If you were to ask a panel of professional dining critics what they would consider the No. 1 factor in rating a restaurant, don’t be surprised when they tell you it is the food. In fact, they can even overlook bad or indifferent service when the food is outstanding. For our customers, however, that is the exception, not the rule.

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The average dining guest evaluates the entire experience for his or her money. Providing “adequate service” is no longer enough to give you a competitive edge. It only means the customer got what they expected, and simply meeting expectations is no longer enough to make you stand out in today’s business climate. It only becomes a competitive edge if service is “exemplary.” Exemplary service is delighting and astonishing your customers by totally exceeding their expectations.

This has been called the “WOW” factor. Make no mistake. You cannot achieve WOW without stellar servers.

Are great servers born or made? Charlie Trotter’s needs little introduction among restaurant professionals and culinary aficionados. The restaurant is regarded by many as the epitome of fine dining in the United States.

Support education and training in the Caribbean hospitality industry. The manual has been produced in a binder format to allow for future additions.

The book “Lessons in Service From Charlie Trotter” by Edmund Lawler describes the selection process for servers at the restaurant. In many cases, experience takes a back seat to “enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment someone with the physical, emotional, and mental stamina that will allow him or her to concentrate at a high level for long periods in a demanding, supersonic atmosphere.” What does this have to do with your business? Even if your restaurant is a small family-style pizza and pasta place, you are losing business if you consider your servers simply “order takers” or “food runners.” Your servers are salespeople.

They build or diminish customer loyalty, especially in neighborhood restaurants that need their patrons to visit at least twice per month. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) reports that the No. 1 concern of restaurant operators today is the inability to find and hire “qualified and motivated employees.” This statement seems to imply that employees should only apply if they are already trained and have a positive attitude about customer service. Given the high unemployment rate today, we may actually have more potential to get that kind of applicant who has been furloughed or laid off. While there may be a small percentage of the unemployed workforce that is “qualified and motivated,” it is still the responsibility of the employer to train new hires to provide excellent service.

How is your vision? Charlie Trotter is a world-class restaurateur with a clear vision of how service should be executed. He has developed a team of veteran servers who have embraced and integrated that vision, and pass it along to new hires.

The lesson is that a restaurant can create a culture of success through role-modeling attitude and behavior. First, however, like Charlie Trotter’s you need to develop your vision of what great service entails. The single most important quality of a true leader is a clear vision of the objectives and the ability to communicate it.

Recently, I reviewed a customer service study that asked what single factor best defined quality service. The most frequent response was “personal attention.” This was followed by responses mentioning dependability, promptness and employee competence. Not only must we meet these expectations of our customers, we must do it consistently.

In “At America’s Service,” by Karl Albrecht, the author suggested that those willing to serve as “champions” of service are obsessed with understanding and staying in tune with their customers’ needs, attitudes, values, expectations and perceptions. Albrecht’s definition of quality service: “A level of service quality, that when compared with your competitors, is high enough in the eyes of your customers that it enables you to charge a higher price, gain a larger share of the market, and enjoy a higher profit margin than your competitors.” This definition is based on the notion that a high level of customer service differentiates your business to the degree that you can charge a higher price for your product. At certain restaurants patrons gladly pay a premium to dine there, particularly in a stronger economy. No doubt, they receive excellent food and ambience, however, a large part of what differentiates the restaurant is extraordinary service. Extraordinary service is best defined in the context of the interaction.

You need to define it when a customer telephones the restaurant to ask directions or make a reservation, when a customer is greeted by an employee, when a customer is escorted to the table and greeted by his or her server, and so on. The dining experience can be broken down into multiple “moments of truth,” each with their own challenges and opportunities to make a strong service impression and demonstrate your commitment to customer service. The customer’s overall evaluation of your service commitment tends to be a composite of these many “moments of truth” that occur prior to and during the actual dining experience.

Making service an ongoing process Although “customer satisfaction” is usually part of an overall strategic plan, only a few forward-thinking operators have made it their No. Many restaurant operators have had honorable “intentions” for such strategy but few have made it part of their restaurant’s culture.

