November 18, 2010
David Hayden
Managers, Servers
britney spears, girl scout cookies, girl scouts, how restaurant owners can increase sales, how to be a better restaurant manager, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, how to sell, how to sell more, increase restaurant sales, increase sales, marilyn monroe, motivating servers., recommendations, Restaurant, Sales, sales for servers, sales techniques for servers, sales tips, sales tricks, sell, Selling, selling specials, Server, Server Blog, servers sell, servers sell more, Serving, specific appetizer, specific drink, suggestions, suggestive sales, suggestive sell, the power of suggestion, thin mints, Tips, tipsfortips, upsell, Waiter, Waiting, waitress
This will be relevant by the end of the post.
“Subtlety is the art of saying what you think and getting out of the way before it is understood.” –Anonymous
We as a society have really lost the power of subtlety. It could be because we have lost the patience to unravel it. We receive far more information on a daily basis than our ancestors a hundred years ago could even process. Most of this information is not subtle. It is blasted at us with bells and whistles to get our attention. The news channels do not just report the news, they also tell us what to think about it. Movies no longer imply that a couple is about to “make whoopee”, they show us the scenes in the trailer. In a few generations we have gone from Marilyn Monroe standing over a vent to Britney Spears getting out of a limousine.
With all of these changes, we have forgotten what it means to be “suggestive.” This is particularly true in restaurants. A few decades ago, corporate restaurants determined that they wanted their servers to be sales people. The also determined that they had no interest in paying for the training necessary to actually accomplish this. Instead, they decided to teach their servers to use adjectives and “suggestive selling.” One of the first posts on this blog was declaring my disdain for the overuse of adjectives. I recently realized that I never discussed my equal dislike for the corporate restaurant incarnation of “suggestive selling.”
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August 27, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
accurately, customer service, Food, gkcbc, how servers memorize orders, how to be a better restaurant server, how to memorize, how to memorize orders, how to remember orders, how waiters memorize orders, increase sales, memorizing orders, paige unger, remembering orders, Restaurant, Restaurant Manager, restaurant server, Sales, sales for servers, sales techniques for servers, Server, Server Blog, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, Tips, tipsfortips, Waiter, waitress
I know that order is in here somewhere
(Note: In yesterdays post I discussed why I feel it is beneficial to memorize orders. I will not recap to avoid redundancy, which itself if redundant in this post.)
I am terrible with names. Not particularly good with faces either. I will forget three things every time I take a trip. I promise I will remember to bring that CD I was telling you about next time I see you. I have left the house in my slippers. This seems like a good chance to wish a happy belated birthday to everyone who had one before the days when Facebook reminded me. There was a point to this paragraph, but I am not sure what it was.
If you ask most of my friends, they will gladly tell you how forgetful I am. If you ask my guests, they will tell you I am some sort of memorization genius. Memorizing orders is skill rather than a talent. A talent is something you are born with. A skill is something you get better at through technique and practice. I am an absent minded person who has trained himself to be highly proficient at memorizing orders.
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August 26, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
how to be a better restaurant manager, how to get servers to sell, how to memorize, how to memorize orders, how to remember orders, memorization techniques, memorization tricks, memorizing orders, Restaurant, Restaurant Customer, Restaurant Manager, restaurant memory, restaurant order, restaurant server, Rules of Serving, Sales, sales for servers, sales techniques for servers, Selling, Server, Server Blog, server memorize, server memory, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, taking orders without paper, Tips, tips for improving tips, tipsfortips, Waiter, waiter memory, Waiting, waitress, writing down orders
When I started my first serving job years ago I worked for a company I will affectionately refer to as “Five Four.” That isn’t what it says on the signs out front, but it what we all called it. My first day a manager who introduced himself as “CSV” told me that if I couldn’t figure out how to carry three plates at once by the end of the shift, I was fired. I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but I learned to carry three plates. A couple days later I was training with a guy named “Timmy” who never wrote down his orders. I asked him why and he said, “Only rookies write down orders.”
There are any number of managers who would read that last sentence and be horrified. The thought of not writing down orders puts fear in the heart of managers who are responsible for the rise in food costs related to misrung food. A former boss once put it this way; “I would rather have a stubby pencil than a sharp mind.” The debate on whether or not to write down orders has pretty much been won by the side of managers who want to eliminate mistakes. I do not disagree with them, but I also do not write down orders.
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July 29, 2010
David Hayden
A Little Humor, Designated Drinker, Index, Managers, Uncategorized
customer service, Facts, Food, Foodie, how to be a better restaurant manager, how to be a better restaurant server, Restaurant, Restaurant Customer, Restaurant Guests, Restaurant Manager, Restaurant managers, restaurant server, Rules for Servers, Sales, Selling, Server, Server Blog, Servers, Service, Serving, Tips, Waiter, Waiting, waitress
July 16, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
1111, customer service, how restaurant owners can increase sales, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, How to increase sales, How to increase sales as a manager, increase restaurant profits, increase restaurant sales, increase sales, managing servers, motivating servers., Restaurant, Restaurant Manager, restaurant server, Rules for Servers, Rules of Serving, Sales, sales for servers, sales techniques for servers, sell more, Selling, selling specials, Server Blog, server contests, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, teaching servers to sell, The Rules for Servers, Tips, upsell, upselling, Waiter, waitress
Rule Five: Always recommend what is in the guest’s best interest, not yours.
(Note: There are many hyperlinks today that will send you to posts were I have previously addressed specifically issues that I address in this post.)
This is the second time in two days I have sat down to write this post. Yesterday, I got caught up in a tangent which I think serves as an important preface to this post. It even inspired a comment immediately that proved its accuracy. In the preface, I discuss how restaurant companies have encouraged servers to focus on upselling and thus significantly damaged the relationship between servers and their guests.
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July 15, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
customer service, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, integrity, Restaurant, restaurant server, Rules for Servers, Sales, sales for servers, selling specials, Server, Server Blog, Servers, Service, Serving, teaching servers to sell, The Rules for Servers, Tips, upsell, upselling, Waiter, Waiting, waitress
I sat down today to write about rule five. As I did so I realized that a preface was in order. This morning I sat on my patio drinking coffee and reviewing the outline that I have scribbled on a legal pad. I began thinking about why this post was even necessary. It should be common sense not to try to rip off your guests. “Always recommend what is in the guest’s best interest, not yours” should go without saying. Unfortunately, it directly contradicts what many servers are being encouraged to do. So much so that even the guests know it.
I experienced this yesterday. Waiting on a large group of teachers at lunch, I offered recommendations off the menu. I suggested the sockeye salmon the chef was offering as his daily special. I mentioned the flavor difference of wild caught salmon. I discussed the life cycle, diet, and high levels of omega 3. When I took the order, most of them chose my recommendation. The last one looked up at me and said, “you are a great salesman, so I will have the salmon too.” I was taken aback by this statement. My description was more reminiscent of a teacher or a food critic than a salesman. I did not use a “close” or try to appeal to their emotions. I tried to sell them the best item by educating them and allowing them to make an informed decision. My response to her was, “The difference is I will be here for the entire time you have the plate in front of you. That is a guarantee no salesperson can make.”
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July 8, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
bottle sales, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, increase restaurant sales, recommending a bottle of wine, Restaurant, restaurant server, Sales, sell a bottle of wine, Selling, Selling wine by the bottle, Server, Server Blog, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, Tips, Waiter, Waiting, waitress, Wine
There really is no greater subtle statement of status in a restaurant than having a great bottle of wine on your table. The surrounding tables all take notice. It is a declaration of class and announces to the dining room that you can afford the finer things in life. It is a reward. It is the stuff of memories. It is romantic. It is professional. It tells the world you mean business.
It is also expensive. It is no secret that restaurant’s markup on wine is often absurdly high. While more expensive bottles have lower markup, they still can be intimidating to guests. Guests want all of the perceptions in the first paragraph, but between the price, uncertainty about the wine list, and the amount of wine they may be fearful of the commitment. This often times leads them to order only a glass at a time. As a server, part of your job is to make people comfortable ordering what they want to order. The guests want the bottle. Your job is to make them comfortable with the purchase by addressing any of the three issues listed above that they might have.
There are two things you must know in order to make this work:
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July 7, 2010
David Hayden
Servers
customer service, describe desserts, dessert, Desserts, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, increase dessert sales, increase restaurant sales, Restaurant, Restaurant Manager, Rules for Servers, Sales, sell more desserts, Selling, selling specials, Server, Server Blog, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, Waiter, Waiting, waitress
I suppose I should start this post by thanking all of the servers who are still reading after my six post series on management and motivation. I know it is a server blog, but I also recognize that a large portion of my readership is comprised of managers. I hope those who read it found it interesting. I promise to stick to server information for the next few days. Today I wanted to come up with a big payoff for those that stuck with me through the series.
Today is one of my most loyal readers birthdays. I noticed this and decided to dedicate a post to her for her birthday. Becky was the first person I met as a result of this blog. This is actually her second mention in the blog. As I thought about what to write about in her honor, a light bulb went off. In honor of one of the sweetest people I know, a post about desserts is in order. I can’t buy her a free dessert, but I can write a free post about one. So for Becky, I am for the second time digging into the folder titled “book” and posting some previously written material on desserts.
