(c) roger beaudoin and restaurant rock stars llc

(C) Roger Beaudoin and Restaurant Rock Stars LLC

TRAINING EXERCISES Designed for Pre-Shift Meetings and Formal

Training Exercises

Use one or more exercises daily & a combination of several for more formal

training sessions!


ALL STAFF in TRAINING MUST PASS: ★ Product Knowledge (menu) ★ Restaurant Knowledge (hooks) ★ Sidework (what, where, when) ★ Portion Controls ★ Mock Dining Experience

Test… before a section!

EXERCISE 1

Printable Pre-‐shi. 2 Profits P

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staurantrockstars.com


HOW CAN YOU BE MORE SUCCESSFUL in this Restaurant and in LIFE?!★ Go Above and Beyond what is expected.!★ Offer to help others.!★ Ask how you can improve your performance.!★ Be considerate, respectful & a Team Player!★ Show responsibility and Ask for More.!★ Be eager to Learn.!★ Care about Quality.!★ Be a Good Listener.!★ Always be Prompt.!★ Follow Through.. Do what you say you’ll do.!★ Be organized.!★ Be Prepared.!★ Be Honest.!★ Be Safety Minded.!

EXERCISE 2 – BE A STANDOUT


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Determine 5 Key Sales Items (most profitable, spoilage control, brand building, etc..) we Most Want to Sell and have STAFF FOCUS on Selling these every table every time until it becomes Routine.!

!!These Could BE:!1)  Real Draft Root Beer for Kids!2)  Bottles of Wine & Specialty Drinks!3)  Nightly High-End Specials!4)  Retail Merchandise!5)  Coffee Drinks!6) Admission to Live Entertainment Events!!What does your restaurant want to SELLmore of and Why?!

YOUR KEY SALES ITEMS


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PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

Manager Picks an Item and Staff Describe: Basic Ingredients Preparation Presentation – THE WOW Factor Taste Add-Ons that Complement!

EXERCISE 3


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ENTERTAIN, INFORM, SUGGEST & SELL to CREATE an EXPERIENCE! STAFF Be Prepared to Present: ★ ALL “TOOLS of the TRADE” ★ 3 Hooks Unique to your restaurant & Why They’re Cool! BE A BRAND AND SET YOUR RESTAURANT APART FROM YOUR COMPETITION

EXERCISE 4


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THEATRE of the MIND means bringing every choice to life so the guest can visualize it, smell it, taste it and want it!

STAFF TAKE TURNS:

★ GIVE TWO CHOICES for an App, Entrée or Dessert - Bring It To Life & SELL IT!!

EXERCISE 5


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SELLING WITH YOUR “TOOLS of the TRADE” ★ IDENTIFY & ASSEMBLE ALL SALES TOOLS (table tents, menus, retail items, wine bottles, the food itself, special cocktail glassware, special event tickets) ★ Staff Take Turns selling to each other using “TOOLS” !

EXERCISE 6


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EXERCISE 7 – IMPRESSIONS

ASK your staff to Each List the IMPORTANT Guest “IMPRESSIONS” in your Restaurant!* First Impression: (Do Phone greeters Convince callers to Try Us? Are they courteous,

knowledgeable & Inviting? Is your Website up to the minute, viewable from all devices, Menu Printable?!

* Your Entrance: without litter? Are lights burned out? Event Information Current, etc..??!* Your Manager – As MC, do they meet & greet? Work the room? Inspect, Expedite & Make friends?!* The Host Podium: Do Hosts Welcome guests with a smile? Trained to make suggestions, Efficient -

Thank Guests and Welcome them to Return?!* Your Bar: Do they acknowledge new guests quickly, Product Knowledge?, Clean, Invite them to

Return?!* Bathrooms: Regular Cleaning? Dry Counters? Paper & Soap Dispensers full? Empty Receptacles?!* Your Tables: Do they wobble? Clean & Dry top and bottom including table tents, condiments, etc..?!* Bussers: Product and Restaurant Knowledge??, Trained to SUGGEST, Courteous & Efficient? Do

they COMMUNICATE with your Team?!* Your Food: Hot? Kids Meals First? Correct to Order? Garnished? Presentation - “WOW” Factor?!*Staff: Greet new tables by Name 1st? Product & Restaurant Knowledge? Inform, Suggest & Sell? !*The Guest Check: Accurate?, Expedited When Requested? Reconciled Immediately? Comment

Card Capture?!* WELCOME BACK: Do your Staff Thank Everyone & Invite them Back?!

