Restaurant Customer Service Is Everyone’s Job Number One
Whether youre just starting out in the restaurant business or have been running one for years, restaurant customer service should be paramount in the daily operations of the business. A restaurants successes and failures are almost always centered on service, from the moment a customer enters your establishment to the time they leave it.
Restaurant customer service that excels beyond customer expectations leads to repeat customers and positive word of mouth for attracting new customers. It also sets the tone for your restaurant and the dining experience to come. After all, first impressions are everything for a restaurant.
Servers who are friendly, smiling and striving to please customers set a welcoming environment. To go beyond the basics, have the owner or manager open the door and greet each customer as they enter, chat with customers at the table during service, and thank them for their patronage as they leave. Excellent service means small, special touches, like presenting a mint with the bill, providing a complimentary drink or cake for a special celebration, and asking customers about their dining experience before they leave.
When it comes to restaurant customer service, there are a number of tips to remember. Give the diner the server’s name, establish rapport by asking open-ended questions, make sure that the phone is answered within two rings, study up on the area information to give to guests who inquire, and make sure that you ask about their food allergies.
There are a number of ideas that restaurants use to go that extra mile when it comes to customer service. Here are some creative ideas – how about giving a rose to female visitors, having extra layers of clothes on hand in case the guest is chilly, giving out popular menu requests on recipe cards, or giving a box of chocolates as a parting gift.
Creativity and initiative goes a long way when it comes to providing exceptional restaurant customer service. If a reservation has been made celebrating a special occasion, take initiative and supply disposable cameras and balloons. You could enhance an existing practice — such as getting the entire staff to sign a birthday card, including a gift certificate and present this when you go with the tradition of presenting a cake.
Management must ensure that their staff is empowered to do what is needed to excel in restaurant customer service. This could be as simple as providing an umbrella should it be raining when the clients leave, or recommending an after dinner show or entertainment spectacular.
Everyone from the back of the house to the front of the house is important when it comes to great restaurant customer service. If the waitstaff and greeters do the best, their efforts would be for nothing if the presentation of food or attention to detail is not up to par. Therefore, employees must be aware of how their performance impacts the overall client experience, regardless of whether they interact directly with the customer or not.
