All Blog Posts Tagged 'service' (228)

Take Responsibility For Your Business

WOW! I can't believe all the whining that is going on in this country right now. Yes, times are very hard and a lot of people are struggling just to put food on their table. But what is all this blame that is being passed around through emails about everything from the economy to what Oprah tells her viewers?

We can all blame Congress for the deep recession we're in right now, but who really let our country get this way? We did. We're the ones that took out subprime mortgages. We're… Continue

Added by Matt Urdan on January 13, 2009 at 1:28pm — 5 Comments

Walt Disney World Service Standards

You just cant match the service you receive if you ever visit Walt Disney World. Customer service is a dying art. Can you believe, when on vacation the last two weeks, that I once asked for directions to a local movie theater from I-95--the major highway in the area, and no one at the movie theater could give me directions? When I explained I was in… Continue

Added by Matt Urdan on January 9, 2009 at 12:25pm — No Comments

Non-Operator Counterpoint - Rod Guinn - V is for Veto Vote

Rod made some great points regarding menu diversity and related costs, ( the "Law of Unintended Consequences").

There is another restaurant segment that bears looking at, however. That of the independent operator with a single unit competing with the chain restaurants.

A 46 to 60 seat restaurant positioning itself as a destination dining spot can offer something that the larger… Continue

Added by Paul Green on January 9, 2009 at 7:47am — 1 Comment

Non-Operator Dining and The Domimo Theory

Many businesses seem to have come to the decision that customer service is not necessary anymore. The cost of dedicating staff, time, and training can be realized as profit if people will buy our product or service without it. Or, perhaps, if it’s too difficult to get to a customer service person, fewer resources will be expended in dealing with a problematic public.

It used to be, ‘We’ll give you something extra for doing self-service.’ Now it’s, ‘If you don’t do self-service, we’ll… Continue

Added by Paul Green on January 2, 2009 at 11:00am — 4 Comments

A Recession and Food Service Demand

Earlier this month the National Bureau of Economic research confirmed what many in the restaurant industry already knew…we are officially in an economic recession that began in December 2007. For a change this week I thought it would be interesting to look at the demand side of commodities from the food service sector. Thus the chart below which is annual restaurant sales growth (full service and limited service) and annual consumer disposable income growth. This chart confirms that restaurant… Continue

Added by David Maloni on December 11, 2008 at 12:19pm — 2 Comments

Cost Containment versus Responsible Management

In this topsy turvy world of economic disasters and tragedies, I am noticing what can only be described as "pushing the panic button" happening more and more frequently. What I am referring to is this: in a season of the hospitality industry that is traditionally slow, in the wake of the media's proclaimation of economic doom, we are suddenly making decisions that could potentially harm our business for years to come. Changing the units operating hours, cutting back the staffing to bare… Continue

Added by Darnell R. Franze, Jr. on November 29, 2008 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

Customer Satisfaction Surveys - They're Not all Bad News

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a bad experience I had in a local tasting room, and the importance customer satisfaction surveys play in providing businesses the feedback they need to be able to turn around unpleasant experiences, save customers, and prevent future repeats. And while we know that there is incredible (you might even say indispensable) value in this, customer satisfaction surveys aren’t just about receiving bad news, they are also important messengers of good… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on October 26, 2008 at 10:30am — No Comments

Non-Operator Fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid.

According to a rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia.

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt. (Hrad to… Continue

Added by Mel Kleiman on October 15, 2008 at 6:19pm — 3 Comments

The Devil Is In The Details

Often it’s the little things people remember about your business. Those subtle details which define your restaurant. Whether it’s the simple—unlimited chips and salsa, or the sublime—pre heated mugs and warm creamer for coffee service, it's the little details, performed routinely, that can elevate a good restaurant to a great restaurant. Here are some details I have seen lately;

Generic reading glasses at each table so guests can easily read your menu
Soup offered by…

Continue

Added by Les on September 24, 2008 at 7:10pm — 1 Comment

Eating this could kill you

How would you feel if the name of your restaurant, firm or chain was part of a front page story titled: "Have You Eaten Any Of These?"

The sub-headline is: "Check your fridge: More and more of our favorite meat dishes, sandwiches pulled from shelves."

This is yesterday's front page for the Vancouver Sun.

Canada is in the midst of possibly the worst food-borne disaster in its history. One of the best known, almost revered100-year… Continue

Added by Roy MacNaughton on August 27, 2008 at 12:27am — No Comments

Silence That Resonates

Sometimes the smallest things make the most noise. A crying newborn baby can make a lot of noise. A bird singing outside your bedroom window early on a Saturday morning can make a lot of noise. Someone’s cell phone ringing in a packed movie theater can make a lot of noise. And, a seemingly insignificant beverage napkin lying on the floor of a restaurant for thirty minutes can certainly make a lot of noise.

