Don’t Follow The Lemings Over This Fiscal Cliff

I am glad our fellow trade bloggers are sharing their own experiences about leadership qualities, lax service issues, and trying to resolve ongoing unprofessional ineptitudes.

This type of intramural communications volley permits us all to recognize these issues are constant reminders of (most likely) a lax management culture. Guess where all fingers are pointing.

Correct this apathy: business sustainability can only occur when professional standards are demanded. I don’t hesitate to submit constructive complaints on tabletop “comment cards” (for management). Question: do these cards really get to the correct decision-maker, especially when it’s usually the culprit server receiving the cards, and these go straight to the circular file in quick time?

When I do not see corrective measures taking place in due time, I don’t hesitate to contact the owners of an establishment who, in most cases are probably getting the rose-colored glasses reporting from the GM. I habitually retain a copy of everything I submit to back my communications. I am specific and elicit as much of an objective notation which can be measured by universal service standards for back of the house (and) front of the house issues. If there are considerable l’enfant terrible incidents, these are also identified in as much detail as necessary to get the point across.

Lax kitchen oversight for providing appalling culinary indifference stacks the cake and I am quick to bring out the high school whiteboard for getting the point across. Sometimes it’s a case of too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen syndrome. “Get it right the first time” should be the motto across the board.

When repeat poor service occurs, it just lowers the standards and morale of the operations and, not surprisingly, the business suffers. When will managers learn to be proactive to long-standing issues within the service arena, recognize there is a problem, and act on resolving those issues? Could it be you need a new leader?

When guests suffer, poor reviews, complaints and cyber critiques will abound on social media components where the message comes across loud and clear. In many cases, however, it appears the offenders are the managers themselves for allowing complacency to inhabit their four walls. Back of the house neglect, along with other fragmentary issues, contaminate front of the house operations = lost revenue, lost business, closed business. Sobering facts.

Resolve to cultivate an educated and professional waitstaff and raise the standards across the board. Write to the owners of the business if it’s a managerial problem cultivating poor service. Other than that, be quick to “unrecommend” patronizing these establishments. We’re not all going over the fiscal cliff…