Customer Experiences !!! BBC Style !! Serious Thread !!

[BernardBikerchick]

Well ok its not THAT serious a thread but it is work related :D:D:D:D -

Org family of mine, I'd love your thoughts and feedback about a new project I am going to be running OBO Zizzi - my new employer !!!

I'd really like to know from a casual dining point of view - ie eating out in places like Zizzi, Ask, Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge, Strada, Prezzo etc etc .....
What really makes for a fantastic dining experience for YOU?
What do YOU think would make you want to return?

..... pleeeeeeeease no de railing :salut: - for once I do want real / helpful comments.

Also in terms of 'values' what do you think a restaurant should aim to provide?

Thanks muchly all xx - happy for you to PM me ideas in case you don't want me to run off with your 'dragons den patent ideas ;)

BBC:D

[Spank86]

Well cooked food and good service. If I wanted badly cooked rubbish I could do that myself and I really don't want to be sitting around with an empty glass unless I've been offered another drink and refused,

[BernardBikerchick]

thanks Spank! noted!

[Bluepete]

I want a clean table and environment. Staff who aren't pushy but pay attention.

Fresh food, not packaged meals reheated by a chef with a GCE in home economics.

Good beer and a decent wine list, preferably an open fire.

All in all, a good doody, local pub.

The Waddington Arms near Clitheroe is a perfect example.

http://www.waddingtonarms.co.uk/

Pete

[Spank86]

It seems to be getting the 'simple' stuff wrong that a lot of places fall down on.

Okay, I know it's not all so simple but it is pretty basic and it makes or breaks a dining experience.

[BernardBikerchick]

thanks bluepete !! aww my uncle and aunt used to live in Clitheroe lovely place indeed !

bbc

[BernardBikerchick]

i agree totally spank! x

[The Idle Biker]

I think I'm easily pleased. It's easier to say what I don't like but I'll give it a go.

I don't like being ripped off for drinks. A reasonable mark up is fine. I expect to pay a bit more. But honestly...sometimes grrrrr!

I like experienced waiter/ waitress service. Not slating all young service staff, but I want someone to know what the dishes are and to know how they are cooked if asked. Not just stare blankly at me.

I like the service staff to return at some point during the meal and ask if everything is OK? That's a nice touch.

If something isn't quite right, I don't want any dramas, just put it right.

If a dish has something I don't like in it for example, then I want the restaurant to be able to be flexible and don't tell me it simply has to come with something or other.

Background music is OK but if your in a Greek restaurant I don't want to listen to Katie ****ing Perry whitering on all night.

Don't charge for tap water and don't charge for pre-meal bread, learn from the Frenchies.

Topless waitresses have their place, but make sure they're well fit.

Hope this helps

[BernardBikerchick]

the idle biker - topless waitress is my new role ;) hahah I am well fit ;)
thank you so much - all really fantastic points and most of which I hadn't thought of - so thank you - all noted and being added to the list ! xx

[stuR]

I want a clean table and environment. Staff who aren't pushy but pay attention.

Fresh food, not packaged meals reheated by a chef with a GCE in home economics.

Good beer and a decent wine list, preferably an open fire.

Pete

This^^...

[otaylor38]

Good beer makes everything so much better. This applies to a lot of other situations too I find...

[Bibio]

places like Zizzi, Ask, Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge, Strada, Prezzo etc etc .....

BBC:D

none of those places for a start.

[SIII]

Went to frankie and pennies for the first and last time this weekend and the last.
Why - Slow service and not overly helpful.
No beer only lager
Food plain and tasteless.
Cutlery dirty.
Drinks expensive.
I can accept one or two fails but all these and then charged a good amount!!!

So there is a few pointers for your employers to avoid.

[Teejayexc]

I think I'm easily pleased. It's easier to say what I don't like but I'll give it a go.

I don't like being ripped off for drinks. A reasonable mark up is fine. I expect to pay a bit more. But honestly...sometimes grrrrr!

