and then I serviced myself...

Now that I've got your attention :)

If there is one thing that drives me crazy these day's (one of many that I can publicly rant about) it is an "other than me" blindness. I have had a long standing belief that all in our society should have a mandatory two year commitment (if not longer) to the work experience of either:
- the military
or
- some form of customer service oriented profession. This could be broad - such as - retail sales, restaurants, or any other profession that requires an "other than you" focus.

Both of these fields require a certain degree of selfless service. They each build character, people skills, time management skills and the ability to deal with stress.

I should note that I wouldn't have spent so much time in writing this message to a large chain of restaurants. However, this place appears to be privately owned and I hope that the message goes directly to one of the proprietors. This place has potential - I hope they can get their acts together. It's not often that I get incensed enough to go into a full blown diatribe on a somewhat (but not really) trivial matter. A few beers helps to lubricate the literal and electronic tongue...

Last night I had a restaurant experience that I think is worth sharing (at least for comment). My comments below show my continuing exasperation with the dying art of customer service. I sent the message below to the Fireside Grill after getting home from a happy hour with co-workers.

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To Whom It May Concern:

First off, let me start by saying, I don't often send these types of messages, but, in this instance, I felt that I must. I must stress a motto that I learned a long time ago - "you never get a second chance at a first impression".

I will qualify what I write here with a little background. Before I started my current career, I spent 12 years working in restaurants. I spent much of the last 4 years of my restaurant career opening restaurants and training staff.

I was at your establishment earlier this evening. My co-workers and staff often attend happy hours in the area and were excited and delighted to find your establishment (which is very close to our office). We were looking forward to trying out a new location and yours seemed to have a nice blend of upscale casual ambiance and a nice menu. When we arrived at the bar there were only two other patrons and our group (a party of six to eight). As we ordered drinks there was quite a bit of confusion as to the tabs.

Rather than asking if we would like to start a tab, the bartender kept presenting various folks in the group with various bills. We finally had to ask if the bar was only "pay as you go" and were able to establish a couple of bar tabs for our party. I thought that this might ease some of the confusion that seemed to ensue around our group but the situation only proceeded to get worse. The following are my observations.

1) Staff needs to SMILE - guests should not feel that they are an inconvenience to the staff in presentation or attitude. Our bartender was downright surly. The only time that she smiled or was courteous was when dealing with staff at the service bar. Additionally, many of the staff throughout the night seemed frazzled and unhappy. I saw a few smiles, but not many.

2) Service bar - though the bartender never had more than about 10 people at the bar, she was constantly "in the weeds". She seemed to be overwhelmed by the amount of service bar requests that were coming in and this occupied all of her attention. At one point a manager came behind the bar to check on service bar drinks. He seemed to thoroughly confuse the bartender by taking over the service bar for the needed drinks rather than asking the bartender what she needed assistance with or checking the status of the bar patrons. If you want to have an ongoing bar crowd, you must take care of those that chose to sit at the bar. Perhaps, on a Friday night it might be wise to bring in a dedicated service bartender or delegate one of the floor mangers to serve as a "swing" bartender in the event that the bartender is swamped. However, in this instance, there was no real reason, or need for this, if the bartender had managed her time more efficiently and been more aware of her guests at the bar.

3) Awareness - One point of service that we constantly hit on in the restaurants that I worked in was - AWARENESS. Staff at your establishment seemed to be single-minded in their tasks. Every staff member (to include management) should take a moment before they move out of their respective area (or any key area of the restaurant) to SURVEY their surroundings and note any items that need attention. It might be pre-busing of tables, clearing of glassware, asking if guests need refills, general cleaning, or looking to see if guests are seeking attention. The server (or manager) might not have the time to attend to these issues but they CAN make a mental note, or at least acknowledge the guest(s) and then ASK for help if needed. Sometimes acknowledgement is all that a guest requires (for the moment) and ASKING for help is part of a team-service environment that every member of the staff should strive for. In restaurants - you either all succeed, or you all fail.

4) Customer Service - We had to ASK for our drinks for the duration of our time there. Not once did the bartender ask if we needed anything or offer us drinks or refills, though at one point, every person in our group was sitting with an empty glass. On a number of occasions we ordered drinks and simply did not get them, or, only got some of them and had to remind the bartender that others were still awaiting drinks. No apology was offered, nor an acknowledgment of the wait. A number of folks in our party had to wait for their checks and repeatedly remind or attempt to flag down the bartender just to close out. When I was finally at the end of my own personal rope, I attempted to order one more beer, I waited for ten to fifteen minutes and never received my drink. Frustrated, I finally asked for my tab - that, I received quickly and without thanks.

5) Check-backs - A number of people in our party ordered food. Not once did the bartender or service staff ask if everything was "all right" or check back on the status of the order to see if the patrons required anything additional. I will say the food was good and we did not have any complaints in this department. However, there was one couple at the end of the bar that obviously needed something and was waiting for the bartender's (or any ones) attention - they never got it. The guest proceeded to complete their meal but was obviously not completely satisfied. This same couple, at one point, requested to have another drink - but with less ice. The bartender proceeded to fill the glass - then ADD more ice on top, make the drink, and return it to the guest.

6) Training - I realize how hard it is to train staff at the inception of a new restaurant but you need to ensure that staff are trained (at least) with the bare essentials. The above plus the following items for consideration - I heard some of the staff fumbling with questions about the menu and ingredients. Let the staff try the food (if nothing else)! Staff are your best advocates for the menu. Our bartender didn't even bother to disclose the specials or "happy hour" items. One of the staff actually asked a member of my party "what they should do" with the martini glass and shaker received from the bar. Many of the items mentioned could be overcome by a "core" training plan or even utilizing "mock" service with staff, or selected patrons by management in closed door sessions or ongoing on-the-job training with experienced staff.

Misc -
-- I would have actually spoken with a manager about all of the above before I left. However, when I departed I could not see a manager in the main dining area. There should always be a manager in sight / available on the floor. Even better if they are near the hostess stand to check with guests as they leave. If nothing else, host staff should be trained to acknowledge guests as they leave and also be trained to ask guests if they enjoyed everything (especially if they can tell that they are unhappy). This is your last opportunity to salvage someone who has had a bad experience - at the door. If a guest leaves unhappy, the chances are they will not come back - and likely they will tell their friends about their bad experience.
-- Train staff to automatically serve your ribs (or other "finger" foods) with extra napkins (or better - a wet napkin).
-- There were no menus at the bar (at least available easily to patrons). There was only one (soiled) Happy Hour Special print-out.
-- No smoking in the restaurant is fine but you need ashtrays or some type of receptacle outside for your patrons that do smoke to deposit their butts.
-- I'm not sure what to make of your sign out front - It lists features / promotions dated for the beginning of May (vs. June - this month). I hope that this is a mistake rather than promotions that actually occurred a month ago. Any one of the staff should have noticed this error and notified someone - Again, awareness.

I expect nothing in return for this message except for the hope that you will take some of this constructive criticism to heart from someone who has a great appreciation for the restaurant and culinary industry. I wish you success in the future, I think that you have a good concept for the area.

V/r,

JS