Remember, this is the Business of 1,000 Details!!


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EXERCISE 8 Ask Staff to Upsell several items from your menu EX: The Guest orders: ★ Vodka Tonic: Would you enjoy Grey Goose

or Ketel 1? ★ Caesar Salad: May I bring you Grilled Shrimp or

Chicken? both are very popular with and complement the salad

★  Apple Pie: Why not add Ice Cream. Would you prefer

Vanilla or Coffee?

★  Coffee: Baileys or Kahlua will make your coffee taste silky smooth. Care to indulge? Pr

intable Pre-‐shi. 2 Profits P

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EXERCISE 9 STAFF TAKE TURNS DISCUSSING:!!

★ The Staff Game Plan & “Tools” they’ll use for the Shift!★ Tonight’s Specials (descriptions, preparations, presentations)!★ Upcoming or Current Promotions… or Entertainment !★ Teamwork… Breakdowns in the system, etc..!★ Sidework Issues!!If Staff are staggered on the schedule, Time must be found to deliver the Pre-Shift Message to EVERYONE. Anyone missing the regular Pre-Shift Meeting seeks out Manager for a 3 minute One on One Training Session covering the above.!!


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EXERCISE 10 SUGGESTION SUCCESS STORIES!!STAFF DISCUSS & DESCRIBE recent past successes…!!★ How They Made the Suggestion & what it was!!★ The Reaction of the Guest !!★ How the guest’s experience was enhanced by the suggestion!

! Printable Pre-‐shi. 2 Profits P

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EXERCISE 11 EVALUATE DINING EXPERIENCES at COMPETITORS & OTHER RESTAURANTS!!

STAFF & MANAGERS DISCUSS their recent experiences Good & Bad and what made them so.. What would have made the experience Great?!! !!

Are their Service Staff trained to Suggest & Sell?!How does Your Restaurant Compare?!


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WOULD YOU RETURN? WOULD YOU WORK THERE?


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It was Saturday night and the place looked busy so I thought it must be a good restaurant.. there was an obstacle course to get to the counter, people were all waiting for tables. I asked the host how long it would be for four. “About an hour” she said before walking away without taking our name. We decided to get a drink at the bar so we fought our way through the crowd. The bartender saw me but kept pouring drinks. After five minutes I had to flag him down and say “Hey, can we get some drinks here?” He finally came over. “What do you have for wines by the glass I asked?” “We don’t pour much wine, I’m not sure… there’s a drink list over there.” I had to walk over to get the wine list and when I returned to the bar, the bartender had moved on to someone else. I had to get his attention again. After finally getting drinks, we waited and waited for our table. I noticed a party of four who came in after us were seated first. I complained to the hostess and she said “Did you come in before them.. Oh sorry”. We waited for almost two hours and I asked the hostess when we would be seated? “Can’t seat you yet.. Don’t have any tables”. I looked into the dining room and saw four open tables all un-cleared with no busser in sight. Finally, we were brought to a dirty table covered with water that someone had spilled and there was ketchup on the floor next to the table. A manager walked by carrying a tray of food and I asked if someone could clean our table. “We’ll get to it” she said. Our server came over and said “What can I get you to drink”? She brought menus, put them down and left. She came back and said “Ready to Order?” There was a specials board on the wall but we couldn’t read it so we asked her. “They’re on the board over there”! I had the chicken and my friends ordered burgers. She came back and asked if everything was OK. One of the burgers was burnt so we sent it back. I asked for water which never came. It took quite a while to get the new burger.. We were hungry so we waited, ate our meals and asked for the check. Our server finally came back and said “Does anyone want dessert?” We asked “What is dessert?” “I have to go get you the list” Forget it, just bring the check. They never took the burnt burger off and charged us for the re-cook. Another delay as the manager had to be found to comp the slip. As we passed the gum-snapping hostess she said “Thanks, Come again” NO THANKS!!!