I like experienced waiter/ waitress service. Not slating all young service staff, but I want someone to know what the dishes are and to know how they are cooked if asked. Not just stare blankly at me.

I like the service staff to return at some point during the meal and ask if everything is OK? That's a nice touch.

If something isn't quite right, I don't want any dramas, just put it right.

If a dish has something I don't like in it for example, then I want the restaurant to be able to be flexible and don't tell me it simply has to come with something or other.

Background music is OK but if your in a Greek restaurant I don't want to listen to Katie ****ing Perry whitering on all night.

Don't charge for tap water and don't charge for pre-meal bread, learn from the Frenchies.

Topless waitresses have their place, but make sure they're well fit.

Hope this helps



Very much this ^

Went to a birthday party at the weekend, not an overly highbrow restaurant but Murphy's stout, they didn't have Guinness, was £4.20 a pint! That's taking the pi55 :mad:

Topless waitresses?, not sure, no matter how fit they are, I can't be doing with 'bits' in me gravy.

[Fordward]

tbh you need to get all of the above right to give a really enjoyable visit

freshly cooked, use good produce, dont try to make the menu too complicated, make sure youve eaten everything on it, after that its all about the people, good management who know what they are doing, talented chef, and staff who care, are happy, and feel valued

[keith_d]

Top of my list would be food quality. I'd prefer a place with a shorter menu and excellent food to somewhere which offers a hundred dishes fresh from the freezer. If you don't have the resources to do that from day 1, start off with a weekly special that really is special. Keep track of the weekly specials that do and don't work. Incorporate the best ones into the regular menu. Two basic tips, eat it yourself and watch what comes back on the diners plates.

Following on from that, I prefer food that tastes of something. Too much food these days is bland and appears to have been made to avoid offending anyone. If you're going to do a weekly special make it something tasty.

For me the ideal environment is clean, well laid out, and stylish without being garish. But it's very dependant on the location you're in and the sort of customers you're expecting to attract. I prefer places with enough soft furnishings to absorb some sound and prevent it becoming unbearably noisy when it's busy.

Ideally you want enough staff on busy evenings that they aren't running frantically from table to table. They should have enough time to keep an eye on their customers and offer things like more wine in a timely manner without being in your face. Friendly, competent, and organised are the sort of people you want to recruit, but it's always going to be difficult to keep the right people. Keeping good staff is as much about the atmosphere you establish as the money you pay. One basic rule to remember: if they do it right praise them in front of the other staff if they do it wrong b*ll*ck them in private (and don't make it personal).

Finally, have a chat to Dani. She can probably give you some pointers on what's good and bad from an employee's perspective.

Just my thoughts,

Keith.

[Littlepeahead]

Agree with all of the above but would add a couple more.

Clean toilets, with loo paper and hand towels not a pathetic little dryer thing. A well lit large mirror and enough space to touch up your make up. If you are out on a date, or going on somewhere after the meal then it's great to have a bit of space to make sure you look nice. Toothpicks don't go amiss either.

Alcohol free or low alcohol wine and beer. I often drive but don't want to spend all night drinking sweet sugary gas filled cola like a ten year old, and water is boring.

And if you want to swap one ingredient for another don't charge me. It really p's me off if I ask for say the pepperoni taken off a pizza I otherwise like and ask for mushrooms instead, then find I have been charged £1.50 for 4 slices of mushroom as an 'extra' topping. Yet you don't give me a discount for not having the pepperoni.

Don't charge me for service, or a premium if I am in a larger group. If I get good service I will tip the staff generously and want the money to go in their pocket. If I am in a larger group that should be less hassle for you, not more as you are only producing one bill.

And getting hugs from a fit girl in a short tight santa outfit wearing nipple tassels, in February, will always improve any dining experience :-)

[Spank86]

I'd say have hand towels AND a dryer.

