Since 2002, I have had the good fortune of being the customer experience (CX) mystery shop provider to some of the highest grossing independent restaurants in the U.S. including seven of The Restaurant Business Top 100. Whether an operation is a quick serve, fast casual, full service or a Mobil or AAA-rated restaurant, my mission is the same – to help increase revenue for our client partners.
How a restaurant generates its revenue focuses on just two areas: the customer experience and sales. So how may a restaurant increase revenue? It begins with management communicating to their front of house (FOH) employees that their goal is educating and training them on how they can earn more money.
Can you imagine telling a server or a bartender, “I want to help you make as much money as possible and I’m going to teach you how,” and them not paying attention for more details?
Servers and bartenders earn the vast majority of their income via tips. The better their service and suggestive selling, the more money they will earn, and accordingly the more revenue your restaurant will generate.
Customers vs Staff
Hey, there is a big elephant in your restaurant’s dining room! No, not the mammal … the idiomatic one! The big elephant is the huge disconnect between a restaurant’s FOH staff and its customers: customers complain about the service they receive at restaurants; employees complain about the customers they serve.
Serving restaurant patrons during an 8-hour shift can be mentally and physically draining. Sure, most guests are out for a fun night and quality food. But a small percentage of them may act demanding, unreasonable, selfish, or even rude – and it takes a toll.
The best way for FOH to counter a challenging customer is to “kill them with kindness”. Remember the goal: to make as much money as possible. A battle of personalities will lead to the inverse of this goal.
Decades ago, my father provided the following advice when I complained about a boss and was convinced they had it in for me: you don’t have to respect the person, but you have to respect the position. In other words, you don’t have to like your boss, but you best respect them if you want to keep your job.
A hostess, server, bartender, or manager can apply this axiom, only the customer is their “boss.” You don’t need to like every customer you interact with, nor should you tolerate abuse. But to increase your odds of earning as much money as possible in tips, it is best to learn to respect the customer and their “position.”
Enhancing the Customer Experience
It is beneficial for hospitality professionals to remember that roughly 98% of the customers they serve do not work in the industry and “won’t get it.” So don’t waste negative energy expecting them to get it.
Change your mindset. Prior to each shift, think about how you can be a better server to your guests and teammate to your coworkers. Arrive at the restaurant with a fresh, positive, can-do attitude and the goal of providing the best possible dining experience to your customers (treat them as if it were your mother being served).
Upon greeting a new party, a server has but a few seconds to read the guests and determine the type experience to provide them to make their meal more enjoyable:
- a couple seated close together – they may desire less interaction with you; be attentive but don’t hover.
- a family with kids – dote on the children and give them a bit of attention, ask what their favorite show is or what sport they’re playing; ask the parent if they want to put in a food order for the kids to get them served quickly, so they can eat and get on their electronics, and the parents can enjoy their dinner together.
- a rambunctious group of ladies – they’re fun, they’re laughing; immediately offer drinks; be personable and funny; provide a leisurely experience.
Anticipate the needs of your guests:
- Do the simple yet important things: promptly greet each party; keep the water glasses filled; check back each course to ensure the food is to their satisfaction; promptly handle their check.
- Think ahead: if you made a recommendation on a glass of wine to pair with their first course, confirm they enjoyed the selection and make a recommendation for their second course; if you’re serving a salad, have fresh pepper and grated cheese in hand when delivering the it.
Selling to your guests:
- Servers and Bartenders are selling themselves, and they’re selling food and drinks. The more they provide friendly, courteous, thoughtful, attentive service, the more money they will earn in tips.
- There is a MAJOR difference between suggestively selling and being pushy. Suggestively selling is simply noting the options: “we have still, sparkling and regular iced water … do you prefer the 8-oz or 12-oz filet.” Pushy, or even being deceitful, would only be mentioning still or sparkling water without noting regular iced water as an option.
Don’t presume anything: just because a party has leftovers does not mean they are too full for dessert – perhaps they were saving room for dessert because they heard your restaurant has the best flourless chocolate cake in town!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and tell me whether you agree or disagree and why.
Want to learn more about enhancing your CX? I-SPY Hospitality is a customer experience mystery shopping company based in Philadelphia. Are you interested in increasing revenue for your restaurant, hotel or service-based business? Let’s discuss how our CX program will help you increase revenue by creating more positive customer experiences and maximizing on potential sales opportunities.
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