The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2010

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/11486

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 96 of 100

THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE The Biggest Obstacles Are by Eric Davison Eric Davison has developed a syllabus to elevate service levels in the hospitality industry. ervice is what you do for your guests; prepare and deliver meals, refi ll drinks, clear dishes and process payments. Service alone sounds like “Enjoy your meal.” Hospitality is how you relate to your guests in a positive way: welcome them, attend to their needs, and care for their experience. Hospitality sounds like “If there is anything at all we can do for you, please let us know. We are here for you.” Excellent service is a result of deliberate hospitality. S When your guests feel appreciated and cared for they will return more often, spend more money and refer their friends and Hospitality sets businesses apart—and when it’s not there, it can be a real business problem.” family with more enthusiasm—all of which will increase your bottom line. Inspiring your team to consistently nurture hospitality and relate to your guests in a new way can seem mystifying. In the last installment, I presented three of the many external obstacles service teams faces every day: 1) cultural norms, 2) comfort zones and 3) lack of hospitality training. External obstacles can be challenging, but no external obstacle is more insidious than the single internal obstacle everyone on your team must face: Their own way of thinking. We all have our own perspectives, preju- dices and beliefs about everything. That would include guests, tips, the hospitality industry and our place in it. Most of our perspectives are subconscious; habitual. We think what we think without realizing it, and often that thinking becomes an obstacle to hospitality. The way we think about our guests will determine the way we treat our guests. If a server thinks guests are an inconvenience, consciously or subconsciously, then that server will treat each guest as if they are an inconvenience. If a bartender thinks he or she is entitled to a tip, then he or she will treat each guest with a feeling of entitlement. Next installment: What are you thinking? Hospitality is how you relate to your guests in a positive way. 96 / the tasting panel / june 2010 Eric Davison’s Spirit of Service program is designed to complement existing on-premise training programs by empowering your team with proven tools and techniques they can use to execute your standards and procedures more effectively. When teams fully engage and shift toward an attitude of real connection with each other and their guests, companies signifi cantly reduce costs, create greater guest loyalty, and increase profi ts long term. For more information, contact info@spirit-of- service.com or call: 323-273-0097. Internal

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - June 2010