Service: the face of the equation
The food service industry is, at its core, just that: service. Our guests are coming through our doors to enjoy their time in our space. They are looking for comradery, they are looking for connection and, more importantly, they are looking have the burden they carry lifted, even if for just a brief moment. Within our business, the aspect that can truly make us or absolutely eviscerate us into oblivion, comes from our ability to service our guests in the face to face interactions at the table.
In the current American restaurant scene, however, the idea of table side service has been replaced with the McDonalds style order-taker mindset and the concept of true service has been lost out side of the glamorous and the overpriced bistros of our nation's great cities. Bars, pubs, taverns and small and privately owned single location restaurants, which used to once be the backbone of our beloved industry, have moved to this idea that our guests know exactly what they want already and that is all they could ever want from us, so, that's what they’re getting. The once abundant knowledge of daily and weekly specials has gone by the wayside. Recommendations for more flavorful liquores in the cocktails, gone. Suggestions for a wine, or even better, a beer pairing to the appetizer or main course, has never crossed the mind of the server at the table, and quite frankly, not even that of the floor manager, simply trying to keep the hosts and servers from congregating at the front.
Our industry has taken a significant gut punch in terms of experience, knowledge and overall sense of giving-a-damn in the last few years, and we are all experiencing the effects. We all know the turning point and we all have the answer as to WHY it is how it is currently: COVID. But the question that we need to pose, consider and reflect on, deeply, is what now?? Restrictions are gone, even in the strictest of localities, a thing of what feels to be the far flung past. But regardless of our distance from it, the expertise within our field has not returned as we had once hoped. So...
What do we do??
Be the expert yourself
If you are reading this, it's because you, yes that's right, YOU, are an earnest and diligent seeker of what to do to turn your restaurant around. Perhaps you are the owner or a manager or perhaps a server that knows in your heart that what you are seeing, and quite possibly, just isn't right. So, be the expert yourself. Take the time and learn your craft. Learn what flavor pairings are, how they interact, what wines or beers or cocktails go well and compliment your bestselling dishes within your own four walls. Learn how to become personable, approachable and how to have a conversation with your guests, not just be an order taker or a yes-man. truly provide your guests with the best experience possible, regardless of the position you hold. Every single level of service has the ability to make, or break, that guests experience.
2. Set a standard, Hold the standard
Process is the key to success. Do the same thing, the same way, every time. Don't make it a script, don't be robotic, find YOUR way to make it authentic and personal, but do it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
And then, make sure it's being done correctly, every single time. One of the most successful groups I had the opportunity to work with had a written standard of service that was used across every chain and brand in the group. Al though the restaurant concepts were separate, the standard was the same. Set it out, in your own location, with explicit detail! How long from the time the host seats them do you expect that server to be at the table greeting them? How long do you expect drinks to be on the table? When does that server share specials? When should they recommend beverage pairings? You should be thinking about every detail of the visit and setting a standard for execution on each and every detail you listed.
Once that standard exists, hold them to it!
The age-old adage that any uniformed service member will tell you is: a standard is set but what you tolerate and allow, not what you put on paper. So, if you put it on paper and expect it to be followed, you have to be correcting back to the standard. Refer to it CONSTANTLY, make it not A focus but THE focus and make sure that they are clear on it ALWAYS.
And at the end, Inspect what you Expect. Make it clear you are looking for each and every aspect of your standard across the board, and when you find an area or aspect they have missed or are deficient in, correct it ASAP. Do not let it linger, and for the love of God, DONT LET IT GO!
3. Never Argue or tell a Guest how Wrong they are
Yes. You read that right. Yes, more often than not, they are in the wrong. They are terse, they are ass hats, they are conniving little grubs that are looking for free food. DO NOT ARGUE. This goes for the managers, the waitstaff, the bussers, the hosts and, for the love of all that is Holy and sacred, DO NOT let your Chef “give them a piece of their mind!”
You will get far more in terms of goodwill and future business and returning guests if you approach these scenarios not in terms of aggression, but rather in empathy, concern and compassion. Will that business come from that person? Maybe not. But the tables surrounding them will see your effort to rectify the scenario. A guest is irrationally irate and demands a meal comp? Do it. If nothing else, you spent $90 in food cost to avoid a scathing review online. Approach the scenario with compassion and the desire to understand rectify.
If you take the opposite route with a guest, it will only lead to issues in that moment, for the remainder of the day and, God forbid, the rest of your business's life.
Truth be told, if your food is ok. Not great, not amazing, just ok, and your service is immaculate, you will do well. If your guests feel actively cared for and taken care of with positive and excellent experiences, they will continue to come back for the foreseeable future. The primary misconception in our business is that we sell food and drinks to our guests. That couldn't be further from the truth. Our money comes from our ability to provide a positive feeling of enjoyment and acceptance.