Server: Our specialty dessert tonight is a six-layer chocolate cake with mocha filling and fudge icing. Can I bring you a couple?

Male guest: I’ll try it with some coffee.

Server: Great! We also have a wonderful, dry cabernet that goes perfectly with chocolate and coffee. Would you like try a glass?

Male: OK!

Server, to female guest: Can I bring you a dessert?

Female: The cake’s too much for me. Thanks, anyway.

Server: How about some fresh fruit and some sparkling wine? It takes great together, especially with our strawberries. It’s light and sweet and a perfect finish!

Female: Sounds perfect!

Looking for more ideas to increase your wine sales? Train servers to pair wine effectively with a variety of menu items with the Real-World Selling: Wine DVD. Check out an excerpt here: 

It’s critical to understand the difference between external and internal marketing. What you do externally to attract customers — from newspaper ads to  radio spots to email campaigns— isn’t nearly as important as what you do internally to get them to come back. Before you waste money on external marketing schemes, you should invest an equal, if not greater, amount on solidifying your internal marketing, whose principal components are the quality customer service your staff provides and the marketing message you communicate to customers while they’re right there with you.

Your success rides on your staff’s ability to exceed the “Great Expectations” of guests entering your operation. You can start by delivering — over-delivering, in fact — on the promises made in your marketing materials.

Need help with your marketing strategy and implementation? Check out Slam Dunk Marketing: From Rim Shots to Results.

To get your operation moving forward again, it’s paramount to set goals supported by well-defined, written objectives. They specify what needs to be done, how it will be measured, who will be responsible, when goals will be reached, and what the overall impact will be. They get your operation off the treadmill and back on track.

In the hectic, high-turnover environment of a restaurant, however, goals and objectives can seem impossible to manage on a consistent basis. It’s easy to slip into a reactive mode, responding to things that have already occurred. It doesn’t take long to realize the need for long-term planning. When it comes to establishing goals and objectives, one proven acronym can help you remember the process: SMART – Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, Timely.

Want more real-world solutions to becoming a better restaurant manager? Check out Get A Life: Running Your Restaurant without Running Out of Time

• Portion – How many potato skins do you get? How many ounces is the steak? How big is the salad? How many layers is the chocolate cake? When you quiz your team during pre-shift meetings, you might be stunned to find out how many details they’ve forgotten.
• Preparation – Is it grilled or baked? Squeezed with lemon or lime? Stir-fried or sautéed? Often it’s the smallest detail that makes the sale… and gains the customer’s confidence. When servers know the complete preparation of each menu item, customers are more willing to accept their suggestions and splurge on that dessert or other add-on item.
• Presentation – Is there a garnish? A sizzling plate? A cutting board or a bread bowl? When your servers can accurately add these details, they’ll create interest and intrigue (and sales!).
• Price – You would hope that your servers are well-versed in the prices on your menu, but do they know – and provide – the price of specials? Often customers shy away from ordering your most prized meals of the evening, because the server didn’t include the price in “our specials tonight…” description. Because they don’t know, customers assume that those items are too costly… and select something else on the menu.

 To build product knowledge of your restaurant’s items, train your servers with Work Smarter Not Harder, the Service That Sells! Workbook. Click here to learn more.

When sexual harassment is reported in your operation, you have to react quickly, appropriately and definitely. Follow your company guidelines – or check out the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for legal procedures – as soon as the first complaint is made. In the meantime – before problems occur – implement these steps to prevent sexual harassment in your workplace:

• Study, post and train employees on your sexual harassment policy. Communicate to your team that you are taking a “zero tolerance” approach toward sexual harassment and ask them to sign the policy, acknowledging that they have read and understood its contents. (If you have employees whose primary language is not English, have the policy translated.)
• Train, train, train. There are countless sexual harassment training options out there. Some are even specifically focused on the hospitality industry. Find the program that works best for your operation and make sure all employees participate.
• Make it easy for employees to complain. Provide a few people (team leaders, managers, etc.) who an employee can confide in. Give the option for a male or a female and make sure all employees know who they can talk to if they’re being harassed.
• Conduct a survey. Ask employees to anonymously complete a questionnaire that asks if they’ve been sexually harassed in your operation. Often this simple tool will let you know that there’s a problem, even if nobody’s talking about it.

 Protect your operation with a solid anti-harassment training program such as Harassment in Hospitality. Click here for more details and check out an excerpt from the DVD below:

Why? Because the more employees know, the less stress they feel. And according to a recent Gallup poll, 80 percent of us say we feel stress on the job, while 40 percent admit we need help managing this stress. Add that fact to the stress that naturally comes from a new job and you’ll see why many new employees don’t stick.

