What should you keep in mind to ensure you’re offering great service to your diners?
Making diners feel at home
From offering a warm welcome to attentive service throughout the meal, here’s what you can do:
- Be polite and attentive when serving. Train your service staff well in this area.
- Serve up diners’ orders promptly. Make sure you don’t keep them waiting for too long.
- Know your customers. Remember the preferences of your regular customers and give them more reasons to keep coming back.
- Note the ratio of staff to customers. With enough staff, orders can be served promptly. Yet, too many wait staff can make diners feel uncomfortable.
- Be attentive and proactive. Being extra thoughtful will improve any dining experience.
Provide service based on restaurant type
There are many restaurant types with many servicing models. See the various models and how you can provide diners with the appropriate service:
- Waiter service
This is a full service model – from seating the guests, presenting the menu, taking and serving orders, to collecting payment. Pay attention to:- Interaction with diners to make them feel comfortable
- Communication with the kitchen for prompt service
- Chinese Lauriat service
This is a banquet service model, with service staff delivering sharing-sized portions course by course to a round table of 10-12 guests. Pay attention to:- Serving time in between courses
- Making the presentation attractive
- Keeping the table clean and presentable
- Buffet service
In this model, guests get their own food from the buffet line, while the service person clears up the used plates and cutlery. There are many kinds of buffet service:- Station type buffet – where food is grouped by cuisine type or theme at individual tables
- Modified deluxe buffet – where tables are set with cutlery, while dishes are placed along the buffet line, and the service staff serves beverages, coffee and dessert
- Deluxe buffet – where the service crew serves the appetiser, soup/salad, beverages and dessert while the main courses and sides are along the buffet line
During buffet services, pay attention to:
- Kitchen service so there’s always food along the buffet line
- Making diners feel comfortable so they won’t feel stressed by the buffet setting
- Self-service
This is often found in fast food restaurants where diners will order, pay for, and collect their order directly. Pay attention to:- Quick service by preparing the food beforehand
- Possible crowd during rush hour
- Semi self-service
Here, diners will order directly and the service person will bring the food to the table. The counter staff relays the orders to kitchen and collects payment. Pay attention to:- Maintaining quick service
- Efficient preparations and prompt food deliver
Keep diners coming back for more
How do you get diners to return? Better yet, have them recommend your restaurant to their friends and family, here’s how:
- Identify your restaurant’s type and be sure to offer the best service
- Retain and build your customer base
- Gauge your service quality and pinpoint how you can improve it
- Maintain your taste quality
See how you can give diners more of the great taste they love
