Everyone Is Involved In Great Restaurant Customer Service

Whether you’re 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.

First impressions are everything, and your restaurant customer service will set the tone for the experience that is to come. If the service is over and above what is expected, word of mouth will help you exponentially. Your existing customers will not be able to wait to return!

Small touches can result in big rewards in a restaurant. For example, give them a special drink on a special occasion, get the manager to open doors and greet each customer, ask the manager to chat with the clients during service, present a mint with the bill and thank them as they leave. Servers should always be friendly, smiling and striving to go the extra distance.

Some restaurant customer service tips that are often overlooked are answering the phone within two rings, providing diners with the servers name, establishing a rapport by asking customers open ended questions, inquiring about any food allergies and knowing area information for out-of-town guests.

Many restaurants go the extra mile when it comes to customer service, by creating a whole new level of ideas. Some examples — offering a chef’s table, giving a rose to female guests, offering a tour of the wine cellar, having extra layers on hand should the guests be chilly, providing commonly requested recipes on cards, or giving a bag of chocolates or cookies as a memento.

Providing restaurant customer service that stands out from all the rest takes creativity and initiative among all employees. It might mean simply enhancing an already existing practice. For example, in addition to singing and presenting a cake to guests celebrating a birthday, have the entire staff sign a birthday card that includes your restaurants gift certificate. Or if reservations are being made to celebrate a special occasion at your restaurant, offer to supply balloons and disposable cameras.

In order for a restaurant to excel in customer service, management needs to express to all employees its definition of service and then empower them to do what needs to be done to exceed the needs of customers. It could be something as simple as providing an umbrella if it starts to rain as they are leaving for their cars, or having at the ready recommendations for an after dinner show or entertainment.

Restaurant customer service needs to exude from the front of the house to the kitchen. Greeters and wait staff can present the best in service, but if food presentation or attention to detail is lacking, all the efforts are for naught. All employees, regardless of the extent of their involvement with the customer, should be aware of how their performance will impact customer service.