[granty92]

i like a place where the staff are polite and always energetic and happy, miserable staff are no good, also a place that can perfect the rare steak have my heart :)

[Captain Nemo]

Consitency, so many times we go to chain restaurants and they vary so much not just venue to venue , but day to day.

Seating that isnt freezing, a lot of these places have a large amount of seating near the entrance, and they just dont have adewuate heating.

Food prepared with a bit of care, so many times its thrown together, side items missing

enough staff to cope so that they dont look stressed and under the kosh.

getting the bills right , id say 50% of the time when weve been out in the last month weve had to have the bill amended for items we havent had or simply things we ordered that never materialised.

i dont mind waiting if im told theres a delay, places get busy, i understand that, nothing worse though that being sat and all the waiting staff either seem to have vanished or avoiding you and you dont know why your waiting.

the annoying habit of asking you if everythings ok before youve had chance to try it,

i know its in the manual, i know it probably says "within 2 minutes of food being delivered" etc, but sometimes its annoying, if someone has a proper issue theyll contact the staff. if theyre put on the spot as soon as theyre food arrives ill likely politely smile and say its ok as im still rtying to work out whether im gonna bother commenting or just not come back.

[LewSpeight]

Heres one.. The POSTURE of the waiters/waitresses..
They can have a fake smile on all day but if they are stood like hunchback of Notradam or look like they're about to fall over with tiredness, that really annoys me. I think it looks unprofessional and makes me feel like if they can't be a*sed to stand up properly then they sure as hell can't be a*sed to go get me the ketchup

[Jayneflakes]

I have been out recently for two family occasions to two different places. One place we could not recommend more highly, the other despite being in key location was appalling.

What was good:
-Staff friendly, they were welcoming and they made an effort to speak to every one.
-Clean tables, nice smell in the place as we walked in. Family area to keep kids away from our party.
-No awful tinny pop music that makes talking hard if you have a hearing defect.
-Food was beautifully cooked and presented on site.
-Staff were attentive and not just fishing for a tip.
-Chef able to accommodate food allergies.
-Waitress checked that we were happy with food after five minutes of our eating.
-Food arrived on time.

What was bad:
-Staff rude and surly.
-Table had stains and was sticky to the touch.
-Waited for thirty minutes to be served in an almost empty venue while staff chatted out of sight.
-Drinks were not brought to the table and had to be collected from the bar.
-Bar staff had no idea of types of drink available.
-Waitress had to be replaced half way through serving due to bad attitude following complaints.
-Food took over an hour to arrive and came at different times meaning some people had finished as other had barely started.
-Food tasted and looked like a microwave meal.

You can rest assured that the place that we liked was pretty much all of the good stuff, but even when something was not right, the service was so good that it was quickly and effortlessly put right. What makes me want to go back is when a place feels like it has made an effort to provide good service. We all know that table waiting jobs are poo, but some people can and do make it an art form.

The thing that puts me off right away is a dirty place. Having to pull hair out of my half eaten dinner is the most revolting thing I have ever done. It did not matter how well cooked the meal was, that put me off my food and made me want to retch.

Also, I have a slight hearing defect and loud music stops me from conversing and gets to me. Yes, I am a Slayer fan, but loud music of any type is awful when it stops friends from talking to each other. I always feel bad when I have to try to work out what someone has said because after asking three time for them to repeat it, they are also getting annoyed. Answer, turn down the music. Ooh, that did raise a rant from me didn't it? ;-)

[Littlepeahead]

I agree on the music. If I want thumping pop music I'll go to a nightclub. Something discreet in the background is fine.

The other thing is having tables packed in in such a way that if you get up to use the loo or leave you have to shove your bum in another diners face to get out of your seat, or perform some sort of limbo dance and they end up doing the same to you.

Not having anywhere to put a coat or bag. At this time of year a lot of people wear a long winter coat and having to have it draped over your chair so others diners tread on it isn't great. Also if you have been shopping and then you have to leave shopping bags piled around you isn't ideal as other people trip over them.

