What Will you do for National Waitstaff Day?
May is the month that is traditionally set aside for honoring our mothers and other important women in our lives. But Mother’s Day is not the only honorific day of the month. For those in the restaurant industry May 21st is National Waitstaff Day, a time to honor the hardworking servers who make our restaurants tick.
While restaurant owners and managers may not always take the time to express it, the fact is restaurants live and die by the servers and the relationships they build with their customers.
With the growing popularity of online ordering, it may seem that your waitstaff’s job has diminished. But, that is not the case. No matter how a customer’s order reaches your restaurant, your faithful staff always give their best effort to make sure the food gets to the customer quickly and correctly. For these efforts, your staff deserves recognition and praise.
If you are wondering how you can use your online system to show your waitstaff how much you appreciate them, here are some great ideas:
Display a Message on Your Website or App
Placing a short but appreciative message on your website or app is an easy way to show your customers how much you care about your servers. Your message can include words of encouragement and thanks or a personal message that comes from your heart. A simple act such as a public message will get people to react and respond.
Highlight Your Waitstaff on Social Media
Today, most people are widely connected on social media. It is not uncommon for customers to connect with their favorite businesses, as well. So, when you create a post, your customers are out there, watching. Use this opportunity to post a video highlighting your incredible waitstaff. A post of this nature will be seen by many people. Plus, it is a great way to show your staff how much you care.
Regardless of whether you post a brief message or make a big to-do out of it, it is important to do something that will cultivate a positive environment in where all staff members are recognized for their contribution and feel valued. Creating this type of environment is crucial to running a healthy establishment. Your efforts will be worth it when you see that your staff members truly enjoy working at your restaurant and are helping enhance the overall experience for your customers.
How Can Your Waitstaff Develop Relationships With Your Customers?
Fostering a relationship between customers and waitstaff is a crucial part of any restaurant, whether the customers are in-house or ordering online. Here are some tips that will help you make sure this important step is done well:
- Make the online experience easy and enjoyable. Customers will be turned off by apps and websites that do not function easily. Slow load times, confusing graphics, broken links all contribute to a less-than-optimal digital environment that will quickly chase your customers away. On the other hand, a sleek, easy-to-use digital interface lets your customers know that they are just as valued as those who opt for the dine-in experience your restaurant provides.
- Do not ignore the to-go and carry-out orders. It is easy to overlook the potential relationships for these orders. They only take a short amount of time to fulfill, and then the customer is gone. However, these brief encounters are every bit as important and need to be cultivated. Remind your waitstaff that customers who place to-go orders are every bit as valuable as your other customers. How they act in those few moments can set a tone that will determine whether a customer decides to come back.
On May 21 . . .
As you gear up for National Waitstaff Appreciation Day on May 21, it is important to recognize the hard work your waitstaff puts forth every day to help make every customer interaction a positive one that encourages long-lasting relationships. While it is easy to do this in the restaurant, a little bit of time and effort can help make sure that your digital customers also see how much your waitstaff is appreciated, too.