The noise made by that napkin is a noise of a different kind. In fact, the… Continue

Added by Chris Reed on August 7, 2008 at 6:08am — 3 Comments

Some days I really do just want good food.

I've had a couple of experiences recently, which challenge the notion if you offer good service, you can get away with serving mediocre food.

While recently traveling through a small town, I walked into a biscuits and gravy joint where the tables hadn't been cleaned off and the server kept forgetting to bring items we requested.

He was friendly enough, don't get me wrong, with a bright disposition and genuinely personable. But operating with no sense of… Continue

Added by Judy "the foodie" Asman on July 25, 2008 at 12:23pm — 6 Comments

What Guests Really Want

Before you serve the first Guests that walk through the door today, remember this: even with seemingly endless options available, those Guests chose your restaurant. Their reasons for selecting you will vary from person to person, but they all share one common desire. What is that desire? Preparing great food and providing outstanding service may seem to be the obvious answer to both our Guests and us. In fact, you would probably even get that answer from your Guests if you asked them what they… Continue

Added by Chris Reed on July 25, 2008 at 6:34am — 8 Comments

Too much tasting?

One of my favorite features is New York mag's 'Ask a Waiter.' Interestingly enough, the pub doesn't just talk to waiters; owners, bartenders and doormen (?) also make the cut. After all, they all contribute to the overall consumer experience at any restaurant, bar or the like.

Anyhoo, the folks at NY chatted with Ratanak Joed Kong of gelateria Grom in… Continue

Added by restaurantdotorg on July 15, 2008 at 1:11pm — 1 Comment

Entitlement: The deal ender.

Last year, when James Lipton asked Michelle Pfeiffer, "What turns you off?" the actress replied: "Entitlement."

I knew there was a reason I liked her.

In my darkest hours, I have felt entitled—that sick, grim feeling that wenches on about how the world owes me. The times I'd be more apt to say, "What else ya got?" over "Thank you."

I tend to notice it in others too:

The undefeated football team who—after scoring late in the fourth…

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Added by Judy "the foodie" Asman on June 30, 2008 at 4:53pm — No Comments

ReMARKable Palate #136: Moroccan Olive Oil

ReMARKable Palate #136: Moroccan Olive Oil

I speak with Majid Slimani and Driss Chaouni from Alili Morocco, a new company bringing the fine products of Morocco to the United States. They won the Runner… Continue

Added by Chef Mark Tafoya on May 28, 2008 at 12:37pm — No Comments

server training checklist

anyone have a good source for a server training checklist?
I need to help a customer design an effective training program that he can implement himself. I now this can get to be a large list, but I think it needs to be concise and practical. this is for a pizza and italian dinner house with a beer and wine service only. any and all direction would be appreciated.

Added by larry esposito on May 1, 2008 at 4:35pm — 4 Comments

EASTER IN THE LADIES' ROOM

Do you remember the Christmas fiasco with the handicapped Ladies' Restroom?

You may recall that a close relative of mine, let’s call her Flo, had a terrible experience with a major downtown hotel on Christmas Day. She was not able to use the ladies’ handicapped stall; her wheelchair would not go through the doors, nor could she use the facilities without her daughter and daughter-in-law standing guard. The front desk clerk of the hotel was no help. He acted like a robot, caring… Continue

Added by Roy MacNaughton on March 24, 2008 at 12:23am — 2 Comments

Survey Says: Using Polls to See Where You Stand

A small business owner has many opportunities to learn how their customers feel about their business. Using some very simple strategies, a small business owner like you can get a better feel for what your customers like or dislike about what is happening every day in your place of business.

Comment Cards. Comment cards are a simple strategy to get some first-hand feedback on how to improve each customer experience. Get them professionally printed if you can, and consider… Continue

Added by Doug Golden on March 17, 2008 at 1:35pm — 4 Comments

MAKE MY DAY---JOIN THE GROUP!

This is a great FohBoh idea for sharing stories about this great industry! Thanks to Kristen.

Long ago, in a land far away, called Australia, I was managing three different huge shopping center food service developments. I reported to a fellow named Geoff Gribble. He was a specialist in supermarkets. I was the National Food Services Manager, supposedly the specialist in restaurants and QSR's.

One day, he called me into his office and handed me a letter addressed to him… Continue

Added by Roy MacNaughton on March 13, 2008 at 5:59pm — 4 Comments