Restaurant-style Service (Tier-0 and Tier-1)

For those of you who are gourmet fans, enjoy cookery TV programmes, and are fascinated by what chefs can do (Michel Roux, Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver to name a few) you will recognise the parallel between what Alex Polizzi's Hotel Inspector and Chef Ramsey’s Hells kitchen found – and what works equally well for an Egon Ronay standard Shared Services function. The secret formula to good service and a winning business is the same: the key to success for a well run restaurant and an effective HR shared services Tier 0 and Tier 1 is … well, it's all down to what’s on the menu and how the dishes are served – on time, in full, to the satisfaction of the customer! We define our service by what we offer. Then, how we deliver. A cluttered menu leads to chaos in the kitchen, and dishes served late lead to dissatisfied diners. But a neat menu with clear and published choices can produce an award-winning service, gain you repeat business, delight the pallets of your customers, and bring them back for more. Isn’t it strange how we all want to please – yet in doing so, we displease and create avoidable problems? Service level agreements (SLAs) can help to manage expectations about realistic choices, what’s in scope and what's not in scope, what can be offered, and when. The key to success is to set the framework and not to stretch ourselves beyond what we know we can deliver well. Gordon Ramsay, time and again, found that the failing US restaurant was defined by a Chef who was out of touch with the commercial needs of the customer; a front of house manager who didn’t listen to the customer or pick up on their needs and non verbal clues; and a menu that offered so much choice that it was several pages too long. Ill-defined dishes led to confusion in choosing and challenges in delivery, compounded by poor communication, conflict, and tension between the kitchen and the front of house. An employee relations nightmare! The metaphor of good cooking and shared services can be further extended – so the simile continues … a successful shared services will have a clear and effective connection between the engine room (the kitchen) and the front of house server in Tier 1 (the server) . The Tier 0 menu will be easy to navigate and read (you can find what you are looking for within one or two clicks) with clear offerings, no clutter or confusion, and good, wholesome products. Furthermore, Tier 1 will provide a great front of house service with a smile to answer those follow up questions. Defining Good Quality The quality of the steak is defined by the customer, but do ask the customer upfront how they want their steak cooked: blue, rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, well done, charcoaled (cremated!). When you serve up the steak from the kitchen to the table, its successful delivery and consumption will relate to that upfront contract in defining the needs of the customer. If they don’t like the steak don’t argue or make excuses or blame it on the kitchen, but do listen to the nature of their complaint and take it back to the kitchen for rework. Never defend – simply replace with a better offer and a smile. In that moment they will forgive, remember that empathetic service, and then come back for more. So in summary some key cookery tips for Tier 0 and Tier 1 are: Tier 0 – ensure your menu is well laid out, easy to search, navigate and read. Reduce clutter to a minimum. Focus on what is important – what your customer really wants and needs to eat. Cut out the dross. Ensure it is accessible and answers their initial question: Will my hunger be satisfied? Will my palate be stimulated? Aim to minimise the arrogant request from a customer who wants to eat something which is not on the menu, not in your sphere of influence or control, not on your list of what you are good at. Say "no" with a smile if the request is unreasonable and something you simply can't deliver well. Don’t be intimidated by someone who shouts loudest in a crowded restaurant. Politely redirect them somewhere else, if necessary. Tier 1 – provide service with a smile, deliver great cuisine, fine "dishes" that you know your back-office team can "cook up" competently; listen to the customer's needs, pick up on signals. Establishing rapport to build a relationship with your customer will win you tips – financial reward, useful and constructive feedback, and repeat business. Do it well and they will surely come back to you as they remember a positive experience, an efficient process, and a friendly and personalised service. So: Real Food for thought and a winning formula Effective Shared Services = good cooking of well-defined dishes and a good service delivered to the customer's table on time and to a perfect level of quality! Define it, refine it, and your restaurant will be full of those who regularly dine on it.

Restaurant-style Service (Tier-0 and Tier-1)

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