Who Manages The Manager

First off, let me say that up until now my experience with Perkin's Restaurants have been quite favorable, No matter how busy, there's usually a menu and pot of coffee at your table right after you sit down.  Service is prompt and efficient.  That's why we pulled off I-55 in Blytheville Arkansas for breakfast the other day.  Big mistake.

Granted it was busy for a Sunday morning.  But it took 15 minutes for someone to come over and ask us what we’d like to drink.  It took 10 minutes more to get our water and have our order taken.  25 minutes later we still hadn’t received our food so we got up and left.  It wasn’t like our waitress was busy with other tables.  She just vanished into the kitchen area, leaving 5 or 6 tables hanging.  That’s one problem.  The bigger problem was the manager.  Who passed by our table without as much as a good morning, I’m sorry for the delay, is there anything I can do to help?  In fact the most she would do was to tell someone else to go back in the kitchen to tell them that tables 11, 12, and 13 were waiting for service. 

When the chips are down it would seem everyone should pitch in to help; waitresses, busboys and even the manager.  Didn’t happen in this instance.  Fire the waitress at the end of the shift if she isn’t working out, but don’t leave your customers sitting watching the ice in their water melt in the meantime.

Here’s the point.  The only way to get an accurate picture of what’s going on in your business is to have someone visit it as a shopper when you aren’t around and report back to you.  If you have enough of these snapshots you’ll be able to put together a much clearing picture of your business than you’ve ever had before.  Your reputation is hanging in the balance.

Comments

[Daniel E. King]

“I am sorry. Your food will not be ready for about thirty more minutes. I have taken more tables than I can handle and completely neglected to put your order in. In fact, once I served all my other tables, I stepped outside for a break. I can’t believe I did this and I am truly sorry.”

I had been taught how to deal with situations like this, i.e. “Blame it on the kitchen… jus’ tell ‘em their backed up.” I didn’t feel comfortable saying that because, well, it wasn’t the truth and I was feeling especially ethical that night. Instead, I looked the foursome in the face and put myself on the whipping block. The gentleman’s reaction has stuck with me…

“Well thank God the Kitchens not on fire.”

Amazingly, they just laughed.

Blatantly, Openly, Honorably – The Truth (it still works).