PICTURE THIS DINING EXPERIENCE


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As we entered the restaurant, the smiling hostess greeted us with “Welcome to our restaurant, I’m Annie.. Have you been with us before?” “No, we’re on vacation from Connecticut.” “Well we’re glad you’re here.. Wasn’t the skiing great today?” We agreed it was. “There is a short wait, but I hope to seat you within 30 minutes.. Why don’t you check out our great retail store.. we have a deal on kids T-shirts for someone special back home…then have a drink at the bar and I’ll call you when your table is ready.. Dani, will be happy to serve your favorite cocktails.” After a quick 20 minutes, Annie brought us to our table with a great view. She told us we would be able to see the fireworks display over the mountain. “Make sure you save room for our Vanilla Snowball dessert.. Its Incredible”. Our server approached, looked me in the eye and said “Good evening my name is Michele. I hope you’re hungry, we have the best food in town!” “I hear you have great pizza.” “Yes, its amazing, our founders went to Naples, Italy to learn to make pizza the real Italian way.. We also have some great specials tonight.. Our prime rib is so tender you can cut it with a fork and it pairs so well with Rodney Strong Merlot our featured wine. Does that sound good?” Yes! When Michele returned with our wine she told us that her favorite appetizer was Wood-Fired Garlic Knots.. “Our homemade pizza dough is rolled into little knots, brushed with garlic and olive oil, sprinkled with parmesan then baked in our wood-burning brick oven. You’ll enjoy them with your wine.. Sound good?” Good? I could taste those knots before they even came out of the oven. Michele noticed quickly that our wine was empty.. “May I bring you another bottle?.. If you don’t finish it, you can take it back to your condo and enjoy it in front of the fire later” She was full of great ideas! After the terrific pizza and prime rib, Michele returned with the dessert list. “Let me tell you all about our delicious desserts.. I always have a hard time choosing between the Molten Chocolate Cake and our Vanilla Snowball.” If you’re full, I’ll bring two forks and you can both have a few bites.. They’re both To Die For!” “I’ll have a bite,” my wife said… “me too,” I said. Michele was right on all counts – what great food – what a great place, but the best part was really the staff and how much fun they were having.. You could tell they loved what they were doing and working together. We were first timers but they treated us like we were regular customers. We eat out often but few experiences are this memorable. I left Michele 20% but she was worth 100! When we went skiing next day, we told some new friends we met all about this amazing restaurant and they tried it that night. They had a birthday and their server Brandy told them about a special candle that shoots sparks off the cake 3 feet in the air.. All the other diners were amazed and clapped. What a Show.. What a Great Place! Michele, Brandy, Annie and Dani were making lots of new friends for their restaurant!!


We Greet Every new guest Immediately with a Smile!

We Treat Every Guest as if They Were our ONLY Guest!

We Entertain & Inform our Guests, not just Serve them!

We prepare quality food & drink from fresh ingredients!

We Set ourselves Apart from our Competition Every Day!

We Strive to be Consistent, Memorable & More Fun for guests!!

We build personal Friendships & Affinity with our guests !

We emphasize Teamwork & Respect among ALL STAFF!

We have FUN every time we work.. If its not fun, Why Do It?!

EXERCISE 12 – OUR MISSION


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Are All STAFF Prepared before the Shift? Ask them in turns:!★ What bottle of wine will I recommend?!★ Am I ready to upsell mixed drinks to !premium liquors?!★ Will I sell the table bottled water or just !bring Tap?!★ What are my favorite appetizers, specials !& desserts to suggest?!★ Will I ASSUME the SALE or take !NO for an answer?!

EXERCISE 13 – OUR GAMEPLAN


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Think on your feet.. Describe it, Upsell it or suggest Add-Ons when appropriate! Add to this list with your restaurant’s menu items & Take turns Asking each STAFF: Sirloin Caesar Salad Vodka Tonic A fun Cocktail Your favorite Appetizer A Martini A kid’s meal Water Coffee One of your restaurant’s “HOOKS”

EXERCISE 14… STAFF WORKOUT


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EXERCISE 15 DIFFUSING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS!Discuss with your ENTIRE TEAM:!Rarely but occasionally guests can be loud and obnoxious. Maybe they are annoyed by a mistake we made.. Maybe they are annoyed at something beyond our control. Maybe they’ve had a bit too much to drink. We strive to provide a Consistent enjoyable experience for all guests and we have a ZERO!TOLERANCE for those who don’t show this same courtesy and respect.!!STAFF are the first line of defense: If you observe unacceptable behavior of any kind, don’t let it go.. Be Polite and professional. Explain nicely that you have had a complaint and would you mind being considerate of our other guests. Usually this corrects the problem. Never be confrontational or allow a guest to rattle your cage. STAY ABOVE THE SITUATION.!!If the behavior continues after the informative warning, !Call a Manager and explain the situation in detail.!


