Effective Restaurant Marketing is Working with Difficult People - Part Two - 07/28/2009Whenever we discuss "difficult guests" in a workshop everybody seems to have their own favorite story. Naturally it is impossible to tell you how you should solve all problems. Let me share some stories with you. My good friend, the late Mike Hurst, who has to have been one of the most successful restaurateurs of all time, tells the story of a difficult guest. This particular guest was so bad that the Servers would pay the Hostess not to put him in their stations. This has to be pretty bad, right?When Mike discovered what was happening, he took quick action. The next time the individual who did the complaining made a reservation, Mike, himself, met the guest at the door with a warm, friendly welcome and said: "(Name), I am so pleased to have you at the Fisheries tonight. I understand that we have had some problems in the past but I can personally assure you that tonight is going to be the finest meal of your life. I have personally seen to all the details myself. I have saved our best window table for you with a great view of the Marina. I have assigned my very best waiter to your party - in fact, he is my son. I have inspected all the fish that came in today to assure you that what you receive will be the very finest and freshest we have."Mike saw to every detail throughout the evening checking up to make sure that everything was perfect. At the completion of the meal, Mike asked the guest: "Now tell me, (name) was this the finest meal of your life?" There was a long pause, then the guest broke into a big grin and blurted, "Well yes. In fact, it was!" And you can be assured of a lot of Positive Word of Mouth Advertising from the Guest. The guest has been a regular and a "well behaved" guest every since.Underneath that seemingly "tough" exterior, even the toughest of guests are really tenderhearted. If you show them a little extra personal attention and let them see that you have their best interests at heart, most of them will come around. Your employees are the key to your restaurant marketing success.The most important characteristic the employees need to possess is a Positive, Enthusiastic Attitude. Hire Employees who are psyched and ready to do whatever it takes. Good enough cannot be good enough ... the staff must turn a merely pleasurable dining experience into a totally spectacular dining experience. This happens when you empower your employees to do whatever it takes to Exceed the Expectations of every Guest in your restaurant marketing service training meetings. Whatever you can do to provide a totally spectacular dining experience ... go for it!Working the dining room floor a lot is like you would play a complicated game of chess. You must think about every move in advance. Provide for the guests needs right before they need them and/or ask for them. You need to understand and know what needs to be done. Do what needs to be done and then Exceed the Guests Expectations. Provide an awesome experience for every Guest. When you are doing "full-house" business, there is a lot of pressure and stress. Everyone must give 100%. You cannot tolerate carelessness, sloppiness or errors of any kind. It is at this time that employees with ordinary skills and experience will do extraordinary things. "When you have a true passion for excellence, and when you act on it, you will stand straighter. You will look people in the eye. You will see things happen. You will see heroes created, watch ideas unfold and take shape." - Tom Peters And you'll have a lot of Positive Word of Mouth Advertising because of your restaurant marketing program. Back to Top Other Entries |
