The Regulars are coming, the regulars are coming!!!

Last night I had the opportunity to meet a friend for drinks and appetizers. Was nice to be able to get out and be social(ly distanced). The restaurant had measures in place and we, of course, wore our masks at the appropriate times. It was a good night. But it also reminded me of the challenge we are starting to face in hospitality.

When I arrived, I was lucky enough to get the last table. Place was hopping. Was good to see. But then I noticed a few things.

I was seated at a booth in the very back corner of the restaurant. It was very separated from the rest of the place with walls on 3 sides of us. Lying on the floor beside the booth was some large glass panels that are either leftover from recent remodel or are yet to be disposed of. The table I was seated at had definitely not been cleaned prior to my being placed there. The whole area felt like an afterthought.

My server was by fairly quickly and asked what I wanted. Ordered a cranberry and soda(long story) and told him my friend would be along shortly. It was after this I noticed the table(off my game a bit) was dirty. I waited, and waited, and waited for my server to come back with my drink. When he didn't, I asked another server if I could get the table wiped. She said sure and proceeded to walk past the red bucket into the kitchen. I thought maybe she was going to tell someone. Nope. My server finally came back with my Crown and Soda?? I let him know it was "Cran & Soda". He apologized and ran off. Didn't the chance to ask about table. He came back later with a glass of cranberry juice and a glass of soda and asked"Oh, did you want these mixed??" "Yep, but don't worry, I'll do it." I then asked again about the table getting wiped. I had thought about grabbing the cloth myself but in this world of Covid-19 felt that would be a little out of bounds.

Now, is all of this to complain about the service? No. This is to draw attention to a problem we are facing in hospitality. Restrictions(in the US at least) are being reduced and people are beginning to venture out. I know this place, go all the time, have always had decent service and food, and will go back. What I saw was a Team of servers struggling to keep up with the amount of people in the restaurant. It has been a while since they have had to do this. And they may not have had enough people to serve what they had. The glass leaning against the wall tells me they had not planned on seating this area of the restaurant.

It is an understatement to say that the Hospitality Industry has been amongst the hardest hit from the pandemic. We have seen so many closures and job losses. As a result, many of those people have had to go out and reinvent themselves into new careers. Now we are starting to reopen and we do not have enough Team to serve the throngs of Guests who have been dying to get out and socialize. We need to take action and find a way to restaff our businesses.

You may even need to hold off on opening until you do. I know, that's crazy. But consider the impression I got last night. I was seated at a dirty table. That will turn off a lot of Guests. I empathize because of my time in the industry, but many will not. Waiting a long time for a simple drink and then getting it wrong? People will lose patience quickly. And my server, who I have had before, usually does a good job, was overwhelmed and made simple mistakes as a result. We need to be ready to welcome our Guests back into our businesses. And it will not be easy. Starting now is critical and you need to know the right tools to use so you can be effective and successful in your searches.

On Tuesday, April 6th, at 5pm CDT, Great Minds Sessions will be focusing on