Our very own Stuart Gray, President of 4 Remarkable Service, was interviewed by Radiospectives. The title of the session is “How To Conduct A Service Needs Assessment For Restaurants”.
You can Listen to it here.
Last week I was watching Cinderella with my daughters during our Friday Family Movie Night. I love the part where the fairy godmother uses her magic wand to create the carriage and ensemble to take Cinderella to the ball. While I was watching that I was thinking to myself; I wish I had a magic wand! 
That wand would be helpful when we receive calls to discuss how to get a service team to be Remarkable. I could then just wave my wand and poof, your old service team would be gone and a shiny, new and Remarkable service team would appear.
Ok now back to the reality. Let’s take your current service team and prepare them to be Remarkable.
In our Elements of Service workbook we teach the Remarkable Service Cycle. Maybe it’s because the first stage of the cycle isn’t “sexy” but for whatever reason we’ve only had one article written about the Preparation stage in four years of Service Talk.
It’s because of an experience I had yesterday that I feel we need to talk about the Preparation stage. (I’m not going to talk about that experience. It may take a magic wand but I’m hoping they will read this article and think “a-ha, we need to change some things around here”)
There is no guest interaction during the Preparation stage but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Ben Franklin said “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
The Service Cycle is repeated for each new guest so the server will go through the Preparation stage several times during the shift. And if done correctly you will see a more engaged service team, better guest impressions, increased sales and the guest will be more apt to leave having had a Remarkable experience.
3 Steps to A Successful Preparation Stage
===> 1. Prepare Yourself
A well-groomed appearance communicates professionalism and creates a great first impression. Uniform or clothing should be pressed and spotless. What’s that saying, “The Clothes make the man”? This can certainly be true for servers.
Stained aprons are a no-no, hair should be tied back and please wear a belt when possible. Hand washing is important for many reason and don’t forget to clean the fingernails.
Owners/Managers, put a mirror where the staff can check themselves during their shift.
===> 2. Prepare the Dinning Area
It’s a big turn-off to be seated at a dirty table. I also tell servers that even if you have bussers cleaning and setting the table, it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure everything is prepared correctly for the guest. If it’s not clean or there aren’t plates on the table for the bread or the seats are wet, guess who gets blamed……YOU!
===>3. Know the Daily Menu Changes
It’s very discouraging to hear a server say “I’ll have to go check with the kitchen” when my wife asks about the soup of the day. Lots of blame to go around for this but I tend to blame management. A servers lack of knowledge around the daily items and specials means management isn’t pre-shifting.
Every server on the floor should know the soups, daily specials and 86′d items. Managers should be quizzing their staff before and during the shift. It’s hard to maximize a ticket average when you don’t know these simple things.
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Remarkable Service doesn’t just happen in your establishment. There is no magic wand to wave around. There is no silver bullet. It’s takes training and consistent reinforcement. Now go prepare to be Remarkable!
Yes, it’s a well-worn road to say that service is of paramount importance, but it’s a road that must be traveled often to ensure a restaurant’s success. Quality of service immediately impacts a restaurant’s bottom line, and instilling a Remarkable Service attitude not only benefits the restaurant, but also the server.
With that thought, let me share a conversation that occurred after a recent Maximizing Sales session at a Minneapolis restaurant.
One of the class participants came to me after the program to share her exuberance for the event. She was thrilled that her employer cared enough about the guest experience that training was ongoing, relevant and timely. The service professional was clearly demonstrating an attitude of gratitude and was excited to get to share this learning with her guests. The discussion advanced, and I asked her to share with me her goals for 2008.
Her answer?
“I will earn $100,000 as a server!”
Yes, you read that correctly. Of course, this conversation led to more questions, such as, “How much did you earn last year?”
With great pride, she responded, “$92,000.”
And no, she was not working more than 40 hours per week. It should also be said that the Minneapolis restaurant in which she works is definitely upscale, but not fine dining. Still, $92,000 last year, with a goal for $100,000 in 2008? What does a server do to earn that level of compensation? Her answer:
“I write 17 to 25 personalized, handwritten ‘Thank You’ notes every shift that I work. Over 70 percent of my tables on a given night are repeat guests who I have developed a relationship with. My employer even mails my ‘Thank You’ notes for me and puts on the stamp, and we also enclose a bounce back card!”