When customer satisfaction becomes ingrained in the restaurant’s culture, customer satisfaction becomes an automatic ongoing “process” that is reflected in everything the restaurant does. “Programs” have beginnings, middles and ends, whereas a “process” becomes part of the brand personality of the restaurant. For exceptional customer service to become a “process” it must involve employees at all levels in the assessment and improvement of service, and it must always be considered a work in progress that is continually refined.

Training your employees to deliver quality food and service is a regular, not one-time, event. You need to empower employees to pursue quality improvements with a passion for excellence and you need to vigorously support and reward the employees who deliver the improvements that lead to satisfied customers. This is hardly a new concept. The “Total Quality Management” movement got a foothold in U.S.

Business in the early 1980s (modeled after Japanese business practices at the time), and is so integrated into the operating philosophies of top-performing organizations that it is considered simply a component of basic good management. One of the tenants of quality management is continual and incremental improvement; i.e., finding ways to improve the efficiency and quality of delivery of goods and services. A quality management process includes methods for accomplishing all these things, and this will require more than just on-the-job training. You need to “invest” in your customer service employees, as they are your first line of communication with your restaurant.

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This hourly server holds the reputation of your restaurant in their hands and efforts. If a customer has a bad experience with a server, they do not just blame that employee; their overall dissatisfaction spreads to the owners and managers of the restaurant. If you have multiple locations, all of your restaurants may be painted with this broad brush of poor service. Most restaurant policy and procedures tend to be primarily “product” focused rather than “service” focused. They set policy and procedure to be sure purchase specifications are followed, standardized recipes are used, proper portioning is done, and that the kitchen equipment is cleaned properly at closing.

This is all appropriate and positive; however, when carried over to service, the result is mechanically correct service that may never respond to the customers’ basic needs. We are too often focused on keeping costs down and meeting quantitative standards that do not measure customer feelings about the entire dining experience. We are conditioned to evaluate everything from a cost perspective and that greatly limits our frame of reference when it comes to satisfying customers who complain about us being unable to substitute cottage cheese for a baked potato, or to request that we alter a recipe to accommodate their dietary needs. We even refuse to provide separate checks to large parties during busy periods because it is bothersome. Sometimes responding to guest complaints appears tonflict with some of the restaurant’s financial objectives.

It is not because there is anything wrong with the company’s financial management. The problem is when you look at service in the same manner as menu costing, you start thinking that if you “comp” the dinner your food cost will go up, and you hesitate to do the thing that your gut tells is right to preserve the customer relationship. In such a case, if you let the cost aspect control your decision, it would be to the detriment of repeat business. Whenever you feel the urge to put these kinds of interests before that of the customer, repeat the following to yourself: “This restaurant is run for the enjoyment and pleasure of our guests, not for the convenience of the owner, manager or staff.”Clearly, you can’t give away your product; however, you don’t want servers, by modeling your actions, to be so intimidated by the short-term financial implications of pleasing the customers that they are paralyzed to make on-the-spot decisions that could help create or retain a loyal guest. Good decision making is derived from experience, and for the owners, managers and staff, one of the challenges of providing superior customer service is that circumstances often require the exercise of judgment rather than the application of strict guidelines. You need a process to accelerate experiential learning. Quality improvement is really nothing more than learning from experience and applying the lessons to your actions going forward.

In the beginning, you will make mistakes. If you keep true to your service vision and engage your managers and staff in a continual learning and improvement process, mistakes (particularly costly mistakes) and inappropriate responses to service breakdowns will be fewer and farther apart. Tools of the trade As noted, even if you adhere to the “hire for attitude” school of staff development, you still need to “train for aptitude.” At Charlie Trotter’s, the training regimen is relatively rigorous and involves “shadowing” experienced servers, rather than being tied to a training manual or other formulaic approach. Lawler says the length of the shadowing process depends on how quickly the new service employee acquires the required skills and adopts Trotter’s value-added mind-set. New hires are also expected to spend time in the kitchen, to understand the timing of the process from the time the customer orders to the moment he or she is served. I will admit that of all the things that I had to manage in my restaurants, I was the least knowledgeable about training and human resource management. Now that being said, I wrote all the job descriptions, standardized the recipes, organized the purchasing and designed the menu and conducted the training of the wait staff but I eventually had to delegate that responsibility to my managers because I was involved with the back-of-the-house activities.

