Top 10 Nuggets On Excellent Customer Service For Restaurants(EP 24)

In this episode, Serial Entrepreneur, Property Investor, Attorney and Speaker Mompoloki Lerumo Mogobe speaks about excellent customer service in Restaurants.

Whether or not people come back to your Restaurant depends almost entirely on this: THE QUALITY OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE! I read online that they did a survey asking patrons to go to Restaurants for 90 minutes in America and they found out three(3) VITAL things that take at best 4.4% of the time in restaurants. It was found that these three(3) things that contribute the most to the quality of service. They contribute at least 40% to the satisfaction level of those customers. These things are:
1. Quickness on being greeted at the door.
2. Speed at which drinks are refilled i.e rapid replenishing of drinks
3. How quickly the cheque or the bill is presented!

As you know I am the franchise Holder for B.LA.C.K and Nonnas Italian Kitchen Restaurants located at Mogobe Plaza at the New CBD in Gaborone. I recently had a training for my staff on excellent customer service. We covered the following crucial points among others.

Here are the Top 10 Nuggets Of Wisdom On Excellent Service In A Restaurant:

1. Greet the guests within 10 seconds of them walking through the door. That is why other places have hosts and hostesses. It is perhaps advisable to have a smart hostess greeting the customers.
2. Attend to the guest with the menu within 1 minute(60 seconds) of sitting down. Avail the menus and be smiling through out that experience.
3. Get drinks within 2 minutes(120 seconds) of sitting down. Don’t make your drinks or cocktails too complicated that it takes too long to make them. Unless it is a really special occasion or a fancy party. In which case do inform the guests that there will be an unavoidable delay for those reasons.
4. Check back at the table every 2 minutes(120 seconds). Literally check back on the table after the food has been dropped/served, every 2 minutes(120 seconds). It will give you a chance to see whether everything is in order or whether customers need anything. ABSOLUTELY VITAL!
5. Keep the drinks filled at all times. Don’t be sitting and chatting whilst customers are there. Don’t even lookout your smartphone and don’t even think of smoking If you are a smoker.
6. Work like a team. Pick things up even if they are not yours . It is all about team work . Even if they have Messi’s or Ronaldo’s or Micheal Jordan’s or stars/celebrities they still support the team and the team encourages each other in order to win. So even your star performers in terms of best waiters must always be an integral part of the team.
7. Get napkins or tissues or plates and/or straws out of the way once they have been used! Avoid all clutter on the table. Give the guest a chance to finish with class as soon as they are done.
8. Offer dessert or Ice-cream or something at the end.Throughout keep trying to up-sell with a smile. Suggest what else the customer or guest might like from the menu.
9. Bring the bill within 1 minute(60 seconds) of request. If super-busy ask for help from others. Always advise the guest if the is a genuine delay.
10. Walk the customer out when they are done. See the customer off. Don’t wave or say/scream goodbye .
11. BONUS: Keep smiling and demonstrate positive body language at all times!