From this conversation, some questions for all restaurateurs to ask themselves are:
• What is this frontline employee worth to this restaurant?
• Based on a 20 percent tip factor, what sales dollars need to be generated to earn this return?
• How many $100,000-a-year servers do I have on my team?
• And, finally, perhaps the most important question: What would I do to keep this server representing me?
Running a pre-shift meeting is like flossing your teeth. Everyone knows you need to floss at least once a day but for whatever reason some people just don’t do it. And just as there are consequences for not flossing, skipping pre-shifts can impact your bottom line.
If you are not interested in building service consistencies, or teamwork, or even educated and motivated team members then maybe pre-shifts aren’t for you. 
But for the rest of you they should be an integral part of your daily operations and part of your communication strategy.
Communication is very important to any business and pre-shifts are a great communication tool. A tool that creates a structure to assure the whole team is aware of what is going on in the business, market and community.
Here are some guidelines for running a successful Pre-Shift. By Following these simple Do’s and Don’ts you will achieve success in this important training function.
Do Plan - I’m sure you have heard the saying “managers don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan”. Our clients utilize a pre-shift template that helps them plan the meetings. Having a template tends to help ensure a very smooth & consistent running pre-shift.
Specific things to talk about include the daily specials, soups of the day and any 86x items. Talk about restaurant goals, team goals and any goals or objectives you have for different areas of your team, like Servers, Cooks, Bussers, Hosts and such.
Do KISS - Not figuratively of course because kissing all of your team members could lead to some legal issues. KISS stands for Keep it Short and Sweet. And by short I mean really short. Two minutes, three tops. These meetings should be quick hits that inform, instruct and motivate right before the revenue period starts.
When your staff hits the floor you want lots of positive energy so keep the meeting sweet & positive. No sour grapes during these gatherings. There is a time and place for reprimand and negative issues and this isn’t it.
Do Focus - Focus on one primary area to talk about. Whether it’s maximizing sales, providing remarkable service or menu knowledge, pick one topic and focus on that area during your meeting.
Don’t do all the Talking - You want to keep your teams attention so make the meetings interactive. For example when you mention the daily specials have someone give a sales presentation around one of those specials or ask servers what their check average goal for the day is. Try and come up with questions you can bounce off your team where they have to respond.
Don’t Forget to Recognize Team Members - Everyone likes to be hear that they are doing a great job. When that recognition is done in front of their peers that makes it even better. Look not only for individuals to recognize but teams as well.
There, no more excuses about not knowing how to run or what to talk about during a pre-shift. We will also soon be releasing a DVD that will not only talk about how to run an effective pre-shift but will also show real examples of our clients engaged in a pre-shift. Until then follow these guidelines and you will soon be reaping the benefits of a well coached wait staff team. And don’t forget to floss!
“Hi! My name is Paris and I’ll be your server. Are you ready to order?”
It’s an unfortunate fact that I’ve heard that greeting a million times. When a waiter or waitress leads with that greeting, 99 percent of the time it means that my service experience isn’t going to be Remarkable
But this experience was oddly different.
My waitress, while extremely energetic and friendly, was very short. But what she lacked in height she more then made up for with her smile. That smile was beaming and went from ear to ear. As I looked at her I could actually read on her face how excited she was to be taking my order.
She was neatly dressed from head to toe in all black, and her hair was pulled back into a pony tail. She had a pencil placed behind each ear and one in her hand eagerly waiting to write down my order on a small pad of paper. She was very skinny so she wrapped the apron around her body twice and then tied it off with a bow in the back.
I ordered the Orange Juice and French Toast which she carefully wrote down on the pad of paper. She repeated the order back to me and waited for my OK. I said it sounded perfect and she quickly ran the order to the kitchen.
The rest of the meal was incredible but here’s what was so different and special about this dining experience.
The server was my 6 year old daughter. It was Fathers Day and she was waking me up early to take my breakfast-in-bed order.
On the outside this just looks like a cute little story. But take a deeper look and you’ll find my daughters actions very revealing.
Let’s start with her greeting. It wasn’t very good. In fact on a 5 point scale with 5 being Remarkable and 1 being sucky, she floated more to the sucky side. So what does that mean? We are talking about a six year old here.
