Restaurant Talking Points

Few things get me fired up like bad service. But last month I read an article in a national trade publication that had me fired up more then an empty glass of Dr. Pepper with no server in site.

In this opinion article, an “expert” tried to explain why a restaurants success is all about the food, not the service. In the article he goes on to say no one ever goes to a restaurant because of great service, they go there because of great food.

As Dr. Phil would say…“are you kidding me?!?”

I’m not saying that having good food isn’t important to the success of a restaurant, of course it is. But, having great food AND excellent service is what all restaurants should strive for.

And if I had to choose one, food or service, that my restaurant was better at, experience has shown me that service wins hands down. Great food can’t overcome bad service.

73% of the reason someone returns to a restaurant is SERVICE.

Maybe the “expert” was right and not very many people start a Friday night by saying “lets go eat at xyz restaurant because they have great service”. But on the flip side they will say “The service wasn’t very good, lets not eat there again”.

Here’s a real life scenario. (or as the experts say, a Case Study)

There is a restaurant that earlier this year I visited about once a month. Sadly, my only reason for going there was that I knew I wouldn’t have to wait for a table. The restaurant was struggling and in one year had gone through 3 ownership changes.

The third owner, John, has owned it for 3 months, worked very hard, and has turned it into a successful restaurant. Now I have to wait for a table.

So what did he change? How did he turn it around?

First look at what didn’t change:
- Location
- Parking
- Facility
- FOOD/Menu

What did change:
SERVICE

Seeing the turn-around with my own eyes and after conducting a one-on-one interview with John, I’d like to share the 3 factors that turned this restaurant into a success story.

===> 1. Built a Culture of Hospitality and Service

John is highly visible on the floor and has a great attitude. He smiles and says hello to everyone that walks into the restaurant, creating great hospitality. He walks the floor touching tables, making sure everything and everyone is ok. He brings children small toys and treats and thanks his guests for their business when they leave.

The energy John brings to the floor spills over to the entire front of the house team. He is leading by example and since service is so important to him, he wants his team to see that. Of course this also gives him the ability to keep a close eye on the wait staff

===> 2. Expects a Service Attitude from his Employees

During the previous ownership change, the staff was kept intact. I always felt that was a bad move because some of them weren’t very service oriented. But when John took over he got rid of those that lacked the service attitude he demanded.

It’s always tough to let people go, but if a server isn’t meeting the service standards you desire then get them out of there. A bad attitude or an indifference to service can poison other employees and cost you money in lost business.

===> 3. Believes in Training

Nobody touches a customer until they participate in over 5 hours of wait staff training. It doesn’t matter if they are new to the profession or have 10 years of experience, there are no exceptions. The standards for his restaurant are set during this training.

John uses our training tools and he loves the fact that the first thing in the Elements of Service training is how to create hospitality. He also uses the training materials for his pre-shift meetings.

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So there is my real-world proof of how service trumps food If John had focused on making the food better rather than concentrating on the service, do you think he would of had the same success? I’m no expert but…

Jeff Hookham
CEO, 4 Remarkable Service
www.4remarkable.com