Enhance consumer experiences by tuning in to table service

Nation's Restaurant News, May 9, 2005

Joleen Flory Lundgren, vice president of human resources and training for Famous Dave's of America, based in Minneapolis, notes that not many restaurant companies differentiate themselves with great service. Many companies are so engrossed with providing all the rudimentary steps--greeting, seating, menus, beverages that the servers become regimented, almost mechanical, she says.

To counter that trend, servers at Famous Dave's are encouraged to communicate with and connect to customers in their own way. In addition, "we do a sauce tour," Lundgren explains. "We have five bottles of barbecue sauce, plus ketchup, on each table. It could be a five-minute tour as to the different tastes of the different profiles or what they go good with. Or it could be, 'Hey, did you know our Georgia Mustard goes great with fries?' "

2. Design successful service.

Clearly stated service goals are integral to the design of a successful service experience, according to Brian Sill, a partner and co-founder of Deterministics, a Seattle-based foodservice management consultancy that has worked with dozens of restaurant companies, including Chili's, Red Robin, Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory.

Sills directs clients to establish a service framework around three objectives: service time, or the number of courses a guest will choose; throughput time, or the maximum cooking duration of meal orders; and peak volume goals, or targeted turns of tables. These parameters help management create sales goals for their servers that are accurate and achievable.

"Time goals established for each step of service are critical," he notes. Common standards for full-service restaurants include one minute to greet, eight minutes for appetizer throughput and 15 minutes for entrees, he says, adding, "Achieve perfect balance throughout the service cycle, and the guest experiences a seamless event."

Wayne Vandewater, executive director of training for Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, part of the Overland Park, Kan.-based Applebee's International Inc., notes that companies should tailor training to the needs of their employees. Through employee surveys, Applebee's found that it could reduce turnover by increasing employee training. Workers there said they were more likely to stay at Applebee's if they had enough time to practice their job skills, if they felt confident they could perform their job duties, and if feedback from managers was useful to them, according to Vandewater.

The chain recently updated its employee-training program in response to those directives, reducing bookwork and increasing hands-on training time in the restaurant. "Rather than reading the 10 basic service steps, let's get on our feet and let me show you," Vandewater says. "They retain information better that way. More senses are involved."

Waitstaff also must feel that they are integral to the overall success of a restaurant and that they are part of a team. Too often servers focus on individual customer transactions to the detriment of overall service at the restaurant, according to Phil Wexler, author of the best-selling book on table waiting, "The Art of Professional Serving." That limited focus creates the potential for waitstaff to become discouraged and even take their frustrations out on customers when they get a poor tip. To combat this tendency, some restaurants have instituted tip pools or hourly salaries. Others have used sales contests to create an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie.