Responding to every verified dining review your restaurant receives is a great way to engage with your guests, and shows potential diners that you care about their experience. Not only that, replying to reviews allows you to gain deeper insight into how your customers think. Ready to engage with your customers? Here are a few
6 Ways to Improve Customer Service in Your Restaurant
Think about the best place you’ve ever eaten a meal. Now think about what made that experience truly great. That’s right: it’s not all about the food. Sure, amazing food should always be a top priority. But dining at a really good restaurant is also like a mini-holiday — and it’s the sum of a
10 Cardinal Rules to Managing an Irate Restaurant Customer
When managing any public space — from a full service restaurant to a corner taco stand — it is inevitable that you will come up against complaints. Consumers are justifiably particular when dining out, and not every experience you provide will be uniform or perfectly match a customer’s expectations. Mistakes happen and problems will come
Inside the Mind of a Restaurant Server: Getting to Know Your Guest
In part one of this interview, expert server Christopher Stark shared thoughts on training staff he’s developed over 17 years as a fine dining establishment server at California Grill in Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. In part two of this generous and candid interview, Christopher now details his experience serving guests, the process
Inside the Mind of a Restaurant Server: Training for Success
Christopher Stark knows a thing or two about how to be a successful server. Having moved through various parts of the restaurant industry, only to spend the last 17 years as a fine dining establishment server at California Grill in Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, he has possibly one of the best pedigrees
A Round of Gratitude: 3 Ways Restaurants Can Say Thanks
The end of the year can be a hectic time for any business, but especially for restaurants. Between implementing holiday specials, scheduling your staff around their time off with family, and handling holiday reservations, it can get busy. However, the holiday season can also be a good time to reflect on the last 12 months
4 Questions Every Restaurant Server Should Know How to Answer
Guests have questions. Whether they’re frequent diners or are visiting your restaurant for the first time. Whether they have a regular standing order or want to try something new. It’s inevitable that questions about your menu will come up during service. After all, a server isn’t just there to write down orders. Their work is
Customer Service: It’s a Team Effort
A few weeks ago, I went to a restaurant with a group of friends. It was a busy Saturday night, and there were lots of servers — all dressed in the same black uniform — running around. After a while, we were ready to order drinks and, to save time, just asked the first server whose
The Big Business of Business Diners, Part Two: Tips for Restaurants
You now know about the unique needs of the business diner, but how can you make your restaurant the perfect choice for their meetings? According to restaurant experts speaking at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, all it takes is a few tips — and a lot of relationship building. 1. Concentrate on
The Big Business of Business Diners, Part One: The Who’s Who
So you’ve got a good dinner crowd; you’ve set up a menu with the perfect mix of comfort and creativity; and you’ve got a big box of crayons on hand, to cater to any young foodies-in-training. Think you’ve got all your bases covered? Think again. There is one very important diner category that you may
