Improve Restaurant Service With Anticipation And Reaction

Anticipation and Reaction is a crucial concept in delivering and maintaining excellent restaurant dining room service. It is very important that all of the staff read the customers individually--- and the table as a whole ahead of time. This anticipation, used in all business marketing, enhances the customer service reaction.

For example, a good waiter can often anticipate when a table will be ordering heavily from the bar and off the food menu. The waiter should react by spending some extra time at this table because even more menu items will be ordered ---if given that extra time. It makes for a more enjoyable party while boosting up the check total in the process.

Then, there are times when serious business people come in for lunch, and pretty much want to be left alone to spread out the white papers and discuss business. With anticipation of the customer's needs, and reaction, the waiter should know to give efficient, unobtrusive service, yet not ignoring the table.

Then, there is the situation of the crying baby at the table. The smartest thing a waitperson can do is to get some food out right away to distract and calm the baby. Often times, the parent(s) order will be given consisting of appetizers and entrées, along with the baby's one small dinner order. Using the anticipation and reaction concept, the waitperson should ask "Would you like me to put in the baby's order along with your appetizer order?" The response by the parent(s), as they understand the purpose of serving the baby immediately, is usually a sigh of relief -"yes!"

It is also very important for the host/maitre d’ to read the customers as soon as they walk through the front door to help provide the best table that fits the party. For example, if a couple walks into the restaurant locked in each other's arms, then a nice quiet table with some privacy would surely be the perfect fit.

Another situation is if a party of ten arrives looking to indulge in many cocktails/beers while making quite a bit of noise in the process. Using the anticipation and reaction concept, the host should seat this party as close to the bar as possible. The bar patrons probably won't mind the extra noise, and the waitperson can give much better service. Running heavy trays of cocktails back and forth from the bar to ten thirsty patrons will not be as tedious because this large party was sat in close proximity to the bar.

Mindfulness by the host/maitre d’ also saves the waitperson time and effort which can be afforded to other diners in the restaurant. And, most likely, there will be a higher beverage total generated by this large party because of the reduced travel time from the bar to the table.

Yes, anticipation and reaction by the staff and management will improve restaurant dining room service and increase profits!


Richard Saporito is the founder of Topserve Restaurant Consulting.
He has over 30 years of restaurant service experience in many profitable
New York City establishments. Discover how to improve dining room service
and increase your restaurant's business by visiting Improve Dining Room Service and Increase Your Profits!

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