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Building relationships in any business is the cornerstone for success.
In my position, it is not just about building for success, but also building for a future relationship. Knowing my guests wants and needs are one of my most important jobs because it adds to your dining experience.
Going to any restaurant and getting typical service is all fine, but it isn’t and hasn’t been the way I’ve ever operated. My devotion to building a relationship and having you return for years for the best experiences is something that I strive for. You can’t get anywhere in this business without a strong regular dining base and the way I see it, growing a relationship through food and drinks, and personality is a perfect foundation to lay a long-lasting relationship.
Everything starts when I first meet you. The introduction is key.
Welcoming you and taking you to your table, explaining all of the offerings we have and giving you the menus is commonplace. Introducing myself with a smile and a casual reassurance of letting you know I’m always available is something you might not see as common, but it’s common in the way I operate.
Your highly trained server or bartender arrives to take your drink and dinner order. Every move they make is strategized so they can “touch your table” as often as they have to but not too much. In the meantime, you may or may not notice me (hopefully not) circling the dining room like a shark making sure that your dining experience is perfect.
The way I look at my job is that a manager’s duty is not just to manage. You”ll see me clearing tables, refreshing your drinks, running your food, and even taking your order. All managers should be the insurance to making sure dining experience is second to none. Paying attention to every detail means I’ve started a good relationship and more likely than not I should see you again sooner or later.
You’ve come to dine for a second time! I see your reservation in my log and now I recognize your name. When you come to dine this time, I try to address you by name and start a nice casual conversation! As you feel more and more comfortable with me, we start to have more relaxed conversation about things that we may have in common.
Maybe we’ve talked about what your drink or your food preferences are and from that point I can make an excellent recommendation to make your experiences that much more stellar. As your second dining experience goes on you should get the feeling that I’m more than just the person overseeing the experience you now know you enjoy, and you should get a sense of comfortability in knowing the environment that your dining in was meant to be bred this way.
After a while I’ve noticed that I’ve seen you on a regular basis. Going above and beyond for you is what makes my job fun. For example, I see you’re coming at 6:30 so at 6:28 I have your drinks on the table. Think about it, I’ve developed a place for you to come where you don’t even have to order a drink! This isn’t Cheers, this is fine dining!
I live for the fact that after a while I could order for you as well. I’ve come across a lot of people over the years, some more finicky than the others, and being able to find those special likes and dislikes in anyone is not only my job, but its rather fun for me. It’s like solving a puzzle multiple times a day, and throughout a career.
It has always brought me great joy to develop new relationships. I’ve seen children grow up, go to college, get engaged and married. I’ve done couples bridal showers, then rehearsal dinner, then baby shower. My job is very rewarding in the fact that I don’t just get to serve you a meal.
I take great joy in the fact that something as little as going out to eat can lead to a relationship that can last over time. I hope you can relate and I hope you have a place to go to find a person like me to welcome you with a wide-eyed smile!