The Importance of Good Service
The art of serving a customer…
As the chef in me has matured over the years so has the understanding of how important good service is to the business as a whole. This may seem obvious to those of you of a certain age and background but there are thousands of tunnel visioned chefs out there who cannot see beyond the fancy garnish they’re trying to build into a skyscraper. I went through the phase of ‘as long as it looks fantastic leaving the kitchen’ and thankfully I grew out of it. Working sixty to seventy hours per week in a confined environment such as a kitchen makes a person more insular than is healthy to both the person and the business and I realised that I needed to look at how my food was being sold and presented.
I have never been into screaming at the restaurant manager across the hotplate, I’m not saying I haven’t done it beacause I have but I have always respected the work that the service staff do. It’s a difficult job and one which is often carried out under trying circumstances. I admire them because I couldn’t do it. I know I couldn’t stand there and be spoken to by some drunk, arrogant and ignorant fool trying to impress his friends by upsetting the waiting staff, it’s simply not in my genetic make up to accept bad manners or bullying. How a restaurant manager deals with a complaint can determine a number of outcomes but ninety five per cent of potential complaints could be thwarted at the first instance by good service.
Good service doesn’t begin and end in restaurants, the basic principle applies in all sectors of life and for me that has to involve a. good product knowledge and b. friendly efficiency. Most ‘hiccups’ can be forgiven if the customer can see that the person serving them has the consumer’s interest at heart. As a customer I want to feel as though they are happy to see me without smothering me, if I ask a question I want to receive a brief overview and not a lecture, if I am paying then I expect to see a smile backed up with good manners but how often have you walked into a shop or restaurant and received the exact opposite?
All of my young chefs are told by my sous chefs not to say ‘what’ when replying to me, I expect to hear ‘pardon’. That’s basic good manners and a discipline which should be installed from the start. If they are not taught to show their employer due respect then what chance has the customer got? Our service staff are not allowed to serve food if they don’t know what it is, you would be surprised by how many who don’t. What is the point?
So what makes for good service? We all have our own ideas and I suppose much has to do with the setting and the price being charged as to the extent of the service provided but there can be no excuse for ill informed staff with a bad attitude. I like to try and strike a happy balance. The restaurants I oversee aim to provide a relaxed service which is more formal than most but not to the extent of being labelled ‘grand’ or ’stuffy’. Personally, if I want to move my chair back I can do it without a waiter, if I go to the toilet then I don’t need an escort (perhaps I should consider rewording that!) but I do want to be greeted in a pleasant manner and I want somebody to talk to me about the wine list etc. Is the customer always right? No, far from it but you have to pretend that they are unless they are particularly rude of course. Should you knock money off the bill regardless? No, you shouldn’t. What you should do is strive to eliminate as many possible causes for complaint as possible and that, ultimately comes down to staff pride and discipline.
We live in an ever changing world in which discipline is being made ever harder to administer but without it we end up with something much less desirable. So the next time you receive bad service then the chances are the staff have not been trained are not afraid of getting a b********g. That, usually is the sum of it.
Restaurant Service
Chef,
out of interest, as a head chef are you actually aware of all the protocol etc when it comes to serving staff. I know, when done at the highest level, it’s a ‘proper job’ .
Just wondered how deeply you got involved or how far your knowledge extends in this area
Cheers
Rod
October 17, 2009 @ 9:07 am
Miles,
Lack of training can be spotted a mile off. Whenever I have come across it, my anger was always directed towards management (and absence of it).
Different styles are quite interesting though. At a smart restaurant in Italy we watched all the service staff being called together by the restaurant manager several minutes prior service.
Whilst on a coaching holiday in Scotland we were greeted by all the staff on entering the restaurant. I appreciate that this is only feasable when dealing with a large number of incoming guests but the principle was there. We understood that the owner of said company was very keen on training and this was reflected equally in the coach drivers.
As you quite rightly say, training is essential in all sectors and the majority of complaints tend to be about poor communication skills. Having worked in the health sector for many years this was usually the main cause of dissatisfaction.
BTW - I remember the days when letters from the civil service were signed: Your obidient Servant!
Anne
October 17, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
Rod,
Yes, pretty much so. I’m not an expert but I do know what is expected.
Miles
October 17, 2009 @ 10:01 pm
Anne,
Good point, it doesn’t matter what the product is it’s the same basic principle.
Miles
October 17, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
Miles,
I really enjoyed this post, it mirrored by own expectations of customer service. Being smothered to the point of annoyance is never fun, nor is having to all but let off a distress flare to get service. As for bad attitudes, it’s amazing how they even get past the interview stage. I’d hazard a guess that the places that get it right are the more likely to have return customers.
Great piece!
GDave
October 18, 2009 @ 1:36 am
GDave,
Quite right, sounds as though you’ve been to the same places as I have
Employers (and colleges) will take on near enough anything these days.
Miles
October 18, 2009 @ 8:31 am
Miles,
I often used the analogy of a sport’s team when trying to explain to my students and to the teachers I supervised why discipline is important and why it often leads to success. Trying asking your young people what they think would happen if every player on their favorite football team ran around the pitch doing whatever they pleased. The team would win very few games, the players and coach would be fired. The fans have an expectation of a “well-oiled” machine, and so do the patrons who dine in restaurants.
I know that good manners begin at home, and parents who don’t take the trouble to instill those manners aren’t doing the childred any favors.
Annie
October 18, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
Annie,
A great comment and very wise words, I hope they listen!
Miles
October 18, 2009 @ 6:28 pm