Food and drink may be your products, but the social amenities and personal involvement you offer in brief moments or for an hour or two are vital to the hospitality image you create in the customer's mind.

Management is responsible for employee moods, who are, in turn, accountable for the dining enjoyment of your patrons. The attention given your customers will be worth thousands of dollars you'd have to spend in merchandising and advertising to bring these same people through your front door.

Following are a list of circumstances that can be labeled "24 way to go broke quickly. If a guest in your food service establishment encounters these attitudes and activities shown by your employees toward them, they are victims of what we may call "negative hospitality."

Does this list seem familiar?

• No one to greet or seat guests properly.
• Sloppy appearance of service personnel.
• Service people operating with frowns and poor attitudes.
• Reservations not honored promptly.
• Employees griping about lack of adequate supplies.
• Kitchen is out of the specials at an early hour.
• Cold food served "warm" and hot food delivered "cold."
• Servers ill informed about the menu items.
• Food arrives too fast or too slowly.
• Food lacks "eye appeal."
• Quality of the food served is erratic.
• Promotional materials are false or misleading.
• Over-familiarity by servers with guests and too much conversation.
• Noises and smells coming from the kitchen that irritate patrons.
• The comfort of guests are not observed using common sense.
• Servers are guilty of "inattention" and disappear when needed.
• Employees engage in "high jinks" among themselves in public spaces.
• Employees fail to recognize guests as individuals.
• "Carry-out" food is poorly packaged and not checked for accuracy.
• Public spaces show evidence of accumulated dirt.
• Unkempt and poorly supplied washrooms.
• Patrons are left to wait too long for presentation of the guest check.
• Guests are not thanked when departing and are not invited to return.
• Customer complaints are ignored or handled with indifference.

Of course any of these problems may occur in your establishment. Try to avoid them by good planning, training and supervision. Train every worker that meets the public in how to handle complaints, should they actually arise, and what to do to prevent the customer from forming a bad impression of your restaurant.

Good communications is the key to proper instruction which starts with yourself, other management and supervisors who must become sensitive to any customer unhappiness. Keep everyone alert to avoid the "24 problems" and to strive to solve problems promptly, handle complaints without disturbing other guests, be consistent in the techniques used in handling complaints, and strive to keep the customer's good will.

If your management team is trained to be sensitive to the needs of your customers and everyone in your restaurant knows what to do when problems arise, you can successfully combat the conditions which can lead to "negative hospitality" imagery in the minds of your customers.

Mr. Lloyd M. Gordon, President of GEC Consultants, Inc. has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has concepted more than 390 restaurants and has been consulting for over 44 years. He helps people enter the restaurant industry, points the way to profitability, and helps keep them successful. To discuss "Combat Negative Hospitality in Your Restaurant " he can be reached at 847-674-6310. email experts@gecconsultants.com or on the web at www.gecconsultants.com.  

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