Timing Is Everything

People say that in comedy, timing is everything.  It’s the same in the restaurant business, although we are trying to elicit oohs and aahs rather than laughs most of the time.  The most difficult part of finding proper timing in a restaurant is in reading the desires of the guest.  Sure, there are usually some givens.  For example, if you run a counter service restaurant, you can assume that your guests want to get in, eat, and get out.  If you run a fine dining restaurant, you can assume that people want to spend a longer amount of time enjoying every delicious minute to the fullest.  But, if your staff is not properly gauging the timeline that the guest would like to be on, they will soon be putting the “ass” in assumption.

As far as front of the house service is concerned, one of the most concise ways to ascertain the pace of individual guests it to encourage servers to simply ask them.  Of course, you don’t want servers to ask guests, “are you in a hurry, or what?”  There are more subtle ways to address the issue, such as:  “How are you two doing this evening?  Enjoying a nice evening out?”  At this cue, guests have an opportunity to tell servers whether they are at the restaurant for a leisurely dinner, or if they are trying to catch a movie in half an hour.  Be creative.  There are ways to ask the guest this question without seeming invasive or pushy.

Once the server is able to better anticipate the needs of the guests they can more properly pace the evening.  Timing is crucial to ensuring the satisfaction of our guests.  Just think of all the things that have gone wrong when you’ve been out to a restaurant.

The hostess misquotes your wait time.  You’ve been seated for ten minutes and have not been acknowledged by staff.  Your cocktail comes out after your appetizer.  Your salad is warm and your entrée is cold.  You’ve finished eating, but you haven’t received your check for fifteen minutes.  From the moment a guest walks in through the door until the minute they leave, all of these factors involving timing can make or break a diner’s experience, and ultimately, your business.

There is good news, however!  There are tried and tested systems that can help to develop impeccable timing with your employees in the back and front of the house.  Methods of proper coordination, communication, and awareness are the cornerstones of mastering this very important part of service.  To learn more, please email me at petegentzler@yahoo.com to discuss consultation and development.  In the meantime… mangi bene e sia bene! Grazie!