Serving the Server with Tactics & Strategy

WHAT IS “GOOD SERVICE”?

Good service is the culmination of an organization's tactics and strategy to best address their customer’s needs. It goes beyond a friendly face or speedy delivery of an order. It involves an organization that:

• provides resources (hiring, facilities and equipment to name a few) focused on customer needs;
• trains employees on an on-going basis on customer service standards;
• sets and enforces expectations of all employees (not just those with face-to-face customer interaction); and
• arms employees with the trust, tools, and flexibility to correct customer service issues when things do go wrong.

THE TAKE-AWAY

Tactics:  Share best practices informally on a daily basis. As an Executive Chef, I arranged for Front and Back of House staff to share family meal. We would not only talk about specials, but solicit feedback on what worked the night before, what didn’t work, and how we could improve.

Strategy:  Find out from the customer what is working and what is not. This needs to go beyond a customer comment card (typically filled out only by irate customers). Identify one or two major areas where your team cannot only better serve customers but is uniquely equipped to do so.

Match your organization’s capabilities with the areas where the chance for improvement is greatest. For instance, if your staff is incredibly loyal, but has limited English skills (which is affecting the ability to communicate menu improvements), consider on-premise ESL training or subsidizing off-site training. Hiring new, more English-competent servers, can increase your chances for high turnover. 

ABOUT ME

Jordan Lichman is currently the Dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management at Stratford University in Falls Church, VA. Prior to his current position, he earned his MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business and spent 15 years in wide ranging roles in the food service industry. After earning his Bachelor of Arts at UC Berkeley in Political Economy and a Degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked at properties ranging from Double Five Star Luxury Inns, to contract food service, to eco-friendly street food.