It’s the little things…

…that make the difference between average service and great service.

The guest might even notice these small things, but they will feel the cumulative effect.

Here are a few of them that spring to mind:

Leaving room in the coffee cup for cream. Sometimes we get into the habit of filling the cup to the rim. This is understandable since people might complain if you “short” them. However, leaving a little room is something that makes it easier for the guest to enjoy their coffee. It’s good to leave a little space. Plus, it makes it easier to carry cups without spilling.

Speaking of spilling, if you do spill a little coffee on the saucer, don’t serve it to the guest. Clean the saucer and the bottom of the cup before you deliver it to the guest. You don’t want coffee dripping on a nice shirt or blouse.

Another thing involving the coffee is to place the handle of the cup at the 5:00 position. The allows the guest to grasp the cup without turning it. While there might be the very rare person who holds the coffee cup with the left hand (I’m a left-hander who still holds the cup in my right hand), most people are right-handed when it comes to holding a cup with a handle.  Obviously, if you know for a fact that someone holds their coffee cup with the left hand, you’ll place the handle at the 7:00 position.

When you hand a menu to the guest, have it already open.

Write “Thank you” and your first name on the check.

If it’s not against house policy, ask if they would like bread instead of bringing it automatically. There are some who are on special diets or don’t want to get filled up who might decline.

Ask tea drinkers if they’d like a refill instead of doing it automatically. If the glass is almost empty, feel free to refill but if they haven’t drunk that much, you might ask. Some people get their tea sweetened just the right way and don’t want the glass to be kept absolutely full at all times. Once again, if house policy demands that all glasses be kept full, then you should comply. But you can ask someone if they’d like more tea right before you fill it up. Obviously, you just have to use your best judgment here. If they’ve said that it’s OK the first time, then you can probably forgo asking them in the future. If they say that they’ve got it just the way that they want it, wait until they’re 3/4 empty if possible.

Ask groups of 6 or more if they’d like for you to put together an appetizer assortment. If it’s possible, try to get the kitchen to put them together on larger platters so they can be shared “family style”. Not only might you sell more appetizers, it’s easier than selling individual appetizers, and it’s more fun to share. Just don’t use this as an excuse to oversell them. If you find that you are bussing platters with half of the appetizers left, you’re selling too much. You’re also filling them up before the entrée and this is something that you don’t want to do. The appetizer should whet the appetite, not dampen it.

When selling appetizer assortments, if you are offering things that are known for being allergy triggers like crab or shrimp, ask if anyone is allergic to those things and tailor your quantities accordingly.

These are just a few of the small things that create the foundation for great service. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.