Timing the 'How is your food' or the 'Is everything okay' question?
Part of the ritual of eating a meal in a good restaurant is the waiter/waitress asking customers whether they are enjoying their food and if there is anything else they can get for them.
Support isn’t just about resolving a customer’s first question and moving on. Staff needs to make certain the customer is happy throughout the dining experience. Hence, consistent, thoughtful follow-ups are essential. On the face of it, they are simple, but they have a profound impact on the customer experience and people’s sense of being respected and cared for. Ensuring follow-ups are consistent and effective. However, as much as it is an art and a science, it involves overcoming the inherent challenges of attending to a multitude of other tasks during service times.
Asking diners if they enjoyed their meal is standard practice for any restaurant hoping to understand what guests thought of their dining experience. Pretty much every restaurant i.e. every good restaurant, has a 2 - minute / 2 - bite check back rule as a standard operating procedure (SOP). However, there are times, when the check back rule may not necessarily go according to the prescribed SOP.
Traditionally, and for several good reasons, a server in general, asks a question of how well the patrons are faring at the table. The intention is to be both attentive and unobtrusive, (the very definition of good service.). Asking ‘Is everything okay’ provides an opportunity for the diner/s to let the server know even before eating, if there is something he or she is unsatisfied about – and that could arise for a number of reasons.
It could include, been served the wrong meal, where instead of the ordered steak, the diner receives a rack of lamb or where the usual accompaniment was not replaced as requested due to health reasons. This way the server can catch the mistake early before it becomes a outspoken complaint, which if loudly voiced, is likely to be heard by diners at nearby tables.
That being said, assume the diner received the steak as ordered. Asking ‘how is your food’ before he/she begins to eat is premature. Let’s say the order was for a ‘rare’ steak, (which the kitchen has prepared ‘medium- done’). It is only when the steak is cut that it would be possible for the diner to determine that. In this instance, the 2-bite rule becomes the ‘first-cut’ rule.
Hungry diners who step in to the restaurant usually dig right in to their food no sooner it is placed on the table. That’s when the check-back rule works well. Then, there are the patrons who like to take their time, despite been served, (even at the risk of the food getting cold) - because they’re in the middle of a great conversation with whomever they’re eating out with. It could even be a lone diner, reading the paper and wishing to begin eating his food only after finishing the interesting article he was reading.
Some restaurants also require the server to make a mid-meal check-in. What this means is that the server stops by the table when everyone’s tucking into their meal and asks the common question “Can I get you anything?” or something to that effect. This ensures that no one needs a refill, maybe more mustard or the bottle of ketchup, (experienced wait staff usually place the bottle of ketchup on the table, whenever someone orders food with fries to save time and motion).
Most training manuals don’t include the advice; if your customer is chewing his / her food don’t ask them questions that can wait.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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