Service is table stakes (pun intended).
Everyone provides service: everyone has their 12 steps of service that include all the transactional lists most people (restaurant managers included) come up with to answer the question: “what does good service look like.”
This is the wrong question.
The right question (for those who have the fundamentals down) is how do you move beyond service to provide Hospitality.
The answer is to engage each Guest in a personal and meaningful way. One that adds value to their lives in such a way that it cannot be duplicated or usurped anywhere else.
That means you have to have two things:
- engaging personalities serving your Guests.
- processes that help them gain and use knowledge about each Guest to personalize each experience.
If all you have is: “Hi. My name is Sally and I’ll be your server today.” You’ve lost.
