20 things your service staff should NEVER do
As owners and managers, we are sometimes blinkered as to the actual experiences being had by our customers as we delegate more and do our “top level” thinking. With this in mind, now is a good time to sit down with your staff and remind them of this list of 20 things they should never do. Maybe you have other suggestions too? Let me know in the comments.
- Hide the service charge. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.
- Be unfamiliar with anything sold. Know your menu inside and out. When you serve a Chocolate Guinness Cake, know something about Guinness!
- Allow double-ordering. Do not let guests double‐order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders french fries with their roast beef that it is served with french fries already.
- Ignore the Special. If there is a Special of the Day, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.
- Ignore another staff member’s table. Do not ignore a table in the bar because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)
- Force customers to beg. Bring the pepper grinder with the starters. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.
- Make judgmental faces. Do not bring judgment with the tomato sauce. Or mustard. Or Tabasco. Or whatever condiment is requested.
- Leave place settings that are not being used. Don’t make a customer feel like they should have company or that they are inferior for not filling a table with friends.
- Drip feed the table. Bring all the starters at the same time, or do not bring the starters. Same with main course and desserts.
- Stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her.
- Let a customer die of thirst. Do not let a glass sit empty for too long. Approach the table and offer something more to drink. This will increase turnover.
- Blame the kitchen sink. Never blame the chef or the runner or the manager or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.
- Make the customers guess. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.
- Let customers re-use cutlery. Always remove used cutlery and replace it with new.
- Be plain rude. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it a napkin, spoon or menu.
- Build a leaning tower. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh.
- Invade personal space. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.
- Lack common sense. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort.
- Burn your guests. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.
- Be creepy. A handshake is as close as you should get to a guest. Never pat them on the back, head or backside.
The 10 Keys to Great Hospitality Service
Your establishment, whether it is a restaurant, bar or a hotel, is made of bricks and mortar and this gives the customer an initial impression of what your establishment is like. But it happens too often that staff are rude, pretentious or simply not up to the task at hand. Needless to say; you won’t return!
The biggest reason for customers not returning to an establishment is due to a staff member’s attitude or indifference.
There are several guidelines to be adhered to when working in the hospitality industry. It requires talented individuals who need to be:
· Efficient
· Patient
· Thoughtful
· Responsible
· Reliable
· Customer focused
Here a few pointers which you can share with your staff so they know what is expected from them, whether they are working in a cafe, a bar, a Michelin starred restaurant or the local greasy spoon.
1. Always give a warm greeting with a smile
2. Listen to the customer request. If you do not hear them correctly then don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat their order so as you get it correct.
3. Anticipate the guests needs by offering before being asked, “would you like another drink”, “would you like some extra sauce”, “would you like water with your meal”
4. If a customer says “Thank you”, respond and say “you’re welcome”
5. Any staff member who receives a complaint “owns” that complaint. They are then responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction. Gone are the days of saying “this is not my section” or “yeah, I’ll be with you in a minute”.
6. Communicate guest’s problems with your fellow employees and management.
7. Always remember the importance of teamwork.
8. Take responsibility for your own behaviour.
9. When things go wrong, look on the positive side. Do not be afraid to make a mistake as long as your efforts are sincerely intended to do your job a better way.
10. A pleasant farewell and saying “Thank you, see you soon” is just as important as the initial welcome.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!
Dont Beat Your Service Into Me!
Readers to this blog will know how much I value and seek good service in our ever-expanding hospitality industry, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to find…then just when you think you have found it, just when you think this is great service, he’s done everything right, I have the correct (and hot) meal in front of me, he’s ensured my drink is topped up and then….just when I’m about to plan how to report such exemplary service and even name the establishment in this Blog, the waiter decides that his level of service has not gone far enough and as he’s about to turn and leave, he looks straight at me, bids me Bon Apetite and then slaps me on the back!!! Yes, you read correctly, this was not a tap, a touch, or a brush, this was a thumping great slap as if to beat me into assuring him that I would indeed enjoy my meal!
Now, I value the personal attentiveness of good staff, but is this taking service a little too far? I am sure that back slapping is acceptable as a goodwill gesture in certain cultures…Not mine though!
