When you ask, be specific.

Friday, November 29, 2024

Managers are famous for working the room and asking guests, “How was everything?” The guest will generally respond with, “Fine”. At that point the manager moves on and in their mind they think that they checked in with the guests and got positive feedback. Great interaction; end of story.

The key is to ask specific questions and to look for items that might create some real feedback. Don’t ask “How everything was”, instead ask if they enjoyed the Fish of the day. Was it prepared as they expected? Did they love the sauce? If they only finished half of their entrée, was there a problem? They may respond that it was too salty, or it was overcooked. Be specific about your questions. It is too easy for a customer who had issues to get up, leave and never come back again. Ask about if they loved the dessert. Too much chocolate. If they really love something, they will be happy to gush about it to you. And you get a chance to have them feel great about their experience. But I will watch plates coming back to the dish room and see most of a meal being discarded and ask where and what the guest said. Then I follow up to make sure that there wasn’t a problem with that specific item. Many times they say, “No, I was just so full that I couldn’t finish it.” The server doesn’t always find out what the issue might be. That is the job of the owner or the manager to be watching things and getting specific feedback. One night three people, when asked, said that the fish was too salty. I went back, informed the Chef and we adjusted things. Probably saved three or four other tables from being disappointed. Specific questions, yield specific answers.

Years ago, when we opened our nationally recognized Wine Bar, we had a couple come in and they sat at the bar in the afternoon. She ordered the White Burgundy and he ordered the buttery oaky chardonnay. After a sip, she announced that she really liked him better. Our manager overheard that and got her a glass of the wine that he ordered. She didn’t know that he heard and said that it wasn’t necessary. Our manager responded by saying that we wanted them both to be happy and took the first glass of wine off of the check. Wow, you’re thinking. They gave away a $8.00 glass of wine. Yes, and when that couple came in 6 times a month for the next 7 years before they moved out of the area, we remembered the lesson about listening and getting specific feedback. Ask questions that require the guest to think and respond. Otherwise, everything is always going to be “OK.”

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Meet our writer Steve Wecker

Father of Five , married to the love of his life for over 40 years and a business Card that reads; “The Idea Guy”, Steve lives in a world of creativity. He attended the University of Maryland where he majored in mass communications that help to fuel that creative streak. His Foray into Hospitality and his creative ideas and concepts has allowed him to have fun all of his professional career. He has owned five award winning restaurants and that has fueled his passion for “thinking out side of the box”. His restaurants have received accolades including “Top 100 in America” and Steve was named the State of Maryland’s “Restaurateur of the Year”. Steve has a passion for Philanthropy and his Restaurant Group has helped to raise over 7 Million Dollars for Charities. He is passionate about writing, public speaking and Maine Lobster with drawn butter.