You know you had a good meal when you request a doggy bag.

Sure, maybe you throw the leftovers away when you get home, but you enjoyed your meal enough to want more later.

A good meal is what you look for in a restaurant.

But, lousy service leaves a bad taste in your mouth – no matter how good the meal was.

The following service tips will have your customers asking for a doggy bag.

Tip #1 – Acknowledge customers

Don’t you hate when you walk into a restaurant and the staff ignores you? They race by and not a single person even acknowledges your presence.

Infuriating.

A simple acknowledgement makes a world of difference – in whatever business you’re in.

• Let customers know you received their email/voicemail/request
• If you cannot deliver an immediate answer, provide a timeframe for response

Customers accept reasonable timeframes when you show them their business matters to you.

• Offer your timeframe for response
• Then ask your customers if the response time works for them

Customers appreciate being asked.

Tip #2 – Listen to customers

Duh, right?

But, how often have you placed an order at a restaurant and the following happened?

• The server returns (sometimes more than once) to ask what you ordered
• You repeatedly ask for an item (condiments, water, whatever)
• Your special request was ignored

The last several years a trend has emerged where the waiter or waitress does not write down your order.

Impressive, if they can remember it, but when they don’t, it leaves you shaking your head.

If you have a boomer brain like mine, write down the request. Then follow up with a confirmation of your discussion.

Listen and learn what your customer likes.

Tip #3 – Deliver extras

There are many ways restaurants deliver extras.

• Free dessert for a birthday
• Discount on a future meal
• Removal of a charge as an apology for a miscue

The extras are what customers remember.

• A thank you note/gift for their business
• A written recommendation or referral
• Sharing an article of interest

Extras take little time and effort, but deliver big returns.

Tip #4 – Adapt to special requests

You may find it hard to believe that at one time Burger King’s Have it your way promotion was a novel idea.

Fast food chains were not known for flexibility in producing a burger the way you wanted it.

♫Hold the pickle. Hold the lettuce.
Special orders don’t upset us.♫
Burger King commercial from 1970s

Some businesses stubbornly stick to a narrow view of products and services.

I love challenging rules with no apparent reason for existence.

• Why is it a rule?
• Why can’t we do it another way?
• What’s the worst that can happen?

There are those who never question rules. When asked why they do something the way they do, their response is ~

“We’ve always done it that way.”

Challenge your own rules.

Tip #5 – Make the customer a priority

I know. Another duh.

But, then why are so many of us fed up with lousy customer service?

Some of the best restaurants I’ve been in, understand this concept.

• Customers never have to ask for refills
• Other servers, staff members refill cups, remove finished meals
• Even if it is not their table or customer

The staff anticipates the customer’s need and fulfills it – without being asked.

Train staff that their job is taking care of the customer.

1. Acknowledge customers
2. Listen to customers
3. Go the extra mile
4. Adapt to customers’ needs
5. Make the customer your priority

If you are the entire staff, talk to yourself.

Create an experience that will have your customers asking for a doggy bag worth taking home.

What customer service tips do you have for that doggy bag?

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