Pasta Perfect!!

I was in my local Italian restaurant the other day and it suddenly occurred to me that all retailers could learn a thing or two from your friendly local pasta parlour!

Despite the continual ‘warnings’ around the recession, this eatery was full to the brim and people were actually queuing outside for a table.

So what does this restaurant have, that keeps it not just surviving, but a full, thriving, exciting and busy business, despite the doom and gloom warnings from the government and financial papers?

Well, as always, it comes down to customer service!

Is the food fantastic? Well, it is good traditional Italian comfort food. The best I’ve ever eaten – I would have to say - No! So why do we keep going back?

As I watched the waiting staff glide between tables, smiling, flirting, bearing outsized pepper grinders and real parmesan, it occurred to me that they were almost ‘putting on a show’ for us. The flair and speed with which they were serving their happy customers was almost theatrical. Most retailers talk about ‘the experience’ that they want to give their customers – but I had to wonder if they do it in the same way and with the same passion.

The other thing I noticed, as I observed them dealing with a busy Saturday night, was that every single one of them seemed to be really enjoying themselves. It was a great example of giving 100% whatever you do. Many people that work in the service industry seem to do so with an attitude or a lack of willing to actually serve their customers. All basic skills you might think – but a visit to most High Streets’ on a busy Saturday would show you a different picture.

So – they acted like they wanted to be there and they were giving ‘service with a smile’, but what else made this casual dinner such a treat?

They were managing to serve a busy restaurant, with what appeared to be minimal staffing and yet, no one was waiting for their food and everybody’s drinks seemed to be overflowing.  What was their secret?

My conclusion was that the restaurant was – very simply – well managed! It was staffed with people who wanted to be there and who all took a huge pride in what they did and it was managed by someone who seemed to believe the customer was king! In short – it was a recipe for success!

So next time you are looking to deliver some training to your team and hopefully inspire them to demonstrate some service skills and passion for what they are doing – perhaps a quick trip to your local Italian may have the answers?