1. We cook for the art of it.

The most heinous restaurant snobbery is made evident when the food and ambiance are treated as more important than the customer. Stop pretending that you cook for the sake of the art. A great restaurant cooks for the customers. Make them happy.

2. Customers are stupid

Restaurant staff too often gets duped into thinking that customers are stupid because they don’t know industry lingo and information. Temper your customer pet-peeves with a little grace for the folks who keep you in business. And, for the love of God, train your servers to love the customers. If they were really stupid, they’d go to someone else’s restaurant, right?

3. We must defend against complaints

Has any restaurant ever really won by fighting with a customer? Sure, you might get a good jab in against him on Yelp, but what did you really win? Learn from the unsatisfied customer. Win the public opinion with grace, service, food and price and the complaints will drown in the praise.

4. If we put wild ramps and foraged boar on the menu, they will come.

I want to try new things. I love food-adventure. But, most customers don’t care about trendy food; they want good food. Ignore the fads and innovate good food. Customers will pay for that.

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