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"Is Everything Okay?"
June 16, 2008
I had forgotten how much I disliked most table visits by managers until I was on the receiving end of a couple of good ones last week. I know that this is a very personal issue. Some customers feel that they have not received good service unless a manager has come by their table to inquire about their meal. Others feel that the manager is not needed at the table unless there is a problem, or the manager has the type of personality that can make their presence a welcome one. "Is everything okay?" has become as big a cliché as "Hi, my name is..."
Every restaurant and every chain have their own policy and procedures when it comes to managers visiting tables. This is a good thing. Nothing in our business should be left to chance. However, I have become increasingly sensitive to 100% mandates of just about anything in a restaurant. The one that I have learned to loathe the most is the mandate that managers will visit 100% of all tables. I know that it is well-meaning, however, it is usually pulled off with all of the finesse of a grocery store cashier asking if you found everything. "No, but I will be back next week and continue my search."
What I dislike about 100% policies is that they remove the flexibility for the server, or the manager, to read a table and use their own judgment. A party of one at lunch? Maybe that policy of suggesting an appetizer to every table doesn't make sense. Two people eat half of their meal and ask for a take-out container? Maybe that policy of suggesting dessert to every table doesn't make sense. Four people enjoying themselves? Maybe there is no reason to have the manager visit the table to ask the obvious.
Houston's (sorry, another Houston's reference) founder George Biel has a very definite view on manager table visits. As I understand it, George tells his managers that the customer really does not want to meet them. The only reason that they would want to meet the manager, he tells them, is if there is a problem. Therefore, their job is to make sure that there is not a problem by focusing on the food coming out of the kitchen. I eat in Houston's weekly. I will be there in about two hours for dinner. I have been going to the same one for a long time. I have never had a problem, therefore, I have never met the manager. I do, however, know most of the servers.
I was in Phoenix for an evening recently and had dinner in a Claim Jumper. I had not been in one for a couple of years and was curious how they were evolving the concept since most of their portions are quite large. The server was excellent, and created a "hospitality bubble" that made the hour one of the most enjoyable that I have had in any restaurant. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the manager heading for my table. I waited for the inevitable question, and the bubble to be popped. Instead, the experience was taken to a new level by a manager who took a genuine interest in me, and was not just going through the motions and checking off another box.
I was so impressed with the overall service experience at Claim Jumper that when I was in Las Vegas the next day, I visited another to see if my Phoenix experience was the exception. It was not. Same excellent service, same personable visit by a manager. I could tell by watching that their managers are an integral part of the service experience of the concept. It is unusual in any casual dining chain to be on the receiving end of such good overall service.
I like seeing managers working in a restaurant, whether it is checking every plate of food coming out of the kitchen, working the front door, or being a support to the servers in the dining room. The manager at my favorite Mexican restaurant is a fixture at the host stand, greeting regulars and saying goodbye to all customers. Occasionally, he will cruise through the dining room with a tea or water pitcher to do refills. No questions, just observing. Clearly in charge, and clearly on top of all of the details that matter.
Table visits by managers. A very personal issue. For me, skip my table and visit someone who needs it.
Posted by Lane Cardwell on June 16, 2008 | Comments (16)
Reader Comments
at 6/16/2008 11:16:41 AM, C-Bahr commented:
As a manager at a restaurant that does have the 100% table visit rule, I have to ask what those managers did to make the visit more personable? I'm always looking for things to say beyond "How is the meal?"
Thanks!
at 6/16/2008 11:23:14 AM, Lane commented:
They engaged me as a person, not as a customer. It was obvious that they were in no hurry to move on to another table unless I made it clear that that we were done talking. They both had great personalities and talking to them was a pleasure, not a chore. What made it seem like less of an inconvenience to begin with was that they approached the table to help the server with their duties, not to quiz me. I still believe that 100% of any rule is less than one that says "in most cases".
at 6/16/2008 11:43:37 AM, bud the pieman commented:
lane........you hit it on the head again!!!! i bet i said "amen!" to every sentence of your post.
managers that approach my table and "intrude my personal space" are as intrusive & insensitive as the waiters telling me their names when all i want them to do is to "serve me." and then when a so called server squats down at the table or pulls up a chair ....i ask them if they have a leg cramp or did they drop something or are they tired.
we are talking about personal space and i only invite those into mine that i want and 99.99% of the time that i sit down to eat with someone i want them in my space.