[Ceri JC]

Do not overdo the attentiveness. Asking if I want a top up when my glass is half empty (unless it's free) is mildly irritating. A second waiter coming along 2 minutes later (whilst it's still half empty) and asking the same thing starts to grate.

Similarly, three people, per course, all checking if the food is okay and if they can get me anything else is overkill. I experienced this with a colleague who said after the third time, "**** it, if they ask again, I'm going to say, 'to be left in peace to eat'." I think the waiter heard him, judging by his body language.

In good restaurants, they know everything will be good and that this is what you ordered. They'll also notice within about 2 seconds of you looking around that you want to speak to them and come right over. There's no need to pre-empt this and check.

[timwilky]

Fresh food from local suppliers, properly cooked by a chef that knows what ingredients go together. served by staff that know how to serve correctly. Appropriate accompaniment available so I have a choice of mustards, horseradish etc. freshly prepared.

Menu not price constrained, by that let me have my Chateaubriand yet serve a chicken breast for the grand kids that I have in tow. A bloody good wine list. As standard be able to offer pepper, bernaise, hollandaise, blue cheese sauces.

Subtle background music, I want to listen to good conversation not other peoples so don't cram the tables together or play the music so loud people have to shout.

Decent toilet facilities. It is no good having a restaurant sparkling when the bogs are a **** hole and you dare not wipe your hands in fear of catching something.

A decent front of house that greets you, takes your coats, shows you to an area where you can peruse the menu. and for god sake have sufficient seating that all booked in for 8 can sit down for an aperitif at 7:45

Now my pet hate. No pushy staff, I have booked my table for the meal, not for an hour, so if I want to wait 10 mins between courses and I tell you as I order. Do not try to serve my mains as soon as you have taken away my starter. And don't bring back that same main course reheated 10 mins later.

Remember people will happily pay for a good meal and return. Serve them cheap crap, they wont come back and all their friends will know just how bad your place is. If you see a table with an empty bottle, offer them a second. One of my favourite restaurants has got me more than once. A free bottle of a very good wine without telling me the price I then discover that when I have ordered 2 more that they are 50 quid each. Good sales technique as they know I wouldn't have gone for it by choice. Now they have me hooked I know the price, but I like it.

Summer, turn on the AC, winter turn on the central heating. But in both cases use it to make your place inviting, overdo it and you just make people uncomfortable.

Oh a word from the wife. Serve a selection of good puddings with custard.

[BernardBikerchick]

guys thank you so much !!! keep it coming I'm compiling all your excellent comments :) really appreciate it !!!!! keep em coming !!!! xx

[ethariel]

The ability to both take my order and then follow the process of getting it to the chef and onto my table as requested and before it's cold.

Staff who meet and greet and actually come back with your drinks rather than go take orders from 5 other tables then get stroppy after you have been waiting 30m for a drink.

Lastly, pleasedon't broil me alive, if i want to sit in 30 degree temperatures, i'll have mine on the sun terrace in a carribean island! :P

[tigersaw]

mini Indian chain round our way called Kuties has what it takes to make me want to keep going back.
Little things, like a greeter at the door, being able to sit where you want if available, waiter knows the menu back to front and can answer any questions and offer advise. Sometimes if you are trying something new they will bring out a freebie dish to add variety and widen your experience.
I'll avoid conveyer belt chains ( harversters etc ) like the plague because they give the impression that customers are a nusiance.

[BanannaMan]

1. Quality food.
2. Clean facility.
3. Call me sexist if you like.
The one thing that will do more to improve your business than everything else mentioned in the thread is having a fit waitress who is friendly with the customers and does a really good job waitressing. Someone who knows how to talk to people.
Nearly all of these will refer to theirselves as a "people person" in their job interview.

Currently I'm in the car repair business and it's the reason I have fit office manager running my office at work.
She's fit, my customers LOVE her and she does her job really well.
She brings in tons of business!

The right staff will make or brake you. Especially in the restaurant business.