Once in a while you meet someone who shares your passion for what ever it is you are passionate about. Today was that day for me. There may be a generation gap between me and the fore mentioned however the synergy transcends the gap.
I have been training managers for a better part of 15 years. I have been a restaurant manager since 1990. In that time I have met far too few people who share my pride and swagger as it pertains to customer service. I realize that folks get burned out. I know that some people are in my line of work as a back up plan. I am sorry their original quest did not work out. I will ask this though of the consolation prize manager…please quit!
Yesterday I met Richard Saporito. Not face to face but through email correspondence and one telephone conversation. I recently purchased his book ” How to Improve Dining Room Service”. It’s a great read and after reading it I thought it necessary to write him and thank him for writing it. He responded the same day with a “non”-auto response email. I invited him to look at my two web sites and see if he’d like to be interviewed on a teleseminar. He called me later that evening and we immediately hit it off.
I am a restaurant manager in the tourist town of Destin, Florida. He a retired operator turned consultant who has spent his entire life in the thick culture of New York City. We are from two very unrelated cultures. That would be where the differences ended.
30+ years in the business. Expert in the field of customer loyalty!! Click Image
This man was as open a book as the one of the many that he’s written. A kind, gentle voiced renaissance man. My business partner didn’t know what to expect when we started the interview. We would be hit over the head with Rich’s unbridled passion for the industry for which we both still are very active. The scheduled 30 minute interview went 60 minutes easily as he walked us through his successes and failures spanning 30+ years in the business. Bobby (my partner) and I were mesmerized by his story telling. Mr. Saporito gave us the why, how and to what extent of details that typical seminars would never cover.
Now to the non restaurant person the interview would be deemed hoakie and boring. To the restaurant lifer (by choice) it was the biggest breath of fresh air I have breathed in a very long time. I hope to do at least 3 more interviews on customer service with Rich. Next month I’ll be moving on to cost controls but for now I’m going to savor this part of my plan and learn all I can from him.
The funniest part of the whole conversation was when he thanked me for making HIS week. I can’t express how proud that statement made me.
Make good choices and leave comments. Take care.
SikWorld
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
If you coudn’t tell I enjoyed meeting Rich.
Thank you for the awesome interview Jim. It should be quite beneficial to restaurant owners, operators, and dining room service staff. For me, it was actually like therapy as these are concepts that I always need to spout and spout. Even now, I still want to elaborate on some topics.
Yes, restaurant service truly is a balance between the physical and the mental, a balance between the mechanics and the attitude, a balance between the service functionality and the “look”, a balance between the science and the art form, a balance between the “laws of service” and the “freedom” for the frontline workers to be creative and flexible in their problem solving.
The following is an article that I would like to share with your readers:
Restaurant Customer Service is Customer Care
As I waited for an answer to my technical question from a stereo company, the recording stated a “customer care” representative would be available shortly. With aging baby boomers, world events, and the additional pressures in today’s society, it is “customer care” that must evolve in our economy. We have moved from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. And, if we are smart, we will move towards a “servicecare” economy. We live in a high tech, button touch environment with decreasing personal contacts which makes customer interaction more important than ever to corporate imagery. For example, if you call for computer tech support, the representative often makes it a point to address you by your first name. If it is the office supply company, they may ask, “How are you doing today?” This makes the customer feel less like a number and more like a human being.
The successful restaurateurs always take it one step further towards “servicecare” because they understand that restaurant customer service literally involves the immediate health of the patron – more so than any other industry except for healthcare industry itself.
A recent survey asked diners why they went out to eat, and the main response was “to feel good.” This must be true. After all, the word “restaurant” has French origins meaning “to restore.” During my waiter period for many years, I felt my job was to restore humanity, especially to diners arriving from a very stressed out day.
In my past dining room service work experiences, I remember certain actions lifting service to this higher level of “servicecare.” One time a customer requested margarine that was not available in the restaurant. The owner walked across the street to the grocery purchased the margarine and brought it tableside. The patron was delighted. Then, there was a regular customer (diabetic) who always got immediate attention with some kind of bread or crackers to keep from feeling faint before her food arrived. If there was a baby present at a table, our staff ensured their food would come out as soon as possible to pacify them.
Customers remember these kinds of actions as it creates a long lasting positive image for any company or restaurant establishment. The owner truly cared about his guests, and it always permeated through the dining room and to the staff – even after he left to open other restaurants for that company.
Customer Service involves major three points:
1. Care and Concern for the Customer,
2. Spontaneity, flexibility and creativity of frontline workers which enhances the ability for on-the-spot problem-solving,
3. Recovery—making things right with the customer when the process has gone astray.
These 3 points must be highlighted in every waiter training program:
If they are kept in mind, then quality service will automatically occur.
Thanks again for the interview Jim, talk soon.
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Avril Kuree
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Katty Smith