Ingredients of a fine dining restaurant – Part 4 of 6 – Hospitality

There is a perception that good food needs to be served in a prim and proper manner, almost with the warmth in the room removed and n expectation of maximum nervousness from the poor diners. Real hospitality is about making the show seemless, friendly and vibrant. Staff with personality, detailed knowledge of the menu and who remember your name will more than make up for the fact that the soup spoon was forgotten. Gentle humour is a true gift for front of house staff and should be encouraged.

Of course there is also a school of thought that dictates all service is customer service and there is merit in that statement. When you get it wrong you can always make it right. Most guests just want to be acknowledged, have their problem listened to, receive an apology and sometimes a gift to say to sorry. In his flagship restaurant, Danny Meyer, the guru of enlightened hospitality, has a reserve of dessert wines for just such occassions.

If you can get the following things right, you are certainly ahead of the game:

1 Read and memorise the bookings list for the service. Check on any special request, arrival times and group names. Try and plan the pace of the service.

2 Acknowledge the guests as quickly as possible on arrival, take coats and show them to their table. If the table is not available and they have turned up on time, keep them happy.

3 Once seated, get drinks order as soon as possible and serve any amuse bouche or complimentary appetisers. Try and gauge the table for how fast you need to get in with taking the food order.

4 Try and serve the whole table all at the same time and clear in the same manner. Have a system in place to remember who ordered what, it looks professional and is quite simple. Maybe work on the order from one corner of each table in clockwise order, with ladies orders or special guests plates put down first.

5 Courtesy check and keep looking for empty glasses and side dishes. Not only are these upsell opportunities but also keep a table active.

6 Present bills courteously and discretely, no hovering for tips or with the card machine. Ask if taxis are required and order them for when the guest asks. This can also be a means of gauging when the customer intends to leave. It may sound dumb, but they may want drinks after their meal or have to rush off. Either way, you are all in synch.

7 Retreive coats and help the customer.

8 Thank customers for coming, welcome them back, open restaurant and taxi doors for them. If they have ordered a taxi, talk to the driver on behalf of the customer, it is a nice touch and also leaves a good last impression.