I think that most independent restaurant operators might feel the same way about training. This is the reason that outside tools and resources must be used to supplement on-the-job training. As with every facet of our businesses and lives, the Internet is changing the face of server training with online applications to supplement on-the-job training, as well as save trees. The fact is, operators who employ comprehensive training programs for their staff find themselves printing 40, 50, even 100 pages or more for training manuals, job descriptions and testing forms for each employ they hire.

Imagine for a staff of 80 employees; assuming they have an annual turnover rate of 50 percent, that calculates to be anywhere from 5,000-10,000 printed pages per year, just for training. We can’t tell you how many trees that represents, but we can tell you that with the price of ink jet cartridges, paper and printing costs, training costs money, just in terms of the manuals. Saving paper and money, however, are only a couple of reasons that Scott Wise (Scotty), founder and operator of the five-unit Indiana-based Scotty’s Brewhouse chain, has spent thousands of dollars developing an online training program that he hopes will replace his current paper-based training documents and systems. He envisions a streamlined training process that allows trainees to learn about Scotty’s at their own pace, at home, and keeps track of a trainee’s progress through interval testing. Wise isn’t alone in hiring outside consultants to create customer online training systems. A number of chain restaurants have either developed training programs in-house or they have contracted with online training Web sites to host training programs tailored to their operation.

A custom approach will not work for the majority of independent restaurants. “Off the shelf” (or rather “off the Internet”) applications are showing up.

Service training systems you might want to explore include:. A Role in the Show Waitstaff Training (a-role-in-the-show.com).

This is an interactive eLearning course on CD-ROM that staff can study on their own time via computer or POS (point-of-sale) systems. Training Achievement Program Series (www.tapseries.com). An online training system providing not only cooking basics and food and alcohol safety, but sales and services modules. a customizable online interactive system for restaurant service staff training. Recently, RestaurantOwner.com and Waitrainer teamed up to create an easily customizable training application that is available via monthly subscription to members of RestaurantOwner.com.

Users can add or modify the template on RestaurantOwner.com to suit their operating specifications. The template is structured into a logical flow of training phases and courses tailored to each position in the restaurant. This review tool allows operators to supplement the built-in testing for each course with testing questions for each course and job. One of the setup benefits provided by Waitrainer staff is that they will load the restaurant’s entire menu onto the training site. Restaurant owners or managers can then add unlimited review tests for each part of the menu. Additionally, Waitrainer has a built-in beverage-training database for spirits, wine and beer, enabling operators to use beverage training immediately. For more information about this service, visit.

Your most effective weapon against the competition What it comes down to these days is that your service reputation can become your most effective weapon against losing market share to competing restaurants. Marketing research into customers’ decisions on whether to return to a particular restaurant a second time has revealed that service is the most important element in their decision. Poor service turns customers away faster than mediocre food. Think of your service package in two parts. The first is providing quality food items, fairly priced, courteously and efficiently served in clean and attractive surroundings. This is what any restaurant is expected to provide.

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You do not get bonus points for having them; these are givens. It is what you do above and beyond these aspects of serving that adds value to the experience.

It is what your restaurant does to support, complement and add value to the expected practices. Examples are signature menu items, meal deals, catering services, carryout and delivery services, special treatment of children or senior citizens. Such amenities and services provide “added value” to the purchase. The reality is that no chain or independent can sustain a product or price advantage over the competition over the long run. The reason is that competitors will copy your amenities and menu items and match or beat your prices. Serving good food and offering good service are essential and fundamental for success. Registration deadline: October 23 Member: $150 Non-member: $220 Our ServSafe Manager classes are offered in a one-day review format.

