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Why are restaurant service standards important?
The management of a restaurant, its staff, its patrons, and potential patrons value high levels of service. They not only remind the restaurant’s management team and staff of their responsibilities, but they also let customers know what kind of service to anticipate when they enter the establishment. By having standard operating procedures, you can ensure consistency in customer service and increase customer loyalty.
What are restaurant service standards?
Restaurant service standards outline what patrons can anticipate from their visit to a dining establishment. They refer to the interactions a restaurant has with its patrons and the ensuing expectations of those patrons. What a customer can expect from a restaurant is essentially determined by its service standards. Consistency in food quantity, taste, and quality is among them, as is the expected level of customer service.
How to create and implement restaurant service standards
Restaurant service guidelines assist your staff in giving each of your customers a memorable dining experience. They also guarantee that your employees continue to do a good job at their jobs. Use these steps to create and implement restaurant service standards:
1. Get staff suggestions
Although you may be familiar with your customers, your employees probably do. Since they interact with customers the most, use your staff as a resource when developing your restaurant service standards. Remember that every aspect of a customer’s or guest’s experience at your restaurant must be covered by your service standards. Therefore, welcome a wide variety of suggestions. Although you don’t have to implement every suggestion, involve your staff in the process and pay attention to what they have to say. By demonstrating your appreciation for their thoughts, you can help them feel more self-assured and proud of their work.
2. Stay true to your restaurants values
Keep in mind the initial purpose for opening your restaurant as you develop your service standards. Make sure each suggestion or idea you consider reflects the principles of your restaurant. For instance, if your initial objective was to provide each visitor with a singular experience, your standards must reflect this.
3. Consider your restaurants style or category
Make sure your standards are in line with the kind of restaurant you have in addition to your values. Your service standards should be centered on how quickly you can meet and satisfy your customers if you own a quick service restaurant, for instance. If you operate a fine dining establishment, customers need more attention and care because they anticipate dining for a longer period of time.
4. Check guest reviews
Keep an eye on your guests’ feedback to help you establish service standards that are more in line with their requirements and preferences. This enables you to ascertain what current and former patrons of your business like and dislike about it.
Have your staff use comment cards to immediately solicit feedback from your visitors. You can also keep an eye on the online reviews for your restaurants to see what people are saying. If there are numerous complaints about unfriendly service or a lack of cleanliness, you will be aware of the shortcomings. After you put your service standards into practice, keep an eye on your reviews once more to see how the changes are received.
5. Train your staff
Once you’ve established service standards for your restaurant, share them with your staff. Encourage them to meet these standards and your expectations. Each employee of yours must be trained in the recognized service standards. Post these guidelines somewhere where all employees can access them and review them.
It’s crucial to apply these standards to all relevant materials, including employee handbooks and training manuals. Make everything easy to understand—especially for your new hires.
6. Ask for feedback
Check in with your staff to make sure they’re meeting your expectations after implementing your service standards. Ask your staff which procedures they believe are effective and which ones aren’t. In the end, checking in frequently can help you hone your standards and find areas for development.
7. Reflect on your service standards
Check your service standards in the future as your restaurant expands to see if they still fit with the development of the business. Analyze whether any of your service standards need to be modified to fit the current environment or aesthetic of your restaurant.
Examples of restaurant service standards
Here are some examples of common restaurant service standards:
FAQ
What are examples of service standards?
- Answer the phone within 3 rings.
- Greet each customer by their first name.
- Respond to every customer inquiry within 60 minutes.
- If there are more than three customers in line, start a new line.
- Check each passenger has their seat belt fastened.
- Resolve a client problem within 4 hours.
What are service standards in hospitality?
2. 1 Hotel service standards Hotel service standards are prescriptions for providing services that satisfy customers. These requirements are frequently referred to as standard operating procedures (SOPs) by hotel managers.
What are quality service standards?
A service standard outlines the conditions that must be met by a service to prove its suitability for the task at hand. The standard, such as the one on handling customer complaints, may provide definitions, indicators of service quality and their levels, or specify a time frame for delivery.
What is the service of a restaurant?
There are different ways to prepare, present, and serve food to your guests in the restaurant business. Table service and counter service are the two most popular service models for restaurants.
