Seeing things from the customers perspective...

As servers, hosts, bartenders, kitchen crew, etc. We have to remember that we always see the restaurant from a different vantage point than the customer...  When we start our day we come in the back door, customers/guest come in the front.  When we step behind the bar we are looking out, guests are looking in. When we approach a customer at the front door we are looking behind them at the door, they are looking behind us at the dining room.  When we seat a customer they are sitting at that table for 1 hour, we stop and go at the table during service, never really spending more than a couple minutes at a time.  When we are taking an order we are looking down at the customer, they are looking up or side ways.  How does your apron look?  Does it have food stuck to it?

The true art to what we do is to see it from the customers perspective.

-When they come in the front and they are taking in their first impression of the room, is it clean? is it set properly? What does the outside of the building look like?  Remember we may not see the front of the building all day, but potential guests see it all day.

-At the bar or greeting counter what does it look like behind you?  You are look out, they are looking in...

-When you bring the customer to the table are all the plates clean?  Is there trash from the last table?  Is there something stuck on the table?  Remember they are stuck with what ever imperfections there are for an hour.  If you notice something fix it, let the customer see you fix it, it shows you take pride and they will appreciate it even more.

Take a minute or two, a couple times per shift and look at things from the customers perspective, go to the front and look at the room like you are just coming in for the first time.  What do you notice?  Are all the tables set the same?  Are there drippings coming down the wall behind the bar?

Take a second when you are folding napkins at a table you are at the customers perspective what does your dining room look like?

If you see something wrong fix it.  It will make you feel good.  Take pride in fixing it, don't get upset because someone else did not notice it.  Getting upset and assigning blame is a waste of time and energy.  You could take pride and make yourself feel good or go negative and make yourself  and someone else feel bad by blaming them.

One other thing to keep in mind is, truly the customer may never consciously notice when everything is right (little things, like clean plates may be noticed in the subconscious) but when it is wrong it is top of mind and it stays there.

Have fun and make yourself and your guests happy, happy :)

Mike