You know it when you see it; from that first step into a restaurant the indicators are there; it’s tactile – you can feel it, almost taste it. The secret ingredient for a restaurant’s success is immediately evident – it’s confidence. No matter how busy the operation is, there is a calm, a pace that exudes trust for the guest and the employee. Smiles are ever present, frowns and looks of distress are nowhere to be found. From the host to the bartender, server to back wait, and if you stepped into the kitchen – from line cook to expeditor, dishwasher to chef – confidence reigns supreme. Where does this come from and why is it not present in so many restaurants where the world often seems on the verge of total collapse?
Confidence stems from competence and competence is a result of training and exposure. It’s that simple. The secret ingredient that separates average restaurants from good restaurants and good ones from great operations is confidence. The manager and host are confident that as soon as a guest is seated, the server will be there to greet and attend to them. The server is confident in their own ability to make great recommendations because they know the food and are comfortable with suggestions on wine and other beverage pairings. The cooks are confident that the host and server understand the need for door management and timing on orders, and everyone trusts that individual decisions will be made with every other player in mind. This can only occur when training is front and center; training that is not confined to silos of responsibility.
In great restaurants, wine knowledge is not relegated to the sommelier, bartender, or even server. Everyone in the operation from dishwasher to host have a functional understanding, appreciation of, and interest in wine. In a great restaurant food knowledge is not limited to the chef and cooks. Everyone including the service staff, host, bartenders, and manager have a functional understanding, appreciation of, and interest in food and what is on the menu. The server should be able to make a CONFIDENT recommendation of wine, understanding grape varieties, basic flavor profiles, and maybe a tidbit about the vineyard of origin. The cooks should know enough to be able to converse with service staff about those pairings with the food they prepare. The same is true about food – the menu items, ingredients used, and even the source of some of those ingredients. This knowledge breaks down barriers of misunderstanding between the front and back of the house, breeds appreciation for each area, and pulls everyone together under the umbrella of COMPETENCE and CONFIDENCE.
Restaurants often view training as a cost that needs to be controlled and one that far too frequently is viewed as difficult to justify. On the contrary – training is an investment in your restaurant’s success – as important as the quality of raw materials used, vintage breadth of great wines in your cellar, and investments in dining room ambience. In fact, training may be far more important than any other “cost”.
Training builds excitement among your staff members who inherently want to learn and grow. It demonstrates you are willing to invest in them and it may very well be the best motivational tool in your bag of tricks. At a time when finding and retaining quality staff is at the top of everyone’s list – training can set you apart from everyone else. At a time when guests are even more observant and critical of restaurant value – training can make value evident from the moment a guest walks through your door.
When you build your wine list – include the culinary staff and service staff in the decisions. When a kitchen team creates a new menu have them sit through a pairing exercise and talk about the characteristics of wine, their origin, the winemaker involved, and the conditions that separate a good from a great vintage.
When that new menu is fresh and ready to be revealed, don’t simply have a tasting for service staff – have them watch the preparation in the kitchen, let the cooks talk them through each step in cooking, walk them through coolers and point out the characteristics of ingredients and where they are sourced, let them taste that raw heirloom carrot before it’s cooked and then after the line cook completes the task. Don’t simply have a server taste that sauce served on your expensive filet – show them a stock being prepared, talk about the role of a mirepoix, the reduction process, and then finish on the line with fresh herbs, shallots, a wine reduction, and raw butter for sheen. Show service staff how cooks care for their knives, let them feel the heat behind the line, and witness what it takes to set-up a station before service. All of this will help to build confidence and encourage positive communication.
When you experience a restaurant where a sense of calm prevails, where servers carry a smile, and the host gracefully walks you to your table even though there is barely an empty seat in the house; when you notice every plate being carried from the kitchen perfectly assembled and fresh with enticing aromas, and spellbound guests who are presented with the prize, and when every table seems to be enjoying a bottle of wine expertly poured by a server then you know that CONFIDENCE is present and a great experience is about to unfold.
Greatness exists when confidence is present. Confidence is derived from the knowledge and skill necessary to do the job, and all of this is possible when the restaurant INVESTS in creating a culture of food and wine through dedicated training.
PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
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