Upon registration, attendees will be mailed a ServSafe Manager book to study prior to attending the class. The WHAEF closes registration for classes two weeks in advance of the class date to ensure each attendee has ample time to study. The day of the class the attendee will received approximately four hours of review of the ServSafe Manager materials. This information is presented through videos, PowerPoint presentations, time for Q&A and led by certified, industry experienced instructors. Review is followed by the ServSafe Manager exam, proctored by the class instructor. The exam is multiple choice and available in multiple languages, large print and an instructor version is available for those interested in becoming a ServSafe instructor for their own establishment.

The instructor exam is only available in English. A passing score is 75% regardless of the exam type. Successful attendees will receive their ServSafe Manager certificates three to four weeks after the date of the class. Attendees who do not pass the exam can retake the course and exam up to three times in a 12 month period (additional fees for retakes will apply). Accommodations are able to be made for those who need translators or have a disability.

Registration deadline: October 29 Member: $150 Non-member: $220 Our ServSafe Manager classes are offered in a one-day review format. Upon registration, attendees will be mailed a ServSafe Manager book to study prior to attending the class. The WHAEF closes registration for classes two weeks in advance of the class date to ensure each attendee has ample time to study. The day of the class the attendee will received approximately four hours of review of the ServSafe Manager materials. This information is presented through videos, PowerPoint presentations, time for Q&A and led by certified, industry experienced instructors.

Review is followed by the ServSafe Manager exam, proctored by the class instructor. The exam is multiple choice and available in multiple languages, large print and an instructor version is available for those interested in becoming a ServSafe instructor for their own establishment.

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The instructor exam is only available in English. A passing score is 75% regardless of the exam type. Successful attendees will receive their ServSafe Manager certificates three to four weeks after the date of the class.

Attendees who do not pass the exam can retake the course and exam up to three times in a 12 month period (additional fees for retakes will apply). Accommodations are able to be made for those who need translators or have a disability. Registration deadline: November 1 Member: $150 Non-member: $220 Our ServSafe Manager classes are offered in a one-day review format. Upon registration, attendees will be mailed a ServSafe Manager book to study prior to attending the class. The WHAEF closes registration for classes two weeks in advance of the class date to ensure each attendee has ample time to study. The day of the class the attendee will received approximately four hours of review of the ServSafe Manager materials. This information is presented through videos, PowerPoint presentations, time for Q&A and led by certified, industry experienced instructors.

Review is followed by the ServSafe Manager exam, proctored by the class instructor. The exam is multiple choice and available in multiple languages, large print and an instructor version is available for those interested in becoming a ServSafe instructor for their own establishment. The instructor exam is only available in English. A passing score is 75% regardless of the exam type.

Successful attendees will receive their ServSafe Manager certificates three to four weeks after the date of the class. Attendees who do not pass the exam can retake the course and exam up to three times in a 12 month period (additional fees for retakes will apply). Accommodations are able to be made for those who need translators or have a disability. Registration deadline: November 26 Member: $150 Non-member: $220 Our ServSafe Manager classes are offered in a one-day review format. Upon registration, attendees will be mailed a ServSafe Manager book to study prior to attending the class. The WHAEF closes registration for classes two weeks in advance of the class date to ensure each attendee has ample time to study.

The day of the class the attendee will received approximately four hours of review of the ServSafe Manager materials. This information is presented through videos, PowerPoint presentations, time for Q&A and led by certified, industry experienced instructors. Review is followed by the ServSafe Manager exam, proctored by the class instructor. The exam is multiple choice and available in multiple languages, large print and an instructor version is available for those interested in becoming a ServSafe instructor for their own establishment. The instructor exam is only available in English. A passing score is 75% regardless of the exam type. Successful attendees will receive their ServSafe Manager certificates three to four weeks after the date of the class.

Attendees who do not pass the exam can retake the course and exam up to three times in a 12 month period (additional fees for retakes will apply). Accommodations are able to be made for those who need translators or have a disability.