The dish is not completed in the kitchen, it is completed on customer’s table

 

『The bible of the restaurant』

Chapter 6 

Observe facial expression every 3 minutes 

三分に一度は全てのお客様の顔・テーブルを見る 

 

Customer’s expressions, feelings, and atmosphere on the table are changing every moment. Check every customer’s facial expressions and table status in order to quickly notice the changes (every 3 minutes will be great). This mainly benefits the following: 

“Identify the purpose of the visit” 

Most customers don't just come to the restaurant to satisfy their hunger. It can be business occasion, family gathering, celebrations of an anniversary, a gathering of company colleagues and party with friends or a date with a loved one. And the best service to satisfy each purpose will be different. If you could quickly identify the purpose of your customer’s visit, you will be able to increase the possibility to provide the best service to impress each and every customer.

“Notice the change of the atmosphere” 

 

If customers are "ten people ten colours", every table should have a different atmosphere, meaning different air flow. Also, the atmosphere changes depending on human emotions. It is possible to have a completely different air flowing at the moment when customer enter the restaurant, while dinning and at the time leaving the restaurant even at the same table. Always concentrate to pick up customer’s complexion, listen to customer’s conversations, observe table movements, and quickly see their changes. The faster you notice the changes of the atmosphere on the table, the more likely you can provide a thoughtful service. 

 

“Catch the best timing to serve” 

This is very practical, so let's explain with few specific examples. 

1.      If you can read or ”feel” the speed and timing of a customer who is enjoying a course meal, it will make easier for you to judge when to fire (to inform kitchen) the next dish. When the timing of the food is too fast or too late, it will ruin the atmosphere on the table, and customers won’t be able to enjoy their meal at the best. 

 "The dish is not completed in the kitchen, it is completed on customer’s table."  

This word speaks exactly the importance of the timing of service.  

2.      Reading the speed and capacity of customer’s drinks (how much they can handle to drink physically and financially) makes easier to judge  

the timing to ask for additional drinks. Perfect timing, which means asking for next drink just when customers wants it will increase the possibility to win the order dramatically. Observing customer’s facial expressions, listening to the conversation and concentrating to feel the atmosphere of the table will make you possible to guess what they want to drink or how much they can drink or when they want to drink. If you ask for 4th beer to customer who is just happy with his 3rd beer, he might feel uncomfortable with your service. He might even feel that you are a hard seller and pressuring him to order. And this uncomfortable feeling might lead to the total terrible impression of the restaurant. This is a very difficult technique, but it should become possible if you are always trying to observe customers and feel your customers. 

3.      It might be a good idea to printout the bill and keep it beside the station near the table, if the customer is done with the meal, dessert and coffee. This enables you to deliver the bill smoothly to customer when they ask for it. Billing time is when customers return to themselves or to come back to reality when they are excited with a good date (become sober if they are drunk). 5 minutes at the billing time can make them feel 15 – 20 minutes. If you can present the bill and settle the bill smoothly, customer can enjoy the good feeling they had at the restaurant longer and maybe even forget about the painful bill.  

Effective use of these three benefits of the above samples can help you value your customer’s “TIME”. "TIME" is as important as "LOVE" to human beings. To value the timing of service to each customer means respecting customer's "TIME". Always focus on your mind and invest your time and prioritize your customers' time. The sincerity is always conveyed to the customers. Try to [prioritize customer’s time than your own time]. It is not easy and you cannot do this without loving customer from your heart. But this sincere love, which is, "a true human love" will always resonate in the heart of others. And this action will produce the Japanese hospitality/ 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.”