Customer service and satisfaction will continue to be the
crux of a restaurant’s success in the new decade. Most Americans express
satisfaction with the level of service they receive at restaurants. As many as
eight out of 10 consumers feel that they receive friendly and timely service at
tableservice restaurants. But young people, who are today’s limited-service
customers and tomorrow’s fullservice guests, are tougher to please. Eighty
percent of consumers in the 18-to-34 age group reported that they had
complaints, compared with just more than half of consumers aged 65 and older.
As we head into the second decade of the 21st century, where today’s younger
audiences will predominate, their needs will carry more weight.
Speed — that seemingly addictive quality that permeates all aspects of today’s society, as ever-faster computers, 24-hour information, and the Internet turn the world a little more quickly each day — will be at a premium.
The market segment that because of economics, dines out only on fast food will be interested in speed, and the service will need to be clean, friendly and fast—with no surprises. Other segments, such as folks who because of time, use fast food for certain meals, will be looking for the same things. When they want something more experiential, though, they’re going to be very discriminating about where they go, what they eat, and the kind of service they receive.
To complicate matters, Americans want their restaurants to deliver what they want, when they want it and provide a good value too. Given the economics of the restaurant business, with its relatively low profit margins coupled with a full-employment economy, recruiting and retaining the staff to deliver those expectations will make all the difference in this, next, or any, decade.
The crystal ball
Forecasts about the future of foodservice are as easy to come by as predictions at a psychics convention. I see a growing trend in more women serving in fine-dining establishments. It used to be almost a requirement to hire men. I don’t see that anymore.
Eyster foresees the hiring of an increased number of part-time employees as an essential way of keeping service costs down and quality up. “If the economy stays strong, I think restaurant operators are going to have a much harder time finding qualified full-time employees,” he says. “We must try to attract good part-time employees, develop their skills and pay them well.”
And they’ll be younger. In the old days, we hired a crew. We could expect the crew to be there for several years. Those days are gone. My prediction is that we’re going to see a younger work force and more part-time employees. And to keep them, we need to provide more attractive packages to personnel and maintain systems of recognition and reward.
Many analysts expect service to continue to be less formal. Casual fine-dining is really big right now, and it’s going to continue. Many restaurants have opened inFlorida
Servers will also need to be more knowledgeable. You’ve got cooking channels, you’ve got Emeril [Lagasse] and celebrity chefs raising the awareness level about food. Healthy options have come full circle now the public is more knowledgeable, their expectation level for service is going to get much higher. As a result, they’re going to demand more details, initiative and overall knowledge on the part of the server.
Mother nurture
Fortunately, restaurateurs are an ingenious lot, and problems are more often than not opportunities for solutions. It’s a tough business, there are lots of pressures, but that’s life. You have to look at it realistically and come up with solutions. Like the Wheeler Law, which contends that if you pay attention to a problem, it will go away. He explains by relating the story of the law’s namesake, Wheeler Manufacturing Company.
Speed — that seemingly addictive quality that permeates all aspects of today’s society, as ever-faster computers, 24-hour information, and the Internet turn the world a little more quickly each day — will be at a premium.
The market segment that because of economics, dines out only on fast food will be interested in speed, and the service will need to be clean, friendly and fast—with no surprises. Other segments, such as folks who because of time, use fast food for certain meals, will be looking for the same things. When they want something more experiential, though, they’re going to be very discriminating about where they go, what they eat, and the kind of service they receive.
To complicate matters, Americans want their restaurants to deliver what they want, when they want it and provide a good value too. Given the economics of the restaurant business, with its relatively low profit margins coupled with a full-employment economy, recruiting and retaining the staff to deliver those expectations will make all the difference in this, next, or any, decade.
The crystal ball
Forecasts about the future of foodservice are as easy to come by as predictions at a psychics convention. I see a growing trend in more women serving in fine-dining establishments. It used to be almost a requirement to hire men. I don’t see that anymore.
Eyster foresees the hiring of an increased number of part-time employees as an essential way of keeping service costs down and quality up. “If the economy stays strong, I think restaurant operators are going to have a much harder time finding qualified full-time employees,” he says. “We must try to attract good part-time employees, develop their skills and pay them well.”
And they’ll be younger. In the old days, we hired a crew. We could expect the crew to be there for several years. Those days are gone. My prediction is that we’re going to see a younger work force and more part-time employees. And to keep them, we need to provide more attractive packages to personnel and maintain systems of recognition and reward.
Many analysts expect service to continue to be less formal. Casual fine-dining is really big right now, and it’s going to continue. Many restaurants have opened in
Servers will also need to be more knowledgeable. You’ve got cooking channels, you’ve got Emeril [Lagasse] and celebrity chefs raising the awareness level about food. Healthy options have come full circle now the public is more knowledgeable, their expectation level for service is going to get much higher. As a result, they’re going to demand more details, initiative and overall knowledge on the part of the server.
Mother nurture
Fortunately, restaurateurs are an ingenious lot, and problems are more often than not opportunities for solutions. It’s a tough business, there are lots of pressures, but that’s life. You have to look at it realistically and come up with solutions. Like the Wheeler Law, which contends that if you pay attention to a problem, it will go away. He explains by relating the story of the law’s namesake, Wheeler Manufacturing Company.