I’m very conscious of my personal space and who gets into it, so the next time you are about to thump your customers into having a good meal, maybe think twice!!! You lost an honorary mention for good service in this blog because of your over-zealousness!
I Am Your Guest. Don’t Forget That
This Guest Charter is worth reading and remembering. As business owners and managers we need to remember the reason for being in business: The Guest
You often accuse me of carrying a chip on my shoulder, but I suspect this is because you do not entirely understand me. Isn’t it normal to expect satisfaction for one’s money spent? Ignore my wants and I will no longer appear in your restaurant. Satisfy those wants and I will become increasingly loyal. Add a little extra personal attention and a friendly touch and I will become a walking advertisement for you.
When I criticize your food and service to anyone who will listen, which I may do whenever I am displeased, take heed. I am not dreaming up displeasure. It lies in something I perceive you have failed to do to make my eating experience as enjoyable as I have anticipated. Eliminate that perception or you will lose my friends and me as well. I insist on the right to dine leisurely or eat in haste according to my mood.
I refuse to be rushed as much as I abhor waiting. This is an important privilege that my money buys. If I am not spending big money this particular time, just remember, if you treat me right I will return with a larger appetite, more money and probably with my friends.
I am much more sophisticated these days than I was just a few years ago. I’ve grown accustomed to better things and my needs are more complex. I’m perfectly willing to spend, but I insist on quality to match prices. I am above all, a human being. I am especially sensitive when I am spending money. I can’t stand to be snubbed, ignored or looked down upon.
Whatever my personal habits may be, you can be sure that I’m a real nut on cleanliness in restaurants. Where food is concerned I demand the strictest sanitation measures. I want my meals handled and served by the neatest of people and in sparkling clean dishes. If I see dirty fingernails, cracked dishes or soiled table clothes you won’t see me again.
You must prove to me again and again that I have made a wise choice in selecting your restaurant above others. You must convince me repeatedly that being a restaurant guest is a desirable thing in the first place. I can, after all, eat at home. So, you must provide something extra in food and service. Something so superior it will beckon me from my own table to yours. Do we understand each other?”
Get Off The Floor….Your Business Is In Trouble
I had lunch in a newly opened restaurant this week. Actually, correction, I attempted to have lunch. I actually ended up leaving because 12 staff and a manager on duty were too busy to bother with as small a detail as actually serving customers.
Picture the scene. Huge sums of money invested in beautiful furniture, attractive staff uniforms, fine paintings on the wall while chaos was the order of the day on the floor.
How many more times will “shrewd” investors and developers build the finest buildings money can buy yet not understand the basics of running a succesful restaurant or even how to hire the right manager.
While I waited for twenty minutes to be acknowledged I could see staff running around from table to table from one end of a restaurant to another, obviously not assigned to any one set of tables; I saw bar staff venture on to the floor momentarily only to retreat behind the safety of a bar counter when customers started (heaven forbid…) to request things.
All this while customers queued for tables and the headless chicken of a manager busied himself with making coffees and clearing tables.
If you haven’t figured out what the problem is yet, you better read on, because this might have been your business.
Good service could have been provided at the tables and behind the bar in a comfortable, relaxed style by 8 staff had the manager understood how to delegate, manage and most importantly to work ON the business and not IN the business.
If a manager is busy clearing tables and washing dishes, then who is managing the business? Show your managers how to organise the staff, how to delegate duties and how to be able to measure how well business is going with a few indicators like customer feedback (ask customers…simple), speed of service, revenue at the end of the day, repeat business (a sure sign you’re doing something right).
But most importantly, GET OFF the floor…. your business could be in trouble.
Like us on Facebook
About Barry Chandler
Barry Chandler works with bars and restaurants to bring more customers in the door through effective use of social media, online tools and customer engagement.
Since 2004, more than 2500 bars, restaurants and hotels have used his tools and services to improve their bottom line.
TheBarBlogger.com contains daily tips and strategies to grow a profitable hospitality business.
Connect with me
Attract more customers with Social Media
