Ok. I have been harsh on the service thing for quite sometime, and I think it is finally time to broach this subject. I now want to be harsh on that customer who thinks they know evertything, or at least that they think they are always right. Or even worse yet, the customer who is absolutely…
To-Go Boxes
My daughter participated in a Lego Robotics championship a few years back in Atlanta. (Ok, they won). It was the international tounament and the whole family got to go with her team on the trip. At one of the restaurants that we dined at, my daughter approached an employee and asked where she could find the…
How About a Best Service Shout Out?
Every year we get the pleasure of reading about all of the ‘best’ restaurants in town. The Oregonian and Willamette Week bless us with their ideas of which restaurants really stand out for one reason or another. I am not here to judge their results, or the qualifications of those doing the judging (sounds like I…
Hints that the Customer Might Need Something
I have mentioned before that customers who leave unhappy will end up telling a lot of people (ultimately over a thousand with social media). If you can catch them before they go out the door, you can save about 83% of those–a substantial number. You can’t save the 83% of unhappy customers, however, if you…
Get Them to Come Back
The more I talk about this to my students, the more I meet with consulting clients, the more I think back on my restaurant experiences–both as an employee and as a customer–the more I realize that this is really all it is about. Getting them to come back. Absolutely right. It is not how much restaurants…
Tip vs. Service Charge
This post is for all of those customers out there who think that they are taking care of their waiter when they see that a service charge has been added to the bill. There is a trend currently of restaurants adding service charges to the check. The restaurants generallly are being up-front about it, no surprises for…
Finish the Job
This is a common occurence at many restaurants: They start out strong, and then somewhere along the line they drop the ball and don’t see it out the door. It is important that if restaurants want to succeed, they figure this out and finish the job. So many times I have eaten out, had a wonderful time,…
A Good Restaurant
Even though I am often accused of being too critical of my dining experiences, I do have fun eating out. In fact, just about my only requirement for having a good time eating out is friendly service without any attitude. Come to think of it, it is impossible to have friendly service if there is…
Take Care of your Staff
It’s an old saying, but take care of your employees and they will take care of you. You want to get customers in and coming back? Make an effort to make your staff a happy one. It starts with you. You can be that boss who stays in the office, never engages the employees, OR you…
The Budget
I can’t tell you how important it is to have a budget if you want to run a successful restaurant—or any other business for that matter. Now, having said that, you would be amazed at the number of restaurants that don’t. I have had clients ask me to help them with their restaurant, and the first…
Coupons and Gift Certificates
A few weeks ago, I was out of town with my wife, staying at a friend’s house. I thought it was very nice of this friend to allow us to stay there–I have a reputation for being a difficult house guest–and wanted to take her out to dinner as a thank you for her hospitality. Sometime before this…
A Fresh Look
There are many reasons why restaurants usually have what I call a shelf life. They, if they are successful, often outlive their usefulness. I think it would be unfair of me to say that they stopped caring. That really isn’t it. But, somewhere along the line, they stopped paying attention. They are so use to…
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