That’s the opinion of Russell Norman, the presenter of BBC Two’s The Restaurant Man. The TV programme is a refreshing change from the yelling Gordon Ramsay, because it focuses on what we also believe is absolutely crucial in the restaurant game: customer service. As he explains in his show, “no amount of good food is going to rescue a bad service experience.”
So while Ramsay screams until people perfect their puff pastry, Norman has in our opinion some far more useful advice. This is what he has to say:
“The restaurant isn’t necessarily about the food. It’s about the way it makes you feel, the people you’re having a conversation with, the conversation you’re having with the waiter.”
We couldn’t agree more. Our getWaiter! app and cloud based hospitality display service is designed to help create that perfect dining experience. It allows customers to call the waiter using their smartphone, which can dramatically reduce waiting times. It means staff don’t have to hover over tables, and diners don’t have to break off their conversations with each other as they try to catch a waiter’s eye. Not only that, but the app also allows people to leave instant feedback about the food and service, which in business terms is probably one of the most important conversations a waiter can have with their customers.
“If people have to wait too long they’ll leave and never come back.”
As we’ve explained, getWaiter! can avoid table service delays, but how long is ‘too long’? Russell doesn’t have a specific time in mind, but with getWaiter!, you can.
The cloud based merchant dashboard allows you to decide exactly how quickly you want staff to react. For example, as well as the initial call, you may want to set the service to further flag anyone who has been waiting longer than two minutes. The tablet your staff use to monitor calls – normally positioned somewhere central for the whole team to access – will highlight those tables, so waiters know how to prioritise. And taking it a step further, if staff manage to operate so efficiently that the screen never flashes one of these warnings, you know that nobody at all has been waiting ‘too long’.
“The difference between success and failure is attention to detail.”
This is an area where Russell has some solid statistics. For him, attention to detail means looking at every aspect of your operation, and one element is the ratio between staff and customers. His recommendation is one for every 15 customers. In general terms, you can mirror this for your venue, simply by estimating how many diners you tend to see each day.
getWaiter! can be even more precise though. getWaiter!’s advanced reporting means you can analyse the flow of customers during specific parts of the day. For example, it will tell you exactly when your staff were overstretched and causing undesirable delays in service. Similarly, you can use the data to spot when you may have too many staff on, allowing you to plan your rotas more efficiently. It’s this kind of fine-tuning that will help you optimise your venue’s performance, so that as well as offering great service to customers, you also ensure you do it in a cost-effective way.
These are just a few of the ways getWaiter! can help you give customers a fantastic experience, so find out more by downloading today. The app is available for both iOS and Android here.
It’s really easy for restaurants, bars and cafes to set up an account too, so find out more here
