Cafe vs Customer; First Contact

Never forget this rule:

Your initial actions when a customer enters your establishment will set the tone for their visit – these actions with either make or break any further dealings you have with customer.

Many establishments have had many theories both trialed and tested when it comes to the initial contact or “greeting” a staff member will give to a customer when they enter your establishment. These theories will often change once a customer is a regular & is then known to staff members. There are many establishments where the staff member who is serving the customer or prospective customer literally pounce on the person the moment they set foot through the front door! Questions are immediately fired off in quick succession; “Hi can I help you?”, “Are you ready to order?”, “Would you like to start with drinks first?”. Enough is enough already! As the customer we get the point! You are trying to serve us & offer us something, we get it!

Here’s the deal ladies & gentlemen. Scrap the interrogation techniques & give your customer or potential customer room to breathe. If the customer is going to take the time to enter a café or restaurant, chances are that they are there to spend money on the products that you offer so there is no point in suffocating them. Half of your job & the jobs of your staff members is already taken care of because you have established & maintained an inviting “hospitable” environment for the customer.

Out of all the industry big names, Starbucks have nailed this technique – or at least where I worked, the theory was nailed. When a customer enters the Starbucks they are immediately acknowledged by staff members by someone taking the time to look at them, smile & say hi. This doesn’t have to include the staff member walking up, wrapping their arms around the customer & slapping a kiss on their cheek! It’s a simple, run of the mill “hi” & a smile. The customer is then given space to breathe & make choices. The questions about what they are going to order are asked when the customer is ready. Not when the staff member is ready. This will make the customer feel like they are in control.

Relax when it comes to greeting your customers or potential customers. Always remember that they are there because they want to be there. Don’t push them away by being so overbearing that they feel uncomfortable & pressured. Most of all, don’t get offended when the customer doesn’t want to be friendly as this should not be a reflection on you. 

An American Road Side Diner - Quick easy meals, great home cooked feeling & hospitality!

A Barista performing pre-open checks!

What ever happened to Consistancy ?

When we go out to a restaurant, Cafe or anywhere that serves our favourite meal we expect it to be cooked right and we expect the meal to be the same as it was when we last ordered it 1 week ago, 1 month ago or even 1 year ago.
Now I can understand if there is a slight discrepancy with the meal, for (e.g) no garnish or less parmesean cheese or a few extra blue berries missing on your pancakes with your golden syrup and bananas or something minor like that.

What I do not like and have had the pleasure of getting many a time when i go out,  is a completely new meal in looks, size, taste, volume and sometimes even price.
Now this can either be me being a picky person because i'm a chef or the blame can be solely placed on the business. I would like to say the business is at fault because and I use this example time and time again, "McDonalds". I do not eat the stuff but they have a reputation all over the WORLD for being the SAME. If you order a Big Mac in New Yorks Time Square, I can almost guarantee you that when you order one in Japan, Alice Springs or wherever you are, that it will not only look and smell the same, but it will taste the same. Which brings me back to my point; I ordered a lovely tuscan & mushroom risotto at my favourite little club once and it was superb and very big and very tasty. I ordered the same thing 2 weeks later with friends. I got the dish in a smaller bowl, it tasted very bland, it looked like it had been through the dishwasher but yet I still paid the same amount and did not enjoy it and was not a happy chappy.

Kitchen staff will try and tell you that the regular chef was off, they are sorry and credit you a free meal or to make you another one. This shouldn't happen because in all kitchens world wide,  you are shown by your head chef how to make the meal, how it is to be presented and how it should taste. You should never have a meal come out to you differently. If you do then kindly take it back and tell them its not how you got it last time and make a complaint. I can guarantee you it will come back 100 times better and the chef will take more care with the next one.

All meals as I said can have some minor discrepincies with them but when a meal you love to eat is ruined because someone doesnt take the time to make yours correctly, then you are entitled to have it made properly and get what you paid for.

My 1st chef told me that when serving a meal & plating it up, taste it!  Have a look at it. If  YOU would EAT it,  then serve it. If you wouldn't serve it to your dog, then start again.

The customer will always wait/prefer a lovely perfectly cooked meal, leaving them happy, satisfied and wanting to come back for more, than a half assed cooked meal with no pride or care taken it. I can bet you they will never come back again if they do not get what they have paid for. After all, there are plenty  other places for them to go spend their hard earned money at.

Just like in life, ''be consistant'' and everything will go according to plan.

Jase,

"Hospitality Boys"

A New Addition To The Hospitality Boys!

Hey everyone, 
Firstly a big thank you to everyone who has joined this page thus far.

Just for your information:
If you require any help on menu's or anything to do with recipes and aren't sure, then please send us an email @:
hospitality.boys@gmail.com 

Alternatively just post it on facebook or on our blog just click the link!

Each week as of Monday 21st June i will be posting either a breakfast/lunch/dinner for the day or a 3 course meal with a desert for a day.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Jase.

Happy Eating,
The team @ Hospitlaity Boys

The Case of The Condiment & The Hole In The Toast

Lets set the seen for you…..

“It’s a beautiful Sunday morning, the sky is blue without a hint of a single cloud in the sky. For the first time you’ve gotten up & you are not feeling tired in the least. Because it’s such a nice day out you decide to treat your self & your partner to breakfast at your local café.

Sitting at said café you cant resist the smells in the air of freshly ground coffee, eggs being fried, a mushroom & onion mix being sautéed & fresh banana bread being toasted. For yourself you order fried eggs with smoked salmon & Hollandaise Sauce, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes & multi-grain toast. Your partner can’t resist the freshly made & toasted banana bread. Both of you order your skim lattes.

