18 Wiscons in WR Restaurateur • Second Quarter 15

by Mary Bergin

The older woman religiously lunched at the same restaurant once a week, before playing bridge with friends. Sometimes the manager would grab a cup of coffee and sit with her for a bit of small talk.

If too busy, the manager—Drew Nussbaum, now with the state Department of Tourism—would at least wave. “Don’t you take me for granted,” she chided him. “I won’t be here some day.”

When she missed a week, the absence was conspicuous and puzzling, until Nussbaum noticed the newspaper obituary. He paid his respects, presuming the funeral home visit would be brief. “THAT Drew? The restaurant guy?” one relative after another responded. Turns out his loyal customer had talked about him often and favorably.

“You don’t know how impactful one client can be on your business or your life,” is the moral of the story, as Nussbaum explains it.

Above and beyond“View the world from your customers’ perspectives,” advises Bill von Rutenberg of Madison’s von Rutenberg Ventures. “If you were the customer, what actions, behaviors and qualities would you consider so far above expectations that you would remember or comment about them?”

He believes “you have won the customer service game if you can make the guest feel like the most important person in the restaurant.”

At this year’s Midwest Foodservice Expo, Jon Wolske of Zappos.com (the online

retailer known for its creative business practices) described his employer’s priority to go above and beyond what customers expect. It means making sure the customer is heard and that needs are met. Call center workers occasionally add a personal card, flowers or box of cookies to an order when circumstances warrant it.

“You get one chance to make a first impression,” Wolske notes, but “you don’t have to give stuff away all the time and keep saying ‘yes’ to succeed.”

The memorable experienceThe bona fide “cultural evangelist” at Zappos says his company builds customer loyalty through positive interactions. He says the strategy works regardless of what you sell, online or in person.

“You have to remind me why I am choosing you—it’s not just about the

Superb Service:

What it means to keep your

customers satisfied

19Second Quarter 15 • W iscons in WR Restaurateur

food,” he says, regarding restaurants. “The choice to walk into your door is a huge decision—so much goes into a 30-minute lunch.”

“You have to replace the money that customers pay with something of value to them,” says Nussbaum. “You don’t sell the campfire—you sell the stories told around it.”

Andy Coulson of White Gull Inn, Fish Creek, considers customer service “a commitment of everyone who comes in contact with customers.” and the work begins before a dining reservation is made. “It starts with advertising—what you lead customers to expect, and follows through the initial encounter to every interaction with the customer to meet those expectations.”

Demographic differencesThe prevalence of smart phones and easy online access mean customers can transmit to the world food photos and reviews before a meal is finished. That means more people “are now

accustomed to instant information and satisfaction,” says Don Thompson of the Red Mill Supper Club, Stevens Point.

He generalizes that older customers expect closer attention to detail and friendly service. Younger customers “do not want to be bothered as much” by staff and prefer to be entertained by big-screen TVs, games or electronic

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devices. They also “expect food quicker because of their faster-paced life.”

Impatience, even in a fine dining setting where entrees are prepared to order, complicates good customer service. “Many people feel that their food should be served at a fast-food pace and become irritated” if it takes longer than one-half hour, “no matter how busy we are,” notes Thompson.

Matt Lorbiecki, director of training for the Milwaukee-based Lowlands Group, says younger customers tend to be better informed about food but “they want to be educated even further by our staff. They are coming from a generation that has gone out to eat more” than older generations.

“Know your customers,” he advises. “You have to be able to read body language and identify with your guests early in the service. Every table is different.”

A business lunch likely requires quick, efficient service—different dynamics than family dining. Lorbiecki

“You don’t know how impactful

one client can be on your business

or your life.” Drew Nussbaum,

Department of Tourism

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20 Wiscons in WR Restaurateur • Second Quarter 15

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encourages staff to learn the names of children, give them special attention and ask parents if the kids’ food should be served first.

“Some guests want to connect on a more personal level and want to ask a ton of questions about the restaurant, concept, building materials, server history,” says Lorbiecki, who concludes these customers want attention. “Give it to them.”

Coulson acknowledges that customer expectations vary, but “good customer service is good customer service.” Von Rutenberg says, regardless of age or income level, “everyone likes to feel important.”

And Dave Molenda of Positive Polarity, a Milwaukee-based business coach and consultant, says customers don’t want to be treated like numbers, or worse.

Customers you payA nationwide Gallup poll concludes that fewer than 1 in 3 employees are engaged—psychologically committed to the job and looking out for you and your customers. Molenda says that’s because some bosses are best known for criticizing, undercutting and humiliating staff.

“The sign that says ‘beatings will continue until morale improves’ doesn’t work,” he notes. Worse than workers who are not engaged (those with the “it’s not my job” attitude) are the actively disengaged who are unhappy, unproductive “and a cancer to your business—figure how to get them out.”

How employees are treated “will make a huge difference in the success of a business,” Molenda says, and Wolske echoes that point. “Every organization has a culture, whether you work at it or not,” he says, and everyone who works there is responsible for defining it.

“Do your interactions with each other resemble the experience you give to your customers?” asks Wolske, who says customers are “whoever the person is that approaches you,” including employees. “Build a positive team and family spirit,” he advises. “For many, work is an extension of family.”