Those of you that have children know that young minds learn from their surroundings and mimic behaviors they witness. I’ve never taken my daughter through the training program “Elements of Service” (although maybe I should. :)) and I doubt she has read any of my articles on service. That leads to the conclusion that her initial greeting was developed using what we call in this business, the shadow method. She developed her greeting by watching & listening to your service team.
WOW! Does she really hear “are you ready to order” that often?
I hope this opens your eyes as to why the shadow method doesn’t work. Your team isn’t doing it right to begin with! You need a structured service training system in place that takes your team through the entire service cycle, including the initial greeting. Setting the service expectations is imperative to a successful guest experience. Call us to help you with this.
Now for the positives. Did you notice that she repeated the order back to me. That’s a great habit because it gives the guests the confidence that the order was taken correctly.
The other positive was how she dressed. Her perception is that a server should be dressed impeccably with neither a wrinkle or a stain on the uniform.
It’s amazing what we can learn from our children. And as a parent it’s my job to help my child learn the correct way of doing things. Which is why, after the breakfast-in-bed, it was so hard to decide which feedback form to use; the mystery shopper or the service audit.
Consistency is a word I’ve been hearing over and over lately. Unfortunately I usually hear the word consistency after the words “lack of”, “need better service” and “I can’t get no”
I hear this from restaurant owners who are calling to ask for help in getting their team to provide better service. 75% of these calls are from people feeling anxious about the economy.
You can’t pick up a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch the news on TV these days without hearing news about the economy. And it’s being presented with a very doom and gloom slant.
As a result of all this negative talk, many restaurateurs are starting to worry about how this economic downturn will affect their business. They are taking a hard look at their restaurant operations looking for ways to improve. Most come to the same conclusion; they need to outservice their competition.
Here’s a typical phone conversation:
Restaurant Owner: Our service is very inconsistent. What can I do to get our staff to be more consistent?
4RS: What kind of service training do you provide?
RO: What do you mean?
4RS: If you hired me as a server today, what kind of training would I receive before I was given the green light to start waiting on guests?
RO: You would have to pass our menu test and follow a head waiter for a couple of shifts. (Shadow method)
4RS: OK. How do you communicate YOUR service expectations to your new team members?
Restaurant: huh?
4RS: How does your team know what you expect during the service cycle? For instance do you have standards about what should happen when they greet a table or what to do after the entrees have been delivered? Do you have anything written down or any classroom training that focuses on these types of service expectations?
Restaurant: No, not really. We’ve been meaning to get to that.
4RS: Well let’s not focus on what isn’t happening, but instead lets focus on what you should and will be doing moving forward
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That’s a pretty typical conversation and here’s the plan we lay out to help these restaurants outservice their competition.
1. ==> Have your service cycle steps and standards on paper. It’s easier to train your staff when you have your service standards written down. You need to present these in a classrom setting. Whether you use an off the shelf training package that includes an instructors guide, like what we offer, or you develope your own material this is an important first step.
2. ==> Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. If you want consistent service then your message has to be delivered over and over and over. Every pre-shift meeting should include a topic about service expectations. Use a game like our Millionaire style game to help hammer your points across each month.
3. ==> Measure. Have you ever watched a sporting event on TV that didn’t have a ton of stats on each player. In golf they keep track of fairways hit, greens hit, average number of putts and so on. What you’ll notice is that no one is perfect…but they measure to see how close they can get. I have yet to watch an event that didn’t keep score.
That’s the way your service team should be. No one will get it perfect every single time but most team members don’t have any idea how they are doing. They don’t know the score. A service audit for each team member once a month will put you on the path to a consistent level of service.
We’ll talk more about a service audit next month. Until then I’m off to the driving range to see if I can get rid of the consistent slice I have when using the driver.
I love movies but two chick flicks in one weekend…my wife owes me big time!
One of the movies we watched was called “No Reservations” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. I wasn’t really looking forward to watching the movie but it did have a couple of elements I liked. Catherine was in it, and from the sounds of the title it had to do with restaurants.
The movie takes place at 22 Bleecker, a fictitious, upscale restaurant in Manhattan. What I really liked about this film, besides Zeta-Jones being in it (did I mention I like her), was that they showed scenes of the wait staff in training.
It’s not very often while watching a chick flick that I sit up and pay close attention during a restaurant scene, but this was good. The scence depicted the owner leading the staff through a training session. They were conducting sales training!
One scene has the staff sitting around a large table. The chef is up front passing around samples of a new menu item he has created. They are attempting to educate the team and to get the wait staff excited about the new item.
