The business of catering companies, which includes restaurants and cafés, and bars, is primarily about service. That is, guests put their impression of how they are served first and foremost. Yes, yes, exactly the Impression. 

Notice that the service can be the same for different guests, but their impressions will be different. The reason is simple and obvious – every guest wants to be served the way they like. And therein lies the Platinum Rule of guest service.

What is the Platinum Rule of Guest Service?

It is only at first glance a platinum rule that is perceived as a trite truth known to many. This rule pulls a change in attitude towards such a widespread concept as ‘service standard’. 

For most, service standards are something immutable and obligatory to be obeyed at all times. Which it is. Otherwise, if standards are implemented at the discretion of the performer, they cease to be standards. 

Why? Because a standard is a process that should be carried out only as specified and no other way. That is, standards show how the result is to be achieved.

Why The Service is Bad? 

First and foremost, it is due to the emotional burnout of employees, which is often associated with a lack of meaning and a lack of understanding of what they are doing. That is, a person comes to a cool promoted project with a cool Instagram and at first, everything is “Wow, cool!”, but after a while he already has burnout. Why?

  • A meaningless job. A person came and thought he would be important, but all the time he is told: “Stay out of it, it’s none of your business, don’t ask stupid questions”. There is complete meaninglessness of existence from incorrect feedback from the manager, or from the fact that there is no time to train, etc.
  • Insecurity. In this case, security is about reconciling values. A person is safe when he finds himself in an environment where everything is clear and coherent and where standards are clear. For some people, this is about pedantry, for others, this is about cleanliness, aesthetics, or humanness. 
  • Lack of joy. If a person finds himself in an environment that is not his own, he doesn’t understand what he’s doing. And also, if they don’t know how to explain what’s what, it leads to burnout.

The modern school of restaurateurs is friendly and most already understand how important and necessary it is, which is not the case for the first two points, which sometimes you don’t have time for when you’re too immersed in the process.

Improving the Level of Service of the Restaurant, Café, Bar

So we’ve come to the point where the service standards and the Platinum Rule contradict each other. Either we serve everyone in the same way, or we look for an individual approach to each guest. But it should be said straight away that in this case, we have in mind standards of communication in serving, and not simply technical rules (time of bringing food, cleaning the table, the order of serving or serving the table).

Therefore, when it comes to improving the level of guest service in a restaurant, cafe, or bar, the following areas of growth in the quality of the lounge staff are obvious:

  • Reading the guests. The important task is to understand the mood of the guest, and how they want to be served.
  • Visual contact with all guests at the position. If the guests at the table need something, the waiter must come to the table immediately, otherwise, the guests will feel forgotten and their needs will be ignored.
  • Knowledge of the menu and how to recommend dishes/drinks to guests. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to help guests with their choices.
  • Knowing how to prioritize your work. This helps to reduce fuss and panic, which is commonly referred to as panic. Knowing in advance what you’re going to do (5-7 steps in the sequence), the waiter doesn’t care how many tables to serve – 2, 5, or 8.
  • Preparation of the restaurant space to work. The better prepared the room (waiter stations with all the necessary interior, clean seating and tables, the required number of guest racks, racks for bags, etc.) the less will be force majeure.

All of the above should be improved and developed by the staff in their work. 

Conclusion

The level of restaurant service can be improved in several ways. First and foremost, it is important to ensure that all employees are properly trained in customer service. Additionally, it is important to set high standards for customer service and hold employees accountable to those standards. Finally, regular feedback from guests can help identify areas where the level of restaurant service can be improved.