So your waitstaff is a server. Guess what? They are also a salesperson. The better they can sell, the bigger the tab will be.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS INGREDIENT CARD
Ingredient
Train Impressive Waitstaff
Question:
Is the waitstaff a server and a salesperson?
Answer:
What exactly does this mean for a server to be a seller and how do they become good at it?
The customer regards it as part of a server’s job to suggest things. It is important to put the selling of the food into the context of the complete dining experience you are offering your customers.
Your waitstaff should be informed about the food being served, and be passionate about it. If someone asks your waitstaff what’s good, they don’t say, “everything”. That’s, like, so boring it goes in one ear and out the other.
Compare the answer ‘everything’ with an answer that goes something like this. “Well, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but the………………is particularly special tonight. The meat comes from a small organic farm and is extremely fresh and flavourful”. Now that’s a description and, chances are, that’s a sale of a high-priced menu item.
When taking an order the waitstaff plays the most important part in what the customer is going to have, and how much of it. The more the waitstaff sells in a restaurant, the better the service seems to be from the customer’s point of view.
Think of your waitstaff as a salesperson and it’s not hard to see your return on investment. Entrée and main courses cover operating costs, so up-selling extras such as desserts, side dishes, alcohol etc contribute straight to the profit margin.
Method
The way your waitstaff look, what they say, how they say it and what they do have a significant impact on the people they work with and the people they serve.