The second scene has the servers standing at the table practicing how to describe a bottle of wine. They are trying to paint a picture with creative words that will inspire their guests to want to purchase a bottle. I loved that!
With all of the negative chatter I hear about how servers should not be selling (don’t believe most of it) I thought we should make a point around sales today. One of the top rules of selling in a restaurant is:
Customers don’t want to be sold, they want to buy.
Your customers don’t want to feel like they are being sold yet they do want to buy, on their own terms. That’s why in our Maximizing Sales training module we teach how to present menu items in an inviting way.
An easy way to show this is to look at an example.
When someone asks about today’s special you can say “The sandwich has roast beef, cheese, and olives on wheat bread and it’s heated”.
Or you can say “The cook piles lean, thin-sliced beef on fresh-baked wheat bread and tops that with Italian provolone cheese. Then he puts it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly and tops it with a sprinkling of sliced Spanish olives.”
Which one makes you want to buy?
Desserts are another menu item where your customers absolutely don’t want to be sold. They are watching their weight this year, or trying to get into shape, don’t want to spend the money… the list can go on and on. But deep down they really do want to buy that Midnight Ice Cream Cake which has layers and layers of chocolate. They just need a nudge.
A server walking up to the table and asking “did you save any room for dessert” is not the nudge I’m talking about. In fact it allows your guests to go into autopilot and say no.
But an excited server that is passionate around the Midnight Ice Cream Cake, creates a beautiful image and offers to bring out multiple forks, is the nudge that can convince your guests that he or she does indeed want to try that cake. They were not sold, they wanted to buy.
Besides, it’s a common known fact that desserts shared with friends don’t have any calories
I used a phrase last week that I swore, as does every new parent, I would never use. We heard it countless times growing up. It was a phrase that was so unfair to us as children that when it rolled off my tongue I was shocked at what I heard. Did I say that?
To be fair she had it coming. She, being my 5 year old named Paris, questioned me about why she had to go to bed at 8:30. My response to the bedtime question was really the only logical response left at my disposal after a long day and no energy left.
“Because I said so.”
I know, I know, I’m still stunned I said it.
I’m going to bet you’ve felt like uttering that very same phrase when your team members question you as to why they have to do things. From side work to cleaning procedures to the use of serving trays, you’ve been asked many “why” questions.
The “why” question I want to talk about today is one I discussed with a group during a recent speaking engagement. I did an Extreme Service Makeover session and one of the questions that we discussed was “Why give Remarkable Service?”.
The people that attended this session were so energetic and passionate about their respective establishments that I would like to share their responses with you.
Here’s the top 6 responses to “Why give Remarkable Service”:
1. Makes us stand out
With poor service seemingly everywhere, delivering Remarkable Service makes you stand out from the crowd. It also makes a positive impression on your guests. Leading to number two
2. Keeps guests coming back
We have a client that has a motto of “Make every guest a repeat guest”. You do that by providing Remarkable Service, thus giving them a reason to come back and to tell others about your place which leads to number three
3. Creates word-of-mouth advertising
The cheapest and best form of advertising is word-of-mouth. Deliver on the promise of Remarkable Service and people will talk about you in a good way. And the more people that talk about you, leads us to number 4
4. Increases sales
Just read the first three on this list and you can see that by providing Remarkable Service you will make more money. Word-of-mouth advertising is the most effective means of advertising and repeat guests are the most profitable guests. Build your customer base and keep them coming back. Increase in sales is just a by-product of the first three.
5. Makes for a fun place to work
It’s nice to go to work for a company that you know is doing things the right way. Who wouldn’t want to work at an establishment that thrives on service. It’s a contagious habit that spreads quickly to new hires.
6. Because you want to keep your job.
It’s kind of funny but serious at the same time. Bringing this up probably won’t win you any manager of the year awards but if they don’t understand the first five hit them hard with number six
The next time you get questioned about why providing Remarkable Service is important, skip the “Because I said so” and give them this list. Now I’m going to start working on my parenting response that will replace, “If everybody jumped off a bridge would you follow them…”
It’s that time of the year! No I’m not talking about Santa, although that is an important topic of conversation in my household. I’m talking about planning sessions for the New Year.
This is the time when most companies sit down and put a plan of action together for the coming year. It’s called strategic planning.
