Restaurant Customer Service


Restaurant Customer Service

 

Restaurant Customer Service Expeditions?

restaurant customer serviceWhen a customer dines at a specific restaurant I am sure that most guests expect above average restaurant customer service. On top of that the ambiance of that restaurant is also at the top of that list.

I know when I dine out I expect top notch service because I am spending my hard-earned money there. When you buy a brand-new vehicle you expect perfection, especially, when you saw a commercial on television about that car describing the features and guarantees. It’s the same thing when you dine at restaurants and spend the money you earned at your job, you are expected to enjoy great service and exceptional food served hot and fast.

Restaurants are opening at an alarming rate. Where I live there is a stretch of road where you can find all kinds of restaurants and car dealerships. Competition is fierce, that’s why most restaurant operators are trying to outdo their competition when it comes to service and food. I have dined in restaurants where the service and food were beyond terrible. Sometimes it’s a hit and miss scenario meaning, I will visit a restaurant and the service and food was great and then I will revisit that restaurant weeks later only to receive below average service and food. 

For information on restaurant customer service – the do’s and don’ts : www.thebalance.com/restaurant-customer-service-2888415


What happened to consistency?

Where was the manager on duty? The managers sole responsibility is to ensure that every customer receives exceptional service by monitoring the employees.  If necessary the manger will jump in and bail out certain positions so that customer service is not jeopardized.

The manager may have to help out greeting the door or help servers with order taking and delivering food. The manager also might have to help cook due to call outs or higher sales then expected. Once the kitchen checks are caught up in standard check times the managers should break off and continue with their figure eight rounds throughout the restaurant.


Employee Schedules

Maybe the mix of employees that were scheduled effected the service and food. In the customer’s mind they don’t care about the why’s, it more I expect great service and food served fast. Yes, there are some customers that will sympathize with the situation, especially, if that restaurant is their favorite place to dine.

The general manager should review and approve each schedule front and back of the house.  The mix of employees on the schedule needs to balance out, seasoned employee’s verses employees that are not on the same level as the seasoned employee. When creating a schedule think about your top peak shifts. Schedule your top performers and match them up with either new hires or employees that are not top performers.

In this scenario, top performers if necessary can help out the other employees in their assigned position. The top performers need to be proficient in their position and also should be crossed trained.


Restaurant Training

Employee training will affect restaurant customer service. What kind of training are your employees receiving? Are the owners or district managers monitoring the managers? Managers should oversee, monitor and correct all phases of training in the restaurant. Does your restaurant have an awesome training program? Does your restaurant have a way to track each employees training performance?

For more information on training visit: http://www.workplacewizards.com

Professionally designed and detailed restaurant forms, checklists, spreadsheets and training manuals visit: http://www.workplacewizards.com/restaurant-form-2/

Customers Eye

Customers Eye



What is the Customers Eye

customers eyePicture a customer standing directly in front of a cash register in a restaurant.  That customer sees through their eyes ever thing that happens in your restaurant.  Now, jump into that customers shoes and see from their perspective ( the customers eye) what you don’t see. Some owners and managers not all are complacent to their surroundings. This is mainly because they are used to seeing and hearing the same thing every day and to them this is normal.

No restaurant owner or manager wants to have a bad reputation all because of bad customer service or the lack of an efficient restaurant. I have been in hundreds of restaurants that fall under this particular category of failing restaurants.

Sometimes the Fix is Obvious

The owner and manager need to take off their side blinders and utilize 360 vision. Be aware of your surroundings visually and listen with your ears on issues that could be happening right under your nose.  Sometimes you have to pretend to be a customer to see and hear from their perspective.

A really great idea is for you to eat your breakfast, lunch or dinner meal in the dining room.

How are your employees interacting with your guest;

  • Is your employee’s demonstration teamwork?
  • Is the servers being attentive?
  • Are the servers approaching the guest within your standard greeting times?
  • Are they mentioning special’s and appetizers?
  • Are guests being greeted quickly?
  • Are the guest food and drinks delivered quickly based on your tickets times?
  • Are the tables reset quickly and correctly?
  • Are the employees doing frequent drink refills and pre-busing?

Listen with Your Ears

You don’t want your guest to hear inappropriate language or conversations that make them feel uncomfortable. As you are sitting at your table in the dining room can you hear the cooks in the kitchen? Are the cooks playing music in the kitchen?

If you can hear the cooks in the kitchen, so do the customers. If you allow the cooks to listen to music, you might want to rethink that policy:

  1. Music in the kitchen is very distracting and can cause accidents. Employees can’t hear other employees saying, “hot behind you”.
  2. Listening to music is not productive when trying to meet the standard check times.
  3. Today’s music may be inappropriate to customers. Also, you may cater to children, parents may find the music offensive.

Listen to your servers as they approach your customers.

There are 5 questions that you need to ask yourself;

  1. Are the greeters and servers meeting the standard greeting times at the door and the initial table approach to each guest?
  2. Are the greeters and servers friendly with every guest?
  3. Are the server’s knowledgeable in regard to the menu and its ingredients?
  4. Are the standard food and drink delivery times at goal?
  5. Are the servers professional and attentive to every customer?

If the answer is no, then it is time to retrain your staff in exceptional customer service that works.

To learn more about employee training and exceptional customer service visit us at:
Workplace Wizards Restaurant Consulting – http://www.workplacewizards.com/

Email us at: Workplacewizards@gmail.com
Call us at: (800) 753-0657

Also, you might be interested in our Restaurant Forms, Checklists, Spreadsheets and Training Manuals: http://www.workplacewizards.com/restaurant-form-2/

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