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There are several aspects which contribute to the overall dining experience of customers in pubs and restaurants – the quality of the food is just one of these factors and the standard of service is another. A recent survey was carried out by Zagat , which found that 73 per cent of complaints in restaurants are to do with front of house issues, reports Big Hospitality . Is this surprising? Well possibly not, as even when there is a problem with the food customers tend to be more accepting and willing to forgive if the service is up to scratch. With this in mind it is vitally important that staff have the right ethos and are given adequate training in order to provide the best customer experience possible. Staff will be the primary point of contact between the establishment and the customer and interact with them from the moment they step through the door to when they leave – this must be executed well. Tim Zagat, of Zagat guides said: "Chefs have become highly respected professionals and even celebrities in some cases. When was the last time you saw a maître d’ on television? If there is a weak link in the industry, that’s it." Surely this is an area which can be rectified, but it is down to both the individuals and the restaurants to improve the situation. Establishments must foster a good attitude within their employees and ensure that they care about what they do. This can mean introducing incentive schemes, but on a more fundamental basis can be as simple as making sure feedback makes it back to the relevant party. With this it is important that the all feedback is passed on, positive as well as negative as it will prevent staff from thinking that their performance does not affect the outcome . This helps to encourage pride in carrying out a job and ensure that employees go the extra mile as they know that this will be recognised. Heston Blumenthal touched on the subject of service when discussing the forthcoming 50 Best Restaurant Awards. He said: "Cooking is the same as anything that takes a product, human beings do something to that product and then they sell it and serve it. So it’s about the quality of the product, the quality of the work that’s done to the product and the quality of the way that the product is then served. Successful restaurants are the ones that can tick all of these boxes." This shows that service is very important for restaurants, but is there a difference between the standards expected in restaurants and pubs? Another survey which was published by The Mystery Dining Company in August looked into the perceptions of service in pubs. Despite the majority of the 349 respondents saying that the overall dining experience in pubs has improved over the last five years, there is still a discrepancy when compared to restaurants. When asked if personalised service was more important in restaurants than pubs, most of those interviewed said it was equally important. This shows how pubs are taking more of the dining market than ever before and that the laid back more informal approach does not cut the mustard. The respondents said that staff in pubs are still falling short by not being as knowledgeable about the food on offer as those in restaurants are. So what is needed is for pubs to step up in order to improve their reputation against restaurants in terms of customer service and that for all dining establishments to make sure they keep their eye on the ball. This means highly motivated, well trained, professional front of house staff who provide the best customer experience possible.
