Best Practices
Exceed Restaurant Customer Expectations by Reading Your Guests
One of the greatest servers I’ve ever worked with was a hard-working single mother of two.
Ann – also known by our management team as “Super Ann” - consistently made a LOT more in tips than her peers. It didn’t matter who her customers were or whether they were first timers or loyal regulars. They seemed to always enjoy her service, trust her food recommendations and almost always tipped much more than expected.
When asked what her secret was, she could only answer that she loved her job. But I knew there had to be something more, so I made up my mind to study just “how” Ann did the job she loved.
What I discovered was something so simple, so obvious, but so often neglected by the average restaurant server. What I noticed, almost immediately, was Ann was extremely skilled at reading the guest.
She quickly found out, whether through observation or questions she’d ask, the mood of her guests and why they were visiting. She interacted with business clients differently than those who were there for social occasions for a personalized customer experience. She knew how important it was for businessmen and women to look good when entertaining a prospective client, so she made a point of calling them by their name as often as possible.
Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
– Damon Richards
She was particularly good with families with small children – even when the kids were a little rowdy.
One of her favorite ways to quiet the kids was to engage them in a game of “hangman”. She would draw the hanging tree and then whisper the answer to the parents. She encouraged the parents to stretch the rules, allowing them to add boots, hats and other articles once legs, arms, head and body were drawn. She encouraged the kids to keep guessing at letters until they got the answer – which often happened just as the food was being served.
Knowing why a customer has chosen to visit your restaurant provides servers a leg-up on meeting or exceeding their expectations. All it takes is a desire to find out why someone chooses to dine with you. Once you know, you can tailor your service in a way to ensure a more personalized and memorable dining experience.
By the way, Ann’s favorite answer for hangman – “waitress”.
For more expert strategies on how to exceed restaurant customer expectations sign up for our training videos, Exceeding Expectations, Creating Moments that WOW Guests and Creating Connections. Also check out our free article for more guidance on how to create the perfect restaurant customer experience: Reading The Table: Helping Your Wait Staff to Avoid Robotic Service.
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Training Video
Exceeding Expectations: Creating Moments that WOW Guests
Many dining experiences are a bit bland, with a server who seems to be reading from a script. And it’s usually the same script at every restaurant. Guests expect prompt service, good food, and a clean, comfortable environment, but sadly, they don’t expect to be wowed. As a team member of a restaurant, ...
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Article
Reading the Table: Help Your Wait Staff to Avoid Robotic Service
Experienced wait staff have a unique style of guest interaction that is repeated over and over each shift. However, the more successful of these seasoned pros has learned to adapt their style to meet guest expectations.
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Training Video
Creating Connection
In a restaurant, people are just as important as the food. People help create an atmosphere of hospitality from a basic transaction. Creating meaningful connections with guests is a pivotal aspect of hospitality and customer service, and it is also a key to creating loyal, repeat customers. By establishing ...
