Industry Secrets: You’re losing money because your staff aren’t asking this one question

Let me tell you a story.

My husband and I walk into a restaurant. It’s not a fine dining restaurant…it’s a mum and dad trattoria that we frequent because the food is amazing.

A lovely, young girl directs us to our table, we sit and she hands us our menus before letting us know she will be right back to tell us the specials and take our order.

A sweet thing but it annoys me every. Single. Time.

Why?

Simple.

She misses a golden opportunity to start racking up some money on our bill.

Whenever this happens, I just shake my head. It’s not just this restaurant either…it’s many, many restaurants, cafes and trattorias that we frequent.

Of course, it’s not her fault, or any waiter or waitress’s fault but there is a little trick that can immediately increase the bill by 10-20%. It’s just a failure of training or sheer ignorance on the owner’s behalf to teach their staff to ask this one question as people take a seat at the table.

What’s that question?

“Ok, take your seats, thank you…. Can i get you a drink to start? A glass of Prosecco or a cocktail perhaps?”

SO SIMPLE!! Yet, a lot of restaurateurs don’t teach their staff to do it. Of course people want a drink as soon as they sit down! We just need to be asked.

This can be followed with: “Can I get you some garlic bread or *insert some other delicious sounding entree here*”

Simply for the sake of looking cheap, people will opt in to order something if they are prompted to.

So take that piece of advice and start teaching your people….