Customers are “ten people ten colours”

『The bible of the restaurant』

Chapter 2 

Customers are “ten people ten colours” 

お客様は十人十色 

All customers are different human being.  Their race, age, gender, personalities and characters are not the same.  

As there is a saying like: 

 “TEN PEOPLE TEN COLOURS”  

 “No snowflakes fall in the same spot” 

 “Beauty is in the eye of beholder” 

Which means their favourite food and drinks are also different as well as the speed and timing they eat and drink. And the purpose of the visit to the restaurant should also be different. Some might drop by just to fulfil their hunger, but usually customers have other reasons. Such as business entertainment, company gathering, date with their loved ones or family holiday lunch. So we should carefully decide how to serve the customer to fit their purpose of the visit by understanding and feeling the atmosphere of the table. This enables us to impress customers and to provide the Japanese hospitality.   

      To do this, the most important thing is to find the customers’ purpose of the visit as soon as possible. Start analysing the customer from the moment they stepped in the restaurant and guided to their table. Observe how they are dressed up and how they walk. Listen to their conversation, the way they talk, and their facial reactions. This will help to analyse their relationship and character. Also try to read their nationality, age and personal back ground by analysing every single move they make. The more information you have, the more you will know the customer. And the more you know about the customer, the higher possibility you will be able to provide a better service to them.     

            You should be able to simulate the flow of the service style of the table with these information before your first attack/contact (the first time you reach up to the customer to ask drinks or to explain today’s recommended dishes) to the table. And after the first contact, you should be able to refine your simulations by adding the information of the customer’s response and atmosphere that you felt when talking to the customer. This is how you judge and decide the table’s best service to suit their purpose of the visit and to provide the ultimate service.  

『The bible of the restaurant』

https://amzn.asia/d/idWhbzB

(Amazon Kindle)

『Author』

Mr. Masayuki Sato

Japanese restaurant consultant. Spent his childhood in Texas, USA. Over 25 years of his hospitality industry career started during his high school age in Japan. He gained his experience in many of 5 star hotels, resort hotels, fine dinings, casual family type restaurants, bars, night clubs, wedding halls, banquet facilities, etc. He has become a successful restaurant producer by gaining professional skills through his career managing many of places, creating operation manuals, implementing efficient operation system and establishing new restaurants. Believing that the biggest asset in hospitality industry is “human resource” his consulting style is very unique and concentrating on creating a strong professional team by training members. Mr. Sato says “The success of the restaurant is based on how much professionals with a warm heart you can create. And I believe this is possible by implementing Japanese hospitality mind set to every single members in the team.”