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GOALS Our goals are to give Great Service to each and every Guest, To work as a Team & Back each other up, To be Efficient and maximize the number of guests we serve and to Impress every guest to return and tell their friends!

G

ATTITUDES We have Positive “CAN DO” Attitudes!

A

SALESMANSHIP We are Service Oriented STAFF ready to offer Recommendations & Choices that our guests will Appreciate. We ASSUME the Sale and Never ask YES/NO Questions

S

A car won’t run without gas and neither does your restaurant!!ALL STAFF FILL UP WITH G.A.S before each shift and NEVER RUN ON EMPTY.!

YOUR RESTAURANT RUNS ON G.A.S


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EXERCISE 17 Mock Role Playing!Set Two Tables: STAFF take turns sitting and serving!

Bussers make Suggestions or ask to help guests while clearing!

Greet, Suggest & Sell & Anticipate Needs efficiently demonstrating the “SELLING” Circle!

THE BIG FINISH.. Do we inform about any entertainment, do we Suggest merchandise to take home, do we Suggest dessert and/or coffee drinks?!



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CHECK-IN AREA

CREATE a MESSAGE CENTER where STAFF gather. A giant Dry Erase Board works well. At the Center write Inspirational Messages, Daily Specials, 86’d Items, Upcoming Entertainment Information, Contests, etc..


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STAFF BINGO Each Month, Create a poster size Bingo Card for your STAFF Message Board area. In each of the spaces, write in “Perfect Check” items that your restaurant wants to SELL Most. Track the Sales of each staff member for those items on the card until the first staff gets a BINGO!


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1)  Name two of your favorite wines by the glass and two by bottle?!2)  Name two appetizers and why they’re special?!3)  What are tonight’s specials?!4)  Name two add-ons for an entrée or upsells?!5)  Name two super premium liquors?!6)  Name two kid’s meals?!7)  Describe two of your favorite desserts as you would to a guest?!8)  What will you suggest as an after dinner upsell?!9)  How will you sell a second bottle of wine to a table?!10)  Name two ways to stay out of the DANGER ZONE?!11)  What do you do first when you get a new table?!

POP QUIZ


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Data Base Capture & Valuable Feedback.. My restaurant has 2,000+ guests in its email data base!Are you a first time visitor _________________!If Yes, How did you hear about us? ________________________!How often do you dine out? ______________________________!What are your favorite restaurants? ________________________!What do you like best about our Restaurant? ________________!Please rate us on our Performance (1 – 10 scale)!Food/Beverage Quality _____ Comments? _________________!Overall Service Received ___ Comments? _________________!Ambiance _____ Comments? ___________________________!Entertainment ____ Comments? _________________________!City/State ______________ Your email ____________________!

COMMENT CARDS


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Entry: From parking to front door, what was your experience?!Host: Were you greeted with a smile & kind word? Were you seated!right away or given an accurate wait time? Did you ask any questions? If so, were they answered with knowledge & courtesy? Thanked and invited back?!Bar: Did you get a drink at the bar? What was your experience?!Ambiance: What did you notice, how did you feel?!Restrooms: Cleanliness and or other issues? Advertising or announcements… did you notice and what did you remember?!Your Table: Was it clean and dry? Did your table wobble? Did you notice table tents?!Service: Did your server introduce themselves? How long did you sit before you were greeted? Overall personality & demeanor? Overall product knowledge? Did he/she make any recommendations? Prompt and attentive to your needs?!Product: Did food arrive hot? Prepared to liking? Drinks correct and enjoyable?!Entertainment: Who was it and did you enjoy? Overall sound & noise level?!!!

SECRET SHOPPER CRITERIA


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(c) roger beaudoin and restaurant rock stars llc

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