Fine Dining Tips & Tricks: Infield Tested Tips & Tricks That Work!
Let me start by speaking to you about something that you may or may not have discovered in our culture on this planet. Humans admire the idea of instant gratification for many reasons. The psychological reasoning behind instant gratification refers to the idea that men and women like to have what they want right now; not later and they don’t want to wait. Some merchandise and services that is currently sold in society that demonstrates this offer that promise of instant push-button results and surprisingly they do very well. Think Aspirin for pain and McDonalds for fast food. Humans are largely short term orientated because if you value immediate results you stay alive. It’s an Evolutionary advantage that has played out over millions of years and was very valuable when we were living in different times.
Now.. yes instant gratification is no longer as essential as it once was but I’m not discrediting all forms of instant gratification out there. With this new information that I have told you taken into consideration I have compressed key tips and tricks that I have experienced throughout my time serving (and still currently) and crammed it in an easy to observe format for your mental digestion. In other words: you will be able to receive that instant gratification that has been instilled in our DNA for century’s now. By ensuing and taking action on the following advice I will share with you, I can assure you that you will receive that immediate gratification from your guests and customers if you properly incorporate these tips, tricks, and ideas. Enjoy my fellow ServerPreneurs!
Rephrasing Your Question
Now I’m willing to take a survey or better yet place a wager that every time you or your guests go out to eat, there is one line you are guaranteed to hear. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” It is the most commonly used phrase in restaurants across the country. The funny thing is most people have a reflex reaction of saying “no” in response to the question. See now the problem with that is that within a couple minutes you will get flagged down by your guests when they do actually think about what they need. Ready for the solution to this common nuisance? Instead I would like for you to say, “what else can I bring that will make this meal more enjoyable?” Hmmm, not only does that sound delightful to the ears, it will impress your guests with your concern and it will also get you a much more accurate answer.
Double Check Drop
Within the economic climate that we are currently in, even more prestige’s restaurants have been offering discounts and coupons to their customers. This combined with the expansion of gift cards globally will often leave the final bill at a much less accumulated amount than what the guest actually ordered. Guests generally want to do the right thing when it comes to giving a tip, but they often don’t place into consideration the difference between the two checks. Solution time! Before you ask for a check to be discounted, I want you to print a copy for yourself. Once you have both checks in your possession (before and after discount) then when you bring back the change or the credit card receipt; drop the original check with the new one. Say something along the lines of “Here is your receipt Mr. Johnson. Underneath I’ve placed a copy of your check before and after the discount for your viewing pleasure.” This isn’t always a sure thing, but it does illuminate your guest’s mind of what has transpired and jog their memory enough to make it worthwhile.
Steaks by the Color
Now I know this has been a scenario that has been replayed many times throughout your fine dining server experience. I mean we have all had it happen to us one way or another. A customer orders a steak medium rare, only to send it back because they did not want any pink exposed on their steak. I’ve come to the conclusion that apparently no two people view steak temperatures the same way. Your job as a waiter is to translate the mental picture in the guest’s mind to the picture that is in the cook’s mind when he hears the temperature and places the meat on the grill. I have your solution to this dilemma my friends; actually you can improve your translation in two ways now that I think about it. If the guest orders a steak by temperature, I want you to repeat back to them a description of what that means in detail. Here, I’ll describe to you an example. If a guest orders a steak medium rare, you will follow her request by saying “that will be warm throughout, but still very red on the inside. Is that correct ma’am?” The second method is to ask the guest to describe the color they would prefer on the inside. Translate their definition on your own. Both of these methods are more prone to get the steak out right the first time.
Light to Dark Beer Listings
If your current restaurant establishment has a large number of beers on tap to recite, this following trick will save you a lot of time and money (because time IS money as a server). Instead of just listing the beers randomly of the top of you brain, ask the guest if they would like a lighter or heavier beer? Once they answer you, then start listing the beers from lightest to heaviest or vice versa depending on which the guest has chosen. This makes for a much shorter listing by far. The reason why is because once the guest realizes that you have gotten to heavy or light for their tastes, they will stop you and order from the ones you have previously recited.
Pre-Heat Coffee Hack
I don’t know about you, but I get pretty annoyed when I have to send back coffee because according to the customer’s standings “it’s not hot enough”. Here is the solution for your cold coffee troubled guest problems. Before pouring the coffee in the cup, pour hot water in it. That nozzle on the coffee maker is useful for more than making trainees empty it at the end of the night. By doing this you are giving it time to warm the cup up as you get anything else you need. Once you’re ready, dump the water and pour the coffee. This will assure you for a much warmer cup of coffee!
Oldest Trick in The “Check Presenter” Book
Now this trick has been handed down to me from some long time late greats in the business. It’s nothing new; this one has been around for years. Even with that being said I STILL run into people who don’t know it or have never heard of it. If you are using a book style check presenter, you will notice there is usually only writing on the cover side. So what I suggest to you is when you place the check on the table, place it cover down. When the guest picks up the check, they will almost always leave it cover up. It’s proven that this is a shared psychological trait that we all place books cover side up when we put them down. When you see the writing, go retrieve the check, no more wondering.
There you are my fellow waiters and waitresses; SIX quick and simple tips that will save you time and impress your guests. What have you found that people should know about? Drop a comment below and let us know. Have something that I missed? Share below for the rest to see or email them to me at [email protected] and I will include them (with full credit given) in future installments.