Here’s how to increase the odds and create a more productive team while you’re at it…

• Invest the time.  It’s tempting to ask one person to “show ‘em the ropes,” but the more detailed your training plan is the more successful it will be. Assign different people different orientation tasks. Have your star server share his or her selling techniques, ask the chef to describe how he creates specialty dishes, and encourage the host to introduce regulars. Not only will new hires benefit from an array of perspectives, they’ll also get to know their team members.
• Go beyond the basics. Yes, your team members need to know how to perform their jobs, but they also need to know why they should care about your company. Explain your concept, tell them your own philosophy, and show them testimonials, awards and letters you’ve received. Enthusiastic employees make the best salespeople!
• Motivate them. Before you can effectively train anyone, you need to convince them why they want to learn the information. If you’re turning new servers into salespeople, be sure that your training is centered on the benefits – greater tips! – they’ll receive.
• Assign a buddy. For the first few shifts, have your team member follow around one of your star employees. It’s the best way to have hands-on training without the stress of failing in front of a customer.

For more team-building ideas for your restaurant, check out All For the One: 52 Ways to Build a Winning Team.

Sales Mistake # 1: Allowing a prospect to lead the sales process. Do your servers lead the sales process or do they take orders? By asking about preferences, special events, etc., they’ll create opportunities for sales.

Sales Mistake # 2: Not doing the research. How many times does a server need to “check” on ingredients, promotions, specials or items that are no longer on the menu? One visit to the back signals to guests that they are not dealing with a professional.

Sales Mistake # 3: Talking too much. Sure, we’re supposed to entertain our guests, but do we ramble on about specials or do we ask what guests want to know and then tell them?

Sales Mistake # 4: Not being prepared. Pre-shift meetings focus employees and pass along critical information (specials, etc.). Then, it’s up to your salesperson to take the initiative and be ready (have the wine opener in the jacket, anticipate that extra napkins will be needed, bring out the silverware before the salad, etc.).

Sales Mistake # 5: Neglecting to ask for the sale. If you want additional appetizer, drink or dessert sales, you have to ask for them, but many present items without ever uttering these five critical words, “Can I bring you one?”

For ideas on how to motivate your severs and reward their sales behavior, check out Playing Games at Work: 52 Best Incentives, Contests and Rewards for the Hospitality Industry

• Focus on communicating the main idea – keep phrases and sentences as simple as possible.
• Don’t use broken English.
• Think of at least one other way to rephrase what you want to say.
• Avoid asking “yes/no” questions or asking judo you understanding Remember to ask “wh_” questions or open-ended questions to check comprehension. For example, instead of asking, “Did you talk to your supervisor ask, “Who did you talk to?”

When listening to an employee whose first language isn’t English, be sure to give them time to communicate, and encourage them to “show” you what they need to tell you. Take the time to learn about your employees both culturally and personally. Whatever you do, never assume that a lack of English proficiency indicates that lack of intelligence.

Excerpted from Workplace English, an English/Spanish training program created specifically for the hospitality industry and designed to be taught by English speaking trainers. Learn more about this innovative program to bridge the communication gap in your restaurant.

There’s a huge difference between hearing and understanding. To listen successfully at the counter, lean forward and make eye contact, looking away only to work the register. Ask questions if you’re unclear about anything guests say.

Counter crew should repeat back the order to guests — both when taking it and delivering it. Kitchen crew should double-check every order against the original ticket or order screen, paying close attention to special requests. The order should be checked again as it’s placed on the tray or in the bag.

Need more ideas to train your quick-service crew? Check out Quick Service That Sells! The DVD to learn Strategies to improve speed, accuracy, quality, value, consistency, service, atmosphere and personalization. Watch the DVD clip below to learn about how to improve speed and accuracy in your operation.

For example, a hostess seats two of your guests and instead of saying, “Enjoy your dinner!” she says, “We’ve got a great selection of wines by the glass listed here, and an incredible Mud Pie for dessert. Enjoy your dinner!” Hear the difference? By briefly pointing out specific beverages and food (wine and Mud Pie) this hostess has opened the “Window of Opportunity” for the server to follow up with another wine or dessert suggestion and most likely make the sale and higher tip!

Could your buser, host or hostess perform his or her job in the same manner as the one in the above scenario? Do you think that the buser, host or hostess was born with that ability or were they taught that skill? Training all your frontliners to know the menu and the right words results in better service, higher sales, and perhaps most importantly, sets your restaurant apart from your competitors who don’t.

Remember: 90 percent of all restaurants do 90 percent of the same things the same way. It’s the 10 percent we do differently that means success.

Learn more about the role your hostess plays in the sales process in the book Now That’s Service That Sells! The Art of Managing the Sizzle.