The ability to not say NO!

As I was dining recently at The French Laundry, the only three Michelin starred restaurant on the west coast and the restaurant that can proudly say it was voted the best restaurant in America, I learned one of Chef Thomas Keller's personal philosophies. He said, "Never say no!" So many times when we find ourselves at our most busy moments we forget that other people are in need as well. So many times the word 'NO' is used in a restaurant and in order to become truly successful at a restaurant that word needs to be eliminated from your vocabulary.

Today we will discuss two different aspects of NO and how it affects the dining experience. The first is telling the customer "No". Many diners are not foodies, they are the inexperienced amateurs who make up the majority of the population. Many of these diners have walls/guards up when they walk into an expensive restaurant and are looking for that one mistake/nuance to hate it, and most likely write about it. Also, with any diner there tends to be a lot of special requests, whether it be a dietary restriction/allergy or just a dislike for what is on the menu. They, in order to have the dining experience they are looking for need us to always responded with "Yes, I can do that for you." I know this might sound difficult, but it is imperative that we succeed in always saying yes, even if it means getting reamed the Boss/Chef/Manager. As a professional I have experienced first hand what happens when you tell someone they can't have what they want. People write about it, every flaw becomes a major problem, and you then get yelled at. It's better in the long term for your guests and for yourself if you suck it up and just say yes!

Another aspect of NO is telling your peers NO. You cannot ever tell someone who needs your help no. You are never that busy, ever. There are many obvious reasons why you must always help someone in need, even at your most busy. First off, they are going to remember that you refuse to help them and they are less likely to help you in return. Their service will suffer, which will make the guests experience suffer, with an end result of both of you getting yelled at (again I speak from personal experience) and honestly, you don't want that reputation. No owner/manager is going to want someone on their staff that says NO, that won't take the necessary steps to guarantee the overall experience of the restaurant.

So that's it, NO doesn't exist, only YES, your guests will be happy that you accommodated them, your reviews are more likely to be positive and imagine this. What if one of the guests you review is a food critic for a national publication and it gets written, that you refused accommodate their special request? How are you going to explain that? Exactly...Just say YES! and with that I say good night!

Take Care,
Shaundon

It's been a while!

Good Evening Bloggers,

Well it has been a busy week for me and I have ben on vacation. I worked this weekend and took some time to think about what I wanted to write about next. This blog will be dedicated to "UNCOMFORTABLE SERVICE"! We have all had that server who made us uncomfortable, whether it be because of attitude, speech, or general oddness. Let me tell you a story...

I was in Las Vegas this last week with my family and was famished, literally starving from inhaling cigarette smoke and pushing small buttons that read "max bet" on the slot machine for eight hours. We decided to walk to Aria, the newest casino in city center and test the waters. We came across Cafe Vettro, a posh, modern, cafe setting, that I guess had food that would be simple yet comforting. We were seated easily enough, the hostess walked away as we went up to the counter, which was odd, then scurried over to us before I could start to complain (let me remind you, I was STARVING, so I was definitely on a short fuse). We were seated, the restaurant was basically empty and we were greeted by our server. This dude was weird from the beginning. HIs presence was ominous and his gaze was piercing and definitely uncomfortable. He took forever to do anything and made odd comments like, "this is the most expensive caesar dressing in the world, made with white anchovies!" It made me very uncomfortable the way he would stand there for twenty seconds before leaning forward and speaking. It made me want to leave. (This review can also be read on YELP)

Now, some of you might ask, what is wrong with what my server did. First thing that was wrong was taking forever. When you have been drinking, as most people in Vegas had been doing, the first thing you want to do is get them what they need. It keeps them busy, and even if you are not drinking, bread and drinks are more likely to keep your guests from noticing that the food is taking an inordinate amount of time. Also, never leer at your guests. People are more likely to be uncomfortable if you just stand there and stare. Lastly, never make a comment about the expense of an ingredient! It doesn't matter, it doesn't make the salad taste better, and honestly it's not going to make the salad more enjoyable. Just leave it out! Some people will even get angry if you start mentioning prices of things. I mean, seriously, so it's expensive caesar dressing, not WHITE TRUFFLES!

The point is bloggers, even in the most casual of environments you want your guests to feel comfortable and for the majority of the time, it's not rocket science. One thing you do have to understand is that it gets more difficult as you ascend towards a higher price point. In today's economic climate, it's hard for people to spend money, comfortability is key, if you can't make them feel comfortable they won't like the food, they won't like you, and I promise they will tip accordingly.

Have a good night,
Shaundon

P.S. Tomorrow's blog will be about the word NO!