When visiting a restaurant, we naturally have expectations of the venues we choose to eat. We expect restaurants to have friendly staff, timely service, a clean establishment, good food and more to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. Customer service is a key ingredient to any quality dining-out experience, but customer behavior is just as important.
We rightfully expect to receive good customer service, but we should also think about how our actions, words and attitudes can make us better customers. Being a considerate customer will make for a more enjoyable experience for everyone, and ultimately, help the facility serve us better.
Here are a few general guidelines that will make us better diners:
When ordering at the counter, know what you want (or have a general idea) before walking up to order. The same goes for call-in orders. Asking the order taker—and the customers behind you—to wait while you leisurely peruse the menu is inconsiderate and slows down the line. That’s not to say you can’t ask questions, but if you need more time to decide, step aside and let others go ahead of you.
Do not go into a restaurant 10 minutes before they close. Yes, they are expected to serve customers up until the posted closing time, but out of consideration for the employees, refrain from starting a new order so close to closing time.
Tip for good service! The general rule is 15-20% before discounts, but if service was exceptional, tip more. If math isn’t your strong suit, just double the tax. The local tax rate is 8.25% so this trick guarantees at least a 16.5% tip (adjust for discounts and location). Most servers make less than minimum wage, so they depend on tips to make a living wage.
If there is a line of people waiting to be seated, finish your meal and leave as quickly as possible. Other customers will appreciate the shorter wait time, just as you would if you were waiting. Yes, a great part of the dining experience is being able to take your time and relax, but during peak times, this is not ideal.
Speak at an appropriate volume. Remember that you are in a public place and those around you are trying to have conversations, so do not raise your voice.
We asked a few local restaurant managers to share some dining etiquette suggestions based on their experiences. Here’s what they had to say:
Joseph Enueshike, Owner/Operator of Dickey's Barbecue Pit
We love when our customers give us feedback. So often, people will give us praise in person at the restaurant, but it is very helpful for them to share their experience online on Yelp or our Facebook page. Customers who give feedback are good customers. All types of feedback will help us become a better restaurant.
We would also like for our customers to tell us of any dietary needs or restrictions that they have. We work with our corporate office to provide us with dietary details on our in-store menu board for meal items that are gluten free, vegetarian and so forth, but having customers tell us what they need is always helpful. Our guests are the cornerstone to our business. We love to make our customers feel welcome and we train our staff to accommodate them in any way possible. In the end, we are simply happy to have the customer there. There are no rules here!
Steven Perrault, General Manager of Texas Land & Cattle Steak House
Customers, please read the menu thoroughly. In order to provide our customers with the best service and to help them make the best choices, this is very important. At Texas Land & Cattle, we pride ourselves on having local Texas products with quality service. Our servers have a limit of 3 tables at a time to allow our customers to feel as assisted as possible. We want our guests to have a good time and enjoy a great meal when they visit us.
Ashley Norman, General Manager at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
It would be helpful if parents would reach out to us more and ask for help if their child is being challenging at the table. I have trained my servers to offer the child a side, a drink or something free of charge to help calm the situation. I know that the parents just want to enjoy a meal as a family and sometimes little kids are understandably hungry and don’t understand that they have to be patient until the food arrives. When they say that it takes a village to raise a child, we want to be part of their village. At my restaurant we encourage our customers to reach out for help. Also, it is important for customers to mindful of servers’ wages and to tip accordingly to the service that they provide. It is not common knowledge that in Texas servers make at minimum $2.13/hour, so tips can go a long way.
Published in the Greater Killeen Business Quarterly 2016 Restaurant & Catering Guide