings, menu tastings, re-training and new hiring. Effective incentive programs can come in a variety of forms. They can be overt tools, such as contests and rewards. They can be implicit, such as doling out prime sections, tables or schedules to servers with the highest check average. Generally, every mid- to upscale restaurant should post per-guest-average sheets highlighting the servers leading the way. Contests that offer rewards to servers who sell whatever you want them to sell benefit everyone. They cultivate competition, reflect which servers are working to improve, and move products off the shelves.
Finally, a hiring manager must be able to recognise good sellers when they walk in for an interview. Good sellers are enthusiastic by nature. They are friendly and establish rapport quickly. They also can become experts or already demonstrate expertise in food, wine and liquor. In addition, good sellers typically are experienced servers who can quickly step into and process a new environment. Therefore, the challenges are about mastering the menu and wine list as much as they are about providing good service.
Ultimately, a restaurant’s service reflects the operator’s vision. An operator who cares enough to offer quality menu items and a diverse wine list must be driven to assemble the right staff to merchandise it.
If you would like support with service standards and server training, explore our restaurant operations and staff training services or contact our London team.