It seems that production was on a downward spiral, prompting one executive to suggest that the problem was low lighting. They installed brighter bulbs, and sure enough, production went up. Taking advantage of a good thing, they installed even brighter bulbs. Production went up again. Then, one executive, who had a hunch that they were missing the real meaning of this phenomenon, suggested they only act as though they were installing brighter bulbs. Production went up again.
They discovered that the production increases had nothing to do with the level of light. They were due to the fact that the employees felt that the company was doing something for them. In restaurants, I believe making the workplace more comfortable, keeping kitchens cooler, placing mats on the floor for tired feet, and having incentive-reward programs, training, and perks will improve the spirit and in turn, productivity.
I suggest to take that thesis a step further. I’d encourage operators to make the work environment more like a home away from home and treat their employees as though they were their parents in order to improve retention.
When managers act like mothers or fathers toward their associates, they will respond. For instance, a friend of mine is general manager of a golf course. He told me his groundskeeper and pro were fighting like kids, and he didn’t know how to handle it. I asked him how often he was there, and he answered about two hours a day, three days a week. That means the general manager is only physically present six hours a week. That’s not enough. I told him these guys need a dad around. If he wants to solve their problems, he needs to show up more, give them some attention, and take them to lunch, individually or together.
In a word, both employees and customers need to be nurtured. That’s why restaurateurs, from Poinciana rural Florida to chic cafes in South Miami Beach that are looking forward to the challenges of the second decade of the 21st century and beyond, are creating a place where not only everybody knows your name, but that also feels like home sweet home.
On the hiring line
It’s all well and good to say that the ideal staff needs to act like Ward and June Cleaver, but how do you find the people you will need to carry your operation further into the 21st century ? Look for character. It is very feasible to hire the unexperienced. We need to hire them for their personality and teach them the skills. I’d like to encourage my clients to hire for personality and the desire to learn.
Personality is important. You can teach product knowledge and other skills, as long as you have the core traits to work with.
After many years in the food service industry, I’ve learned that when you show respect to your employees, they will recruit their friends to work for you. If people are happy somewhere, you won’t hurt for staff, because they will bring in people they know.
training on track
Recent studies have shown that training also goes a long way toward making workers more contented and reducing turnover. I am an advocate of expressing clear expectations and offering direct feedback, developing informative menu descriptions and wine seminars, and having open communication.
I recommend extensive staff training before opening a restaurant and ongoing training in wine tasting, service-manual review, and updates on menu and wine descriptions. I also suggest frequently discussing the importance of working in tandem with the kitchen staff—a crucial and often overlooked component to a successful restaurant—with your front-of-the-house employees.
Even making a good cup of coffee requires training. Chris Gimbl, spokesman for Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Company, says that baristas in all of the chain’s 3,200 coffeehouses worldwide go through 24 hours of customer-service training before they start working in the stores. “That gives them a great basis before they actually get on the floor and undergo the pressure of the line heading out the door or that crazy morning rush,” says Gimbl. He believes that Starbucks lower 60-percent annual turnover rate is due to training, atmosphere and benefits. “It’s a tight market. We feel that we have an advantage because we offer a very competitive benefits package available to anyone who works over 20 hours a week, including medical, dental, 401(k) and stock options.”
Loyalty lessons
The goal of excellent service is loyalty — of the employees and the customers. Satisfaction is not enough — it’s loyalty that keeps them coming back and spreading the word. That’s what has been going on at the Frost Diner for 44 years, and no mere turn of the decade and this crisis will budge its customers’ loyalty. And why should it, when they’re doing everything right in the first place? “Everybody seems to be well contented,” Andrade admits. “Most everything is home-cooked, and we’re a nice, friendly restaurant. I’m sure everything is not exactly perfect, but we try. And if we have complaints, we try to settle them. The customers all seem to think that we do a good job. We’re like their home away from home.”
Recent studies have shown that training also goes a long way toward making workers more contented and reducing turnover. I am an advocate of expressing clear expectations and offering direct feedback, developing informative menu descriptions and wine seminars, and having open communication.
I recommend extensive staff training before opening a restaurant and ongoing training in wine tasting, service-manual review, and updates on menu and wine descriptions. I also suggest frequently discussing the importance of working in tandem with the kitchen staff—a crucial and often overlooked component to a successful restaurant—with your front-of-the-house employees.
Even making a good cup of coffee requires training. Chris Gimbl, spokesman for Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Company, says that baristas in all of the chain’s 3,200 coffeehouses worldwide go through 24 hours of customer-service training before they start working in the stores. “That gives them a great basis before they actually get on the floor and undergo the pressure of the line heading out the door or that crazy morning rush,” says Gimbl. He believes that Starbucks lower 60-percent annual turnover rate is due to training, atmosphere and benefits. “It’s a tight market. We feel that we have an advantage because we offer a very competitive benefits package available to anyone who works over 20 hours a week, including medical, dental, 401(k) and stock options.”
Loyalty lessons
The goal of excellent service is loyalty — of the employees and the customers. Satisfaction is not enough — it’s loyalty that keeps them coming back and spreading the word. That’s what has been going on at the Frost Diner for 44 years, and no mere turn of the decade and this crisis will budge its customers’ loyalty. And why should it, when they’re doing everything right in the first place? “Everybody seems to be well contented,” Andrade admits. “Most everything is home-cooked, and we’re a nice, friendly restaurant. I’m sure everything is not exactly perfect, but we try. And if we have complaints, we try to settle them. The customers all seem to think that we do a good job. We’re like their home away from home.”
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