Notes: Bickell & Hookham
Two pieces today and they sort of build off each other. In the first, Bickell shares an "automatic gratuity" disaster and in the second Hookham covers his top 12 expectations from service staff. If the staff at the first restaurant followed Hookham's top 12 list I'm quite sure the disaster would have been averted.
Both pieces offer lessons & learning opportunities for operators & restaurant pros to think about.
Cheers,
- Jaime
Bickell's Blog
Bad News Travels 2000 Miles Before Good News Gets Out of Bed...
In one form or another, it's a phrase that appears on menus all over America..."An 18% gratuity will be added to parties of eight and over". I understand the thinking from the restaurant point of view, and I also understand that it represents a disaster waiting to happen.
A friend (a chef/owner) just sampled the new French bistro in town, and secured an outdoor table for his party of seven that included six adults and a two-year-old. At some point during the meal, an unexpected guest sat down and enjoyed a glass of wine.
My friend is capable of being critical and basically was disappointed in almost everything – particularly the food, and "shocked" would be a better word than "disappointed". He suggested that his wine (which included four bottles) was overpriced (over $44.00 per bottle; $11.00 in the State Store). His real problem was in the service, which was basically handled by busboys. He claimed that he saw his waiter twice – when they ordered, and when he presented the bill.
A bill of approximately seven hundred dollars included an automatic $140.00 gratuity. His immediate question was somewhat understandable. He asked the server to explain why he should pay him $140.00 when the waiter was hardly involved. The waiter suggested that it was their policy, and that it appeared right on the menu.
The real issue was in the restaurant determining the number in his party (the child and the unexpected guest). My guess is that the issue would have been almost non-existent had they not added the automatic gratuity.
Say what you will about tipping in America because it's not perfect, but the guest controls the amount of the tip, and I see this as a decided advantage over the European system of automatically adding the tip to the check. And in fairness to my friend, he insisted that he was not in the habit of being difficult in a restaurant, especially when it involved the wait staff... "I'm in the business, and I understand the system – in my mind, this one went way over the line".
Two managers got involved, and they were unable to solve the problem. My friend paid the bill and left. I don't think we'll see him back in this particular spot anytime soon. It's a disaster that should never have happened! In terms of the concept called "word of mouth", this one is working in the wrong direction.
Post your comments to the blog online at:
http://www.runningrestaurants.com/articles/automatic_gratuity_disaster
Robert Bickell is the Publisher of Restaurant Report
SERVICE TIP: Expectations & Remarkable Service
What do I expect? Let's say I walked into your restaurant tomorrow, what would I expect from your staff:
Top 12 Expectations
- Friendly staff, well groomed and armed with a good attitude.
- Seated at a CLEAN table.
- A timely greeting to take my drink order.
- The server to be knowledge about the menu in case I have questions.
- Updates on my food order if it's taking longer then 15 minutes.
- THIS IS A BIG ONE FOR ME - If the refills are free, I expect my drink to never sit empty.
- The server to check in a couple of times during my meal.
- The table to be cleared when our meal is completed, offering to box up anything I didn't eat.
- NOT to be presented with the check until I've been offered a dessert and an after-diner drink.
- The check to be processed quickly.
- The server not to disappear after the check is processed. I may not be in a hurry and want another refill while I talk.
- A "thank you" for my business and someone asking me to come again.
There it is, my minimum expectations for good service. The check amount won't be maximized but I would consider the server to be an above average order-taker by meeting these 12 expectations which would warrant a 15% tip.
Remarkable Service
Now getting a 20% tip will be more of a challenge. The server will have to surprise me with "Remarkable Service" for that kind of reward. Here are some of the things I would be looking for:
- Greet me by name. Talk about brownie points!!!!
- Get my drink to me before I've been sitting a total of 1 minute. Understand timing for all of the service cycles.
- Offer me choices for appetizers instead of just asking if I want any appetizers.
- Offer a couple of house specials and create an image of those specials for me.
- Guide me when I am not sure what to order.
- Bring me a new glass for my refill before the old one is empty, without me asking or noticing. Anticipate my needs and provide Invisible Service.
- Use more imagination then "Did you save any room for dessert" when offering dessert.
- Tell me to "ask for you" the next time I come in.
- Assist me when I'm leaving and again say goodbye and thanks for coming.
Remarkable Service takes a structured training program and plenty of practice but this is what I expect from a great server-seller that wants to make a 20% tip on a maximized ticket. Provide "Remarkable Service" and I will keep coming back!
Jeff Hookham is the CEO of 4 Remarkable Service. Visit http://www.4remarkable.com for additional articles and resources on wait staff training.
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