She Shot Down My Dessert Shooter
April 6, 2008Around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday night a group of twelve family members and friends went to a nearby Applebees Restaurant after attended a community music concert. Our waitress was adorable. She whipped around the table to take our orders, answer questions and make suggestions about the menu. When I couldn’t decide what I wanted to drink, I asked if she would mind coming back to me. That’s risky because busy waitresses sometimes forget to come back to the skipped person in a large party, but she remembered. All was going well.
After the meal, one of the ladies at our table wanted to try one of those new mini sized desserts. She said to the waitress, “I’d like to order a dessert shooter.” The waitress said, “No, not until I clear off some of these dishes.”
Dismayed she turned to me and said, “She shot down my shooter. Who does she think she is, my mom?” That rejection didn’t feel good and affected the mood of the table. It seemed out of character for a waitress who had done such a great job up to that point.
Eventually she got her shooter. Around 11:30 p.m. after paying the bill we stood gathering our jackets and purses, the waitress sat down at the far end of our table. I thought that seemed curious, so I said, “It must be hard to wait on large tables of people.” She said, “Your table was great. The other table over there was the tough one, and I’m tired. I’m just finishing a double shift.”
Ah ha, so she was tired from a double shift, and had a tough table to contend with on a busy night. When you are feeling good, rested and emotionally grounded, even the toughest jobs get done well. But, how do you continue doing excellent work when you’re tired, stressed, or out of sorts so that the customers experience is not affected by your mood?
That’s when it’s helpful to have principles in place that you can rely on so your mood doesn’t run the show.
Here’s one principal to hold on to:
Find a way to translate a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’. For example when asked for a dessert shooter, the waitress could have said, “Yes. Would you like me to clear some of these dishes away first?” or better yet, just a simple, “Yes.”
Suppose your customer comes in and says “Can I have my order?” But the order won’t be ready for another 15 minutes. Instead of saying “No your order isn’t ready yet,” turn it into a positive. “Yes we have your order and it will be ready in 15 minutes.”
The word ‘no’ even when it’s used in a positive way, takes the enthusiasm down a notch. For example when a customer makes a request, you might want to say, “No problem.” Sounds good, right? Think of how much better it feels after a request to hear, “I’ll be happy to do that for you,” or “Absolutely, I’ll take care of it right away.”
Reflections: When you’re feeling tired, stressed out or out of sorts, what have you done that worked well to help you continue providing excellent service?
Posted by Marilyn Suttle at www.LoveThemUp.com
