Monday, June 13, 2011

Rain...check, please!

There are times in the restaurant world where it seems like everything may come crashing down around you... or better yet, spin so quickly out of control before you have a moment to breathe and figure out the next move. One tidbit of training from a host perspective is to always know your next 5 moves. Yes, 5... it may seem excessive & if you have never hosted in a restaurant before, you think, "ok, sure- way to over-prepare just in case." But then once you have hosted. in a restaurant. on a busy night. you are crying because you were not over-prepared enough. 10 people walk in the front door, a server needs something comp'd, the phone rings, someone needs a carryout order, the porch is too hot for the Smith's & they need moved... and all of this literally happens at once. Remember, you are in front of customers & a staff who look to you for answers so there is no time to lose your smile or change your tone from anything but 'bubbly.' Prioritize, get a grip, and plan your next 5 moves...

Well this past Friday was a night that I felt I lost my 'grip.' The weather man had been calling for rain all day including hail at 7.00pm. The Garden is open air seating only so I figured cutting down on staff out there would be the logical way to go about the night. It was pouring down rain at 4.00p when we opened so I let the bartender do his thing and get set up- thinking, surely only a few people will come sit at the bar & then it will be raining so hard we will close it up... So, against my gut instinct, I cut the other server.... Then at about 7.00p the storm hit... but it wasn't hail. As I stood inside watching the Garden from the host stand I began to see the place begin to fill- swirl, if you will.

"Holy, you know what! I gotta go help the bartender!"

Within minutes, the entire bar & dining area was filled with customers. I imagine we had 50 people walk into the Garden within 10 minutes of each other. People were pushing tables together coming in with groups of 8-12 people....Scrambling to check ID's, make drinks, take orders, and flash some sort of smile to the new people walking in, we swirled a bit out of control...

In my head I was so mad. I was so mad at myself for cutting the server. I was so mad at the service we were giving, I am so mad that I was physically not able to get to the people that I needed to get to, in the time I needed to get to them for me to consider it 'good service.' Argh! BUT, that cannot show. If a customer were to even catch a glimpse of the anguish on my face, I would fall even further into the pit of failure....

So, we smiled. we did all that we could. we sweat. we ran into each other. we did our best impersonation of having it all together.... and I am sure we gave away a few drinks...

There is no amount of imagination that can understand the pressure of timely customer service unless you have been there. Bartenders, you know. There is no where to hide. Any mistake that is made is seen by all. When a keg needs changed, there is very little sympathy or patience. Every customer in the place is the most important... and if you need to scream- everyone will hear you!

I suppose I learned a couple lessons on this NOT rainy Friday:

1. Never cut the server
2. Empathetic directness (said in a loving tone) always wins
3. Hard work will show even if it is not followed by the 'best' service out there
4. In all my experiences at the restaurant, I have never quite had a night like that...

And I could beat myself up over it for days and days but the fact of the matter is- it happened. Now, time to take a breath, plan my next 5 moves and don't let it happen again!

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