Let’s be honest. If chocolate, cheesecake, and apple pie were healthy, calorie free, and provided you with all your daily vitamins and minerals, would you ever eat a salad? Most people like steaks, salads, and pastas, but they love dessert. Yet most servers will sell far more entrees than desserts. Your guests come to the table with a great number of expectations and beliefs. One of the most common beliefs is that ordering dessert is gluttonous or wasteful. While you should not try to change that belief, you can always take a shot at being an exception to it.
Selling desserts is about exploiting the contradiction between what the guest feels they should do and what they want to do. Buying a dessert is an emotional decision rather than a logical one. You have to make the dessert appeal to their senses. You have to instill the belief that the pleasure they will receive will outweigh any guilt they may feel afterwards.
In order to capitalize on these emotions to sell desserts, keep in mind the following concepts.
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July 6, 2010
David Hayden
Managers
customer service, how to be a better restaurant manager, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get respect of servers, how to get servers to sell, how to lead, how to motivate, How to motivate servers, increase restaurant profits, increase restaurant sales, leadership, management, motivation, Restaurant, Restaurant Manager, Restaurant managers, restaurant server, Sales, Selling, Server, Server Blog, Servers, servers sell more, Service, Serving, synergy, Tips, Waiter, Waiting, waitress
(Note: This is the final part of a six part series dealing with what does and does not motivate servers. It is based upon research presented in the first part. If you have not read the initial post entitled “The Epiphany”, I highly recommend you do so to fully understand the series. Later parts dealt with how money fails and succeeds to motivate servers. The most recent posts dealt with autonomy and mastery as motivators. This post is best put into perspective after reading those posts.)
“The sense of paralysis proceeds not so much out of the mammoth size of the problem but out of the puniness of the purpose.”
-Norman Cousins
I have been writing this series for six days straight now. With each part I write I become more convinced of the validity of the original research the series was built upon. Every day I see specific examples of how autonomy or mastery inspires people. Each one of those days I have also had misgivings about writing this post. The concept of purpose is so immense and so powerful that summing it up in a thousand words of less seems a bit overwhelming. I have outlined and re-outlined this post numerous times. To conclude this series I will show how managers can create a sense of purpose for their staffs.
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July 5, 2010
David Hayden
Managers
educate, how to be a better restaurant manager, how to be a better restaurant server, how to get servers to sell, How to increase sales, increase restaurant sales, learn. best practices, Restaurant, Restaurant Manager, Restaurant managers, restaurant sales, restaurant server, Sales, Selling, selling specials, Server, Server Blog, server sales, Servers, Service, Serving, teach, Tips, training, Waiting, waitress
(Note: This is part five of an ongoing series regarding what does and does not motivate servers. It is based on research provided in part one. I highly recommend visiting that post to gain proper perspective on this one. The second part dealt with how money fails to motivate servers. The third part showed how lack of money destroys motivation. Part four addressed autonomy as the first motivator. Tomorrow, I will wrap it up by discussing the final motivator, purpose.)
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. One of the benefits of being in the business as long as I have is getting invited to the best cookouts. Nothing like a few chefs putting together a meal. I live in one of the greatest BBQ cities in the world, but yesterday I had the best ribs this city has ever seen. Brined and then marinated for days in advance. These ribs were treated with TLC that would never be possible to replicate in a restaurant. The Executive Chef at one of the best Italian restaurants in town makes the best ribs in the city. Moral of the story: you can’t buy the best ribs in town.
More importantly, you can’t pay to have the best ribs in town made. A chef who cooks for a living and spends as much time cooking as sleeping made his finest meal for free. Money did not motivate the extra effort. He decided what he wanted to cook and he was cooking for his friends. In the lexicon of this series, that translates to “autonomy” and “purpose.” The interesting part to me is that as we all praised his ribs, he talked about how he would make them better next time. Even as a professional certified chef, he was thinking of ways to improve. The term for that is “mastery.”
Mastery for the purposes of this post is not perfection, but constantly striving for improvement. Serving is not something that can be perfected. Even the greatest servers in the world are still looking for ways to improve. This is how they became one of the world’s greatest servers. The key to mastery is constantly striving to improve. Servers who recognize this find far more fulfillment, challenge, and reward in the job. Managers who are able to instill this mindset in their staff are rewarded with highly motivated and productive employees.
Here are some tips on encouraging the pursuit of mastery amongst your staff.
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