Recently I was on a restaurant client site having dinner and in the span of about 30 minutes the server, manager, busboy, owner, hostess and everyone else asked me “Everything OK”. In so many ways it sounds like a very reasonable question – until I asked one of the servers whether if someone asked me if she was pretty I responded “she is ok” would she be satisfied – immediately it clicked, if she is not satisfied with being described as OK then how can she be satisfied with asking our customers if the restaurant is OK – Dr John Self a lecturer at The Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona put it perfectly “By definition OK means the minimum acceptable level”

So next time think about a more inviting question that relates to the actual restaurant, food or reason that the table has chosen to spend their hard earned money with you.

A Customer Service Tip: Everything is NOT OK

Is your company striving for OK?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But it happens every day in food service operations around the world. It is a pet peeve of mine when a manager comes striding to my table and asks the inane question, “Is everything OK?”

What’s wrong with this picture, you ask? Let’s break it down:

Everything? Is the manager asking if I am satisfied with the political, economic, ecological and sociological status of humanity? Or maybe the manager thought that I was about to burst out crying and was attempting to offer help?

What about the word OK?

By definition OK means the minimum acceptable level. I doubt seriously if the mission of any company is to strive for the minimum level of customer service! So when the eager manager excitedly receives the expected “yes”, knee-jerk answer to the knee-jerk question, the manager goes away pleased. But should the manager be pleased?

I think not.

I don’t blame the manager. He or she was trained that way. Indeed, it was probably pounded into him or her to visit every table. 100% table visitation. Asking everyone in the restaurant if “Everything is OK” is like a prime directive in most restaurant chains.

What’s so wrong with wanting to get the opinions of all your customers?

First of all, when you ask ‘Is everything OK’, you’re not giving the customer an opening to respond. Instead, it becomes a formality, like the greeting of “How are you?” You don’t really expect an answer, except for the polite “Fine”.

Of course, visiting every table in most restaurants doesn’t give you any time to actually stop and listen to the customers! By running around and asking “Is Everything OK?” you can quantify the experience, and give yourself a false sense of accomplishment by making your 100% table visitations.

It is like the owner of a hotel demanding that the hotel manager keep the hotel full. All the hotel manager has to do is keep reducing the price of the room until the owner’s results are accomplished. Never mind that the hotel is losing money. It may be full now, but it sure won’t be around for long.

Don’t get me wrong; The concept of customer feedback is right, but the execution and results are dangerously wrong. By getting a stock response from a hastily asked question, you’ve learned nothing about the customer’s experience that night. And what if everything actually WAS just “OK”? In today’s market, will a so-so “OK” experience guarantee that the customer will come back? Of course not.

Here are four rules to follow when asking about your customer’s perceptions of your service:

1. Allow time to listen, don’t just go through the formality of asking.
2. Ask specific questions, not general, sweeping statements.
3. Use a superlative that you want to be identified with to the customer. Was your service excellent? Fantastic? Outrageous? Set your sights high not low. Never OK.
4. The quality of the effort is worth far more than the quantity of effort.

It’s time that the hallowed expression “Is everything OK?” was finally laid to rest.

The waiter must always be on time.

His station must always be spotless. Tables, chairs, carpet, crockery, cutlery, glassware, flower vases, dumb waiter, menus, salt and pepper, pepper mill, cheese grater, all mustards and sauces.

He must also prepare all requirements in the kitchen as required for service.

Always be aware of personal hygiene, always smile, walk briskly and be polite.

In the dining room, check out the specials for the evening and be ready for service on your station ten minutes before it is open to the public.

On the arrival of diners, as the headwaiter approaches your table you immediately begin pulling the chairs out and and welcome guests.

A good head waiter will usually give you the name of the guests he will sit on your station. This information should be written down in a pad and as the head waiter approaches your table fourteen, you will give a quick look at your pad if you have not memorized all your guests names, put the pad back and say “good evening Mr.Jones, ladies sir,” help to seat the guests by pushing their chairs as they settle and when seated, remove the serviettes one at the time from the place settings. Ladies first, place them on their laps, get the menus and give them to the ladies , then the guest and then lastly the host.

You then ask if they would care for an aperitif or a pre-dinner drink, or “Mr. Jones, would you and your guests care for a drink before dinner sir?”
(When I will discuss service, I will introduce a Sommelier (drink waiter and a runner.)

Get the drink order, take it to the bar, return to the table and explain the specials of the day, (I will write an article on how to learn about the cooking methods to enable you to understand the way the chef cooks, so you can learn and explain the specials quite easily, and also how to learn and understand wines.)

Return to the bar, pick up your drinks, take them to the table and while serving them explain that you will return shortly to take their order. Return after three minutes, asking “Mr. Jones, ready to order sir? Or may I help by explaining some other dish?” This will help you in taking the order quickly as this is what the chefs want,ie – the order taken as quickly as possible. The diners will give you their choices which you will then take into the kitchen, placing your order manually or it may be computerized. If there is bread and butter, or other breads in your order bring them out and serve them.

Never come out of the kitchen empty handed if there is something to bring out. Take wine order, return with wine present it, let the host try it, if acceptable pour it, within five minutes bring out your appetizer, serve it, check the wine, top up if necessary and say “enjoy your appetizer.”

After five minutes return and inquire “how are your appetizers?” If they state “very good thank you,” smile say “thank you” and walk away. This may take ten minutes or so during which time other guests may arrive and you will repeat this procedure with all your other tables. You must also clear empty tables when they have all finished, check wines and water or any other requests that diners may have, keeping your eyes open for gestures. If some one picks his hand up and looks at you, he wants to see you. Go there immediately and see what request he may have. Serve main course and
after five minutes check if satisfactory. If the diners are having a conversation keep your eyes on them but don’t interrupt.

Serve dessert, check on wines or drinks, serve coffee, liqueurs while always checking tables for top ups, drinks, liqueurs. When diners have finished, they will ask you for the bill. Get and check that it is exact then give it to the host with a “thank you very much sir.”

When he pays he may gesture for you to pick up the account. Having done so and never looking at it in the dining room you will take it directly to the cashier. 99% of clients will tip and if 1% does not, it may be because of ignorance.

This may have been a one night in a life time for them, so be gracious and say thank you. By doing so you have accomplished two things – one, you were perfect in the eyes of these two diners and two, the establishment respects your understanding.

Ignorant waiters would have made a scene, those poor people who may have saved for a year for this night were shattered and the waiter with the beggar mentality should be fired, because he gets paid for having the honor of working where he can meet great people and make great money. In life there must be give and take, not just take.

Giuseppe De Carlo