Lorbiecki says employees need to feel appreciated and that their time is valued. “This ties into their beliefs and work ethics. If you treat them right, they tend to stick around. Turnover is horrible for business and morale.”

Effective motivatorsAt Zappos, exemplary employees get a “you wowed me” certificate or “Zappos dollars” to apply toward a merchandise purchase. Molenda cites “thoughtful, personal, instant” recognition of a job done well as the top motivator for employees, more motivating than money.

The Red Mill blends both at the annual Chef Showdown, which encourages culinary creativity from the executive chef, sous chef and line cook. Each develops one appetizer and one entree that they think will sell well. The recipes are featured during a ticketed meal for 24 diners, who choose winners by rating appearance to aroma. Then the dish turns into a monthly special, and the chef who created it gets 10 percent of sales.

21Second Quarter 15 • W iscons in WR Restaurateur

Thompson calls the incentive a learning experience for everybody. “It’s a lot easier to reward [front of house] staff for good sales, but how do you reward your kitchen for doing a good job?”

Just as the same approach doesn’t motivate everybody, it is important to identify stressors and what employees need to increase effectiveness. Do this well, and employees will inspire—by example—customers and each other.

“Having [engaged employees] on your team is free marketing because they will be your biggest fans, by far,” Molenda says. To connect on a deeper level, share your business mission and vision. Lessen mystery by showing who is responsible for what on your organizational chart, and explain why

How to listen up

Dave Molenda of Positive Polarity says a good listener:• Seeks more than a yes/no

response, as in “Tell me about…”

• Lets the other person finish talking before starting to speak.

• Acknowledges the other person as he/she speaks.

• Gives full attention to the other person. That means not looking away, texting or checking emails.

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it is set up that way.Saying “I don’t know if I can do this

without you” makes a difference, too, but only if you mean it.

Balance and reprimandsWhen day-to-day challenges arise, staffing levels might be a factor.

Too much means chatting at guests’ expense, says Lorbiecki, and not enough invites mistakes or impersonal service. “Most restaurants run labor on the thin side, expecting staff to do more and more,” he believes.

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What makes a difference? “Proper training, balanced schedules, knowing your trends and your staff capabilities and rewarding and recognizing excellent service.”

At Lane’s Bakery, Madison, owner Becky Pregont seeks balance between efficient and personable service. The business “believes in treating the customer like a dear friend or family member. This requires an upbeat attitude, no matter what is going on in your private life. The employee needs to be able to separate the two.”

Molenda at age 16 lost a restaurant job because he says a customer badgered him into serving a beer. When the mistake was reported, he was fired without discussion.

“We are taught that the customer is always right, but this needs an asterisk,” Molenda says. Employees who err “have to have a safe spot, an open door to explain themselves and ask how they could have done things better.”

Nussbaum says “there should be no persecution for honesty, when done respectfully, and an open-door policy for sharing concerns.” Wolske says “the way you manage and talk to each other matters,” especially when blunders occur.

“By the time you’re called on an error, you’ve already played the meeting over and over in your head,” Wolske says. A kinder and more productive approach to “you messed up” is “how did that happen—there is something missing in our process.”

Consistent standardsSuccess happens when the employer “does not settle for

How to Defuse Angry Customers

These ten steps are a part of the state Department of Tourism’s guide to customer service.

1. Assume that the customer has the right to be angry.

2. Listen to emotion without emotion.3. Be patient.4. Speak softly.5. Reiterate.6. Own the problem.7. Place the customer first,

problem second.8. Determine the root of the problem.9. Correct the issue.10. Follow up.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism offers their Customer Service Series free of charge. For more info contact Drew Nussbaum at Andrew.Nussbaum@travelwisconsin.com

someone incapable of performing up to standards,” Pregont says, because consistency is an important part of customer service. Make sure employees “understand what is expected of them and show them how it is done.”

“What you tell your staff or train them to do is not effective unless you (the owner) are passionate about meeting those expectations,” agrees Coulson.

So be authentic and practice what you preach. A boss who lies to vendors or shortchanges customers shouldn’t be surprised if employees follow the lead.

“Like running a marathon, good customer service requires training and commitment,” von Rutenberg says. “Your management team has to create a culture dedicated to excellent customer service and instill that in all employees.” He says the biggest investment challenge that a restaurateur faces is the time and money necessary to properly train staff.

Face the factsA free customer service guide from Wisconsin’s Department of Tourism

(available on the WRA website) starts with this: “More than two-thirds of the people who don’t return to your place of business don’t return because of the way they were treated.” Attitudes of indifference and rudeness count against you.

But take it from billionaire Bill Gates, who says your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. It’s a matter of being aware, forthright and humble.

For Molenda, “I don’t know,” “I was wrong” and “I am sorry” are three sentences that help maintain or boost credibility.

“If the kitchen is backed up, be honest with the customer,” Thompson says. “Don’t blame anyone, just keep the customer informed and let them know that you did not forget about them.”

When a mistake is made, “own it, apologize for it and do your best to make it right. Remember, as much as we try, you will never make every customer happy—don’t take it personally,” advises Thompson. WR

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