As an avid sales enthusiast, I always try to open my ears to professionalism and learn new sales models, including learning about the approach business owners have to sales in their business.
Not long ago I was sitting in a very successful restaurant of customers who became friends and I casually asked the owner “how many people do you have in you sales department “?
He was very surprised by the question and answered, “I don’t have sales department, if you haven’t noticed this is a restaurant.”
I respect cynicism but I realized he wasn’t being cynical, he just doesn’t treat his team of managers, bartenders, waiters and cooks as salespeople.
The team is the most essential and necessary resource for the day-to-day operation of the business but sometimes it is important also to see them like profit units in a business.
As evidence in the exact same restaurant after an examination we discovered that there is one waitress who sells one specific dessert more than everyone else. To be precise, she sells this dessert 40% more than the other waiters just because it is her favorite dessert and she offers it to almost every table with an enthusiasm that is hard to refuse.
So think that everyone who is part of your FOH (front of house) in your business has the potential to be an excellent profit unit, you just have to treat them as such.
Imagine that out of ten waiters and waitresses, only one waitress offered this dessert. Now imagine what happens to the revenue if all ten waiters become active salespeople in the business?
Here, of course, a lot of serious work is required in guiding the team, passing on the information about the elements in the various menus and connecting the sales people in our business to the brand, the product and the guests.
The restaurant world is a world that attracts people to dine out.
Ask yourself…
Why do I want to dine out?
Why do I want to leave home? go out to the club?
We are looking for thrills! This is the restaurant world.
I came to have an experience. How do I experience it? by the casing. Music, the sound of plates coming off the pass, sound of cutlery, shakers sound from the bar, people walking around and talking. The FOH is the department responsible for this in your restaurant. We need to approach our guests and gain their trust in us.
We are the experience of our guests.
This type of connection to your guests, to the product and to the brand is the key to a high-quality and efficient sales department.
If you got stuck, we can help…..