I firmly believe these strategic planning meetings are very important, especially for restaurants. I see it way to often where owners and operators in this industry get stuck working IN their business instead of ON their business. These sessions help many to bridge the gap from IN to ON.
You might be thinking to yourself ”these planning session sound great! What should we work on?” Great question!
Typically the focus of these planning meetings is on the entire operation. Things that can be discussed include menu, food quality and consistency, marketing, facilities and of course my personal favorite, and then one I’m going to help you with today, service.
So lets put a plan together for an Extreme Service Makeover for next year and raise the service levels in your establishment to a remarkable level!
It’s a 4 step process
==>1. Create your service expectations
You must lay out what your service expectations are so you can communicate these expectations to your staff. Your training program should be designed to fulfill these expectations.
If you don’t know what your expectations should or could be then you need to work with someone to help you in this area. Our training programs have them built into the training and are customizable per store.
==> 2. Educate your people
Change doesn’t happen by chance; it occurs as you communicate your service message and LEAD by example. That’s wonderful that you completed step #1 but unless you follow through with step #2 you might as well have used that time to take your management team to see a movie.
Nobody should be allowed onto your team until they understand that you are creating a culture of service. This culture is what drives your business!
==> 3. Add staff that fit into your mission of providing Remarkable Service
It’s time to take a hard look at your hiring practices. Make sure new hires fit or can be molded into your new culture. Conversely it may be time to move some FOH staff members to the BOH or grab some job applications from your competitors and slip those under their windshield wipers. You wouldn’t really do that would you?
==> 4. Evaluate and Measure
There is a saying that goes “You can’t improve what you don’t measure”. Whether you use secret shopper scores or create your own service audit form, measuring your process is the only way to improve your culture.
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An Extreme Service Makover is not as sexy as say building a fully furnished new house in a week or having doctors completely change the way you look. But it will make your establishment more money. Check out our ROI calculator and see what an Extreme Service Makeover can do for you.
The Question
How many words does it take to wait on a guest at a full-service restaurant? Based on my experience recently, I know the answer.
I try not to write about bad service experiences very often because, well, it’s too easy :) Plus I think it comes across sounding like I’m whining. That said, this was one experience I had to write about.
The Story
It was a little after 1 in the afternoon when my business partner, Stuart, and I pulled into the parking lot of an independent restaurant in Dallas. (Restaurant name withheld to protect the innocent)
The hostess gave a warm greeting and sat us at a table near the front. She took our drink order and told us our waiter would be along shortly. The drinks arrived and a few seconds later our waiter, “Bill”, approached the table.
The greeting is a key moment in a service interaction. First impressions, creating hospitality etc… It’s at this point where the pros sizzle and the duds (or untrained) fizzle.
Bill’s all important greeting; “Ready to order?”.
I hate that!! That opening is wrong on so many levels. All I’m looking for is a nice warm greeting which I don’t think is too much for you to ask from your staff.
I knew this wasn’t going to go well so I ordered a burger. Hey, if the wait staff is this poorly trained I’m not taking any chances with the kitchen help. It’s hard to mess up a burger and fries order.
Stuart tried to give Bill a shot at redemption so he asked “What’s the one thing you do great here that would make me want to come back”? “Ribs” was his single word reply. Apparently no further explanation was needed.
Bill rushes off with the burger and ribs order and a bit later the food is brought out. I should mention, the timing of the meal was fantastic, what with no words to slow him down and all.
I was pretty sure we wouldn’t get the two minutes or two bites check back and I was not disappointed. Near the end of the meal Bill did notice an empty glass and he asked “what are you drinking?”.
Home Run!! Without much effort Bill had doubled his word count. Way to go Bill!!!
He finished off nicely with a “thanks” as we left the table. I found myself wondering if he set a personal best for fewest words during a service cycle.
The Answer
So now we know the answer to my original question. How many words does it take to wait on a table? 9!
The Solution
I can’t make this kind of service experience up. The whole time we’re both thinking, where is the manager? Bill obviously isn’t cut out for this line of work but someone hired him and put him on the floor. Does he always exhibit this type of behavior or was he having a bad day?
The real question you have to ask is how much business is Bill losing the restaurant?
Here are some steps you can take to make sure this doesn’t happen at your restaurant
Hit the floor to see what kind of service experience your guests are having. Don’t let poor service stand in the way of your success.
