- Pay attention to kids orders’ preparation time
Staff should pay extra attention to kids orders’ preparation time. If staff feel that the waiting time is unusually long, they should communicate with the chef as a team to serve the food as fast as possible. Parents would always want to feed their kids first and ensure that they are not starving which they would in turn become irritable while waiting for their food to arrive. Staff can also bring in complimentary bread with jam and butter which most restaurants offer to their table which the family can consume while waiting for their dishes to be prepared. Staff can check with their parents if they would like to have some bread before preparing the bread basket as some parents may have already brought along some food and snacks with them for their kids.
- Always check with customers before clearing their plates
Staff should always check with customers before clearing their plates. This could prevent misunderstandings as some customers may still wish to finish up the whole dish on the finishing plate or they might want to use the empty plate as a sharing plate. Staff should never assume if a customer has finished their dish and proceed to clear the plate. This action would be perceived as rude by many and it may eventually result in customers’ dissatisfaction and complaints.
- Maintain right amount of friendliness with customers
It is good to appear friendly and communicate with customers. It is complimentary to make small talks or topics with your customers, but be genuine. Do not try too hard to make the situation become awkward. Also, it is important to judge the situation and determine if some customers are in the mood for conversations or if they are busy doing their work or talking amongst themselves. Some customers may want to read their storybook while sipping on a cup of coffee with the peaceful and cosy ambience. Your judgment may not be accurate at times and it is completely fine. To compliment the situation, after serving the customer, you can drop them a message to let you know should they want to order or require any things later so that you can be at their service.
- Know your priorities
It is essential to be mindful of other customers especially during peak hours. With regards to the previous point, you can not afford to make long conversations or small talks with customers during a busy period. Some customers from other tables may be waiting for you to take their orders or some tables are still uncleared and they may be frustrated to see that you are just standing there and conversing with other customers. You can do so if the operations are going smoothly and most customers have already settled down with their food and drinks, and just having their time with their friends or family. Know your priorities and know what is deemed of you at all times.
- Do not take in more customers if you cannot handle
Restaurants operations can be quite stressful and messy especially there are a huge number of customers dining in. Always keep in mind that customers dining in are more important than the customers waiting in the queue to be seated. Your focus should be customers who are dining in at the moment and display good customer service to them. Do not take in more customers if you cannot handle the amount of customers with the total staff strength present. This is to ensure that your operations go smoothly without customers complaining that no staff are attending to them. You may end up having both present and new customers dining in being frustrated and dissatisfied over the lack of staff and their attention. To conclude, do not bite off more than what you can chew.
- Giving the bill check appropriately
After giving the bill to customers, stand at a distance and divert your eyes away to avoid looking at how much cash or credit cards they have in their wallet as money is a sensitive issue. You would also appear as courteous and giving them privacy by not probing into their personal space and who knows? You might even be tipped for your good service and consideration!
- Do not make sensitive comments that might offend customers
If a customer orders an additional main course, you should not make any comments like “Wow! You can still eat another dish.” It is inappropriate and you might come off as extremely rude or hurting their ego. This is so as you might offend the customers who you do not know might be struggling with obesity and it is something personal to them.
Similarly, if a customer insists on packing their little portion of sides, pack for them and avoid comments such as “It’s just a little fries left”. The customer may be frugal but it is not wrong, they got their rights to pack any food they cannot finish and bring them back home. Therefore, you should just proceed with customers’ requests while providing them with the best service possible.