The two lattes are served first, followed by both of your meals being brought out at the same time. Fresh Hollandaise sauce is placed in a pourer on the site of your dish, along with individual serves of butter/margarine either packaged in single serves, or placed in an individual serving bowl or demy-cup. You both go to put butter on your respective meals only to find that it is rock solid & stone cold! You try your hardest to spread the condiment over your meal before the warmth disappears & all hope of melting vanishes….

What sits in front of you now is piece of banana bread, or a piece of toast, with a large hole right through the middle of it as a result of your efforts in trying to scrape your rock hard condiment over your once warm & beautifully presented meal! Bet you’re feeling pretty good now!”

This is the case over and over again in a lot of cafes that are not adequately prepared for their customers. What is supposed to be an enjoyable, lighted hearted, easy experience often ends in frustration.

Yes it can be argued that the condiment is served on the side of the dish so that the customer can use as much or as little of it as they wish. This is not something that I would argue against. But if this is your argument as a café owner, then why not make it easier for your customer? There are a couple of very easy things that you as a café owner could implement in your establishment:

1. Turn up your fridges! Milk products and refrigerated perishables should be stored below 4 degrees, so why set the fridges to a colder temperature?
2. While keeping perishables such as margarine or butter in the fridge, try and place them in such a way that they are in fact away from the fans within the fridge. Try keeping products such as these in the front of the fridge, not the back. The further into the fridge the products go, the harder it will be when it comes out of the fridge again

Nothing beats having a fresh piece of banana bread or fresh toast and spreading your condiment over it and having it actually melt into what you are eating. The only food that should come with a hole in it is a doughnut!    

Aroma coffee house takes New York

Hi From Carl

Hi Everyone,

My name is Carl Sevitt & i'm the other half of the team that Jason was talking about - The Hospitality Boys.

Like Jason, I've been in the Hospitality Industry for a number of years & have worked within various different aspects of the industry. My focus has been more about Front of House Operations. I started with my Certificate II in Commercial Cookery & then completed a Diploma in Hospitality & Small Business Management. Here I gained a lot of industry knowledge working in Clubs, focusing mainly on Gaming & Bar Operations, Cafe Operations & Private Functions. It was through working in various Club situations that i fell into the Coffee & Cafe scene; from here I have not looked back as i continued to develop my skills & love of Cafes & Coffee. 

Moving on I found my self working for various recognised industry giants such as Coffee Club, Gloria Jeans & Starbucks. These institutions gave me a firm foundation & appreciation for the systems & procedures that were involved & implemented in order to run a successful establishment. From staff training to establishment & product presentation, to staff organisation & deployment; I gained an understanding of the elements in a cafe environment, seeing it in a whole new light.

Today I spend my days on the other side of the industry that I have gained such a love for.  My job now involves meeting & greeting the many different cafes in & around the The Sydney Metropolitan area as well as Greater NSW, along with visiting any & all suppliers to the industry. 

Enjoy our posts & please do not hesitate to contact us.

Follow us on Facebook too!! Just look for the "Hospitality Boys" page and click "like"!!

Jase Says Hi

Good Morning,
As mentioned in our welcome note, we are the hospitality Boys.
My name is Jason King and i make up 1 half of this elite team that comes to provide you with details, insight and a sound knowledge of the Hospitality Industry.

My role within in the Hospitality Industry (HI), is one that people rely on throughout a day to day basis..
I am.... a Chef. Now by looking at me you would think not.. as i am not you're sterotypical type, im not big and im not cranky, although i never stop eating in the Kitchen!

On a more serious note, I have been involved with cooking ever since i was young boy and have had a passion for it since i can remember. Coming from a cooking background I pretty much fell in love with it straight away.
My experience comes in many shapes and forms, having worked as chef/caterer @ the Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground to working in Schools,pubs, Art galleries,Hotels,Restaurants,Pizzerias,cafes, overseas and the Olympic Games.
Just to mention a few...

I have had both good & bad jobs but all the places i have worked for have one thing in common;  that is to bring you a Product/Service that is above and beyond Greatness.

Please feel free to send us any information or experiences, good or bad you have had in the industry, whether it be as an employee/employer or as a customer.
We will be more than happy to answer any questions and give you as much help & direction as possible.

Kind Regards,
Jase, (Smaller Half of the team)

Hospitality boys. 

Welcome!

Welcome Everyone!
Lets start by introducing who we are and the purpose of this Blog.


We are the Hospitality Boys. We are a team of young industry professionals with a combined total of almost 20 years of hands on Hospitality Industry experience! Our experience ranges from:

• Back of House
• Front of House
• Whole Sale Food Service 
• Business Development 
• Management of recognised industry brands 
• Management of teams

Our aim with this Blog is to comment on any & all aspects of our industry. On an almost daily basis we are witnessing things, simple things, that sadly bring our industry down, but we are also witnessing people, ideas & innovations that really make our industry stand out!  We are seeing things that make or break a hospitality business & we are seeing them from the ground up as both industry professionals & consumers.  


The idea behind this blog is too:

• Highlight areas that can be improved throughout the industry, no matter how big or small
• Put forward our likes & dislikes
• Suggest products that can be used to improve business & customer satisfaction 
• Suggest products for home use
• Act as a point of reference for both Hospitality Establishments and Consumers alike

We will give you our honest thoughts & feedback here as the issues that we may raise are of significance  to us because we live and breathe this industry every day. We are ALWAYS looking for new ways to improve our industry and provide a better experience for our customers. Your help & feedback is important to us, so if you feel strongly about an issue & would like it raised, or would like to talk about any hospitality related topic, product or service, please do not hesitate to contact us and outline your thoughts. 

Thank you for reading our blog, we hope you enjoy and find it of interest.

- The team at Hospitality Boys