Quality Restaurant Service

Randall Turner, a dear friend of mine, dines out at least twice a week and knows good service; he also knows when the wait staff is indifferent. A recent experience at a restaurant in the area made the evening memorable for all the wrong reasons.

"I was there with business associates and wanted to try a new restaurant that had been touted", he recalls. "The place was cavernous and the eight servers outnumbered the customers."

It was a warm night and the small group decided to sit outside. After a long wait the server appeared. Filled their water glasses and disappeared. "We had to hunt for more water, bread and for the waiter so we could order," Randall complains. "There were only two other customers in the restaurant that probably sat 150 people. We knew the servers were out there but we could not see them. It was almost funny."

The service did not improve as the evening wore on.

"After the meal we ordered coffee and when it arrived sometimes later I tasted something strange and sweet in the brew," he relates. "When I asked the server what it was she replied, "I don't know what it is. It's something."

Having to chase down the waiter for the bill was the icing on the cake.

Although the food was good, the quality of service soured the entire dining experience. It was a new restaurant and perhaps the staff was working out a few kinks. But Randall says he likes to patronize a restaurant that will appreciate his business. "It is disappointing when the meal is superior but the service is not up to the same standards," he concludes. "That is what stands out in my memory."

Quality service is vital to the reputation of any eating establishment. It will make or break a business, and customers will not return if they don't get good service.

Not that providing quality service is easy. Customers can be demanding and the menu can be complex and ever changing.

Is quality service learned or is it fundamental to a person's nature? I think is a little of both. I think anyone can learn the basics of how to wait a table. but some people are naturally in tune with customers and how to go beyond just filling their needs, Those are the employees making the big tips.

Typically, servers earn minimum wages plus tips. Particularly hectic days can be costly, since a server is often too busy to provide the personalized attention to each customer that generates larger tips.

Experience providing good service anywhere can be transitioned into the restaurant industry. If someone worked as a telemarketer or a clerk, the same principles can relate to those in a wait staff or in other position in a restaurant.