You Gotta Know it to Sell It
Why do people go to restaurants or any other eatery?
Most of them do it to get out of the house or away from work, or to entertain (show off to) others. So providing a place where they can come and relax, as well as enjoy good food or beverages while being served by well informed and happy staff is the secret. The staff will make the night and the rest is just filler - which is of course very important, but no matter how satisfying the environment or the food or the wine is - it just isn’t the same if the service is lacking.
Good service stems from a waiters knowledge of the venue - which affects the waiters’ ability to upsell appropriately. It is imperative that your staff know how and what to sell. Picking your mark is a real talent.
It is not unusual that a customer orders what is known or safe to them. A lot of people are actually shy and struggle with the process of selection and matching. This is where the technique of soft selling house specialties and favourite dishes, works a treat. You could suggest, for example, having the scallop dish before the blue cheese risotto (as opposed to the other way around) in order to achieve a much more balanced flavour progression throughout their meal. It also just happens to go very well with a particular glass of wine! Or, on a very hot day, appeal to a customers need for an icy cold beer or a frozen cocktail or the selection of sorbet for dessert!
The up-sell is very important for the finances of the restaurant but the key factor here is that the server must believe every thing they are saying to the customer and say it with conviction.
Please don’t think I am suggesting that great food & great wine lists are not warranted, it is just sometimes we can forget the simplicity of hosting a guest. Help them have a great night by steering them in the right direction with your knowledge of product.