BUT back to mangers that do not have a have a clue as to what what a service philosphy is let alone having defined their own personal "service philosphy"
they managers that you are referring too couldn't even know what the term "service" means apart from the corporate training policy manual.
i tell our staff that i look for two things when looking at a table ~
#1 ~ i first look at their faces and the countenance of the conversation with their dinner guests. if everyone one is smiling, engaged in conversation, having a good time, laughing, then i know that 95% of the time everything is going well at the table and most likely there are not any critical issues or concerns that need to be addressed by managemnt or wait staff.
#2 ~ i then immediatley look at their plate to see what they are doing with their food, are they eating everything, is something pushed to the side as if something might be wrong with it, are they playing with their food. if their is any DOUBT we'll address the issue or make sure that the wait staff addresses it ASAP!!!! SURE IS A LOT EASIER & LESS EXPENSIVE TO ADDRESS AN ISSUE WITHIN 2-3 BITES OF A MEAL RATHER WHEN THEY PUSH IT WAY AT THE END OF THE MEAL OR WHEN THEY ARE PAYING OR WORSE YET, WHEN THEY HAVE WALKED OUT THE DOOR AND NOT SAID ANYTHING!!! we must understand that people don't care what we know unless they know how much we care.....pretty simple and critically important!
my dining room is only 11 tables and seats 50 and i sit where i see every seat and am totally aware when someone raises their head and needs something. you also learn to beware of conversations at all the tables within earshot and pick up on the statements regarding their meal and i answer'm over my shoulder or send someone to deal with the need. and most important off all when i am sitting with a guest at their table, of which we know 80% of them well enoght to do so, i have to tell them that i am looking at the whole dinner room even though i am carrying on a conversation with them and that i am not ignoring them. AND OF COURSE I NEVER, NO NEVER, SIT WITH MY BACK IT THE DOOR WHICH DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU SEE IN THE OLD MOVIES!
i so agree with lane about houstons restaurants, i don't know the manager but i damn know that they are present in all of the interaction with the employees on the floor, in the wait station, and in the kitchen. their presence is their and if i felt that i need one i could get their attention with in a matter of seconds. we are planning a wait staff outting at the houstons in austin, which is 85 miles from the cafe, just so our newer staff can see solid service in action.
bless, bud the pieman!!!
p.s. i cringe when i here the question "is everything ok?" how damn truck stop that is!!!! i don't want it to be OK....i want it to be and expect it to be great. a much better question is "how is your meal?" when folks tell me that it was "good" i immediately ask what was wrong with an intentional concern as to the meal only being good!
at 6/16/2008 12:47:29 PM, Rex commented:
My favorite response to that ubiquitous question, particularly when it’s delivered with the usual lack of sincerity is, “I don’t know- I didn’t order everything.” The worst thing you can do to anyone in the hospitality business is to compel them to speak when they have nothing to say.
at 6/16/2008 1:11:55 PM, Bob Hicks commented:
I have been in restaurant ops for a number of years, in various segments. One of my pet peeves has been to be asked, "Is everything ok?" It doesn't matter if it's fine dining or QSR, when a manager or server asks me if everything is "ok" they have lost me as a future customer. To me that says the restaurant's standard of service, quality, etc., is to be "ok." As if being ok is good enough. To use your example of Houston's, I frequent our Houston's in Memphis often, and I do know the manager (though not through table visits). I can't imagine for a second that their standard of anything is to just be "ok." So I spend my money and my time with people who have a genuine concern for the quality of my visit.
at 6/16/2008 4:15:38 PM, MEIR salmon commented:
YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW IMPORTANT IS FOR THE COSTUMERS IN A RESTAURANT FOR THE MANAGER VISIT THEIR TABLES OR JUST CHECKING ON THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE. AS A HOTEL DIRECTOR ON A WELL KNOWN ISRAELI CRUISE SHIP,I PERSONALLY VISIT EACH AND EVERY TABLE ON EACH MEAL IN THE DINING ROOM OR IN THE RESTAURANT AND 99% OF OUR COSTUMERS APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. I NEVER TAKING IT FOR GRANTED THAT EVERYTHING SHOULD BE OK, AS A SENIOR MANAGER I NEED TO CHECK IT MY SELF AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS REALLY OK AND NOT TO RELY ON LUCK!!!MY PASSENGERS LIKE VERY MUCH TO SEE THE DIRECTOR HIMSELF TAKING CARE OF THEM ON EVERY MOMENT ON BOARD AND I THINK THAT EVERY LAND BASE HOTEL OR RESTAURANT SHOULD EXPERIENCE THE SAME PRACTICE.
at 6/16/2008 7:38:03 PM, ChefZea commented:
My restaurant has a looser "as many as possible" policy for table visits. but it's the more experienced service managers who can read a table from across the dining room and determine if A) there is a problem B) The party would appreciate and enjoy a manager visit or C) The party has no wish for you to even say hello to them. We are fortunate to have quite a few regulars who would feel unfulfilled without a genuine conversation with the manager. For nonregulars who appreciate a well-intentioned visit, it's important to ask specific questions like "how was that salmon" or "have you tried the chef's bread pudding yet?"
at 6/17/2008 8:11:23 AM, Old S&A Manager commented:
My belief is that managers must have 100% table visitation on a
"hands on level." Just like you should be hands on in the kitchen.
Neither means you should actually "cook" all the food, or "interact at every table". But in reality your "eyes" should see it all, not actually do it.
That's what the staff is for!
at 6/17/2008 3:21:47 PM, Chuck Paul / A Closer Look, Inc. commented:
Lane, My take on this subject: when you REQUIRE 100% table visitations, you had better feel sure that ALL your managers have the personality, style and finesse to pull off table visits with style. This is rarely the case and its usually your table who has endure the mechanical manager with no table skills or personality. It can make a great experience mediocre.
at 6/21/2008 5:02:54 PM, Don Stull commented:
As an owner/manager, I felt it was almost as important to meet my guests as it was to make sure their "steak was cooked right or did they enjoy their stuffed mushrooms." You can always make a quick read on tables would enjoy a visit and those that would rather not be bothered. Todays labor market makes it even more essential that someone shows a genuine concern for the customer's experience (I know there's going to be flack on that comment which could be the content for a whole other post).
at 8/6/2008 2:24:46 PM, Juli commented:
When I visit tables I try to do so only if I feel that I will not be interupting something. That is in the approach. One of the questions I like to ask is how they came to find our place, because it helps me know what is working from a marketing perspective. People usually like to tell you. Another question I'll use to have a productive table visit is moe open-ended -- "Is there anything we can improve on for this or your next visit?" Then people are more likely to say something that is useful. I occasionally get a joker who says -- "pick up the check" but you can tell when they are joking. With the question being open-ended and focused on the future, I often will hear from people who like to make a little suggestion but don't want to "complain".
at 1/7/2009 2:02:22 PM, upset commented:
To the 3rd poster....You should be ashamed of the way you talk about servers. As a restaurant owner you should hold servers to a higher standard and not talk down to them. Do you feel better than them?
Article is great i just wish that the author would give a SPECIFIC word track that the managers gave at Claim Jumpers.
at 1/8/2009 1:18:33 PM, Jeffrey Summers commented:
I just wish people were aware enough to realize what "personable" meant without having to have someone give them a script. Kind of begs the question doesn't it?
The other thing that strikes me as odd here is the constant tone of "I" or "we" when it should be about the guest. Guests don't all want to have the manager "quiz" them on how "ok" a meal is. "Is that really your standard?" Doing so makes you more like some animated cartoon character who just doesns't get it.
at 4/30/2009 1:38:11 AM, D.O. in CJ land commented:
As a Restaurant Manager for Claim Jumper Restaurants I have to say that visiting each and every one of my tables is one of the perks of my job. The cooks line, prep stations and expo window are fun, and the staff is amazing, but its our guests that enable our everyday success and it's my chance to thank them, find out how things are, and gain valuable feed back. It's no chore nor dreaded task... in my experience there are very few people who come out to be completly left alone in their own bubble, and I find myself having a great time with my guests. The true highlight is when I see them again with diffrent family or friends and they remember me by name, and will be more likely to give true feed back and become the very welcome regulars that we have! In regards to "
at 4/30/2009 1:45:10 AM, D.O. in CJ land commented:
...(got cut off) In regards to "what we say"? I feel each of us are our own person and there is no set in stone way of doing things... for me? I absolutely love my job and this company and enjoy myself at work which gives me the fuel and energy to approach any table with any problem or lack of problem rather and have real conversation and walk away with a smile on everyones face and the chance to have met that many more of our guests and only hope that they will return!
at 5/15/2009 9:37:04 PM, jtjwill@msn.com commented:
I work in a well established and well run mom and pop that has been around for 25 years. It is family friendly with a lot of tourists. We make the effort to remember people by their names, and after 8 years of employment I can see that people like this. The owner is on site 7 days a week, and works full shifts 5+ days. He knows when to/when not to approach a table as a manager, or as a member of the staff. I think you make great points. Management should be what that restaurant requires; we require that the manager be one of the biggest supporters of the floor. This means...host, bus, expoditer, server, to go orders, cook, prep, etc. I think the biggest thing is in the presentation as a staff member...No need to point out that you are a manager, but better to ask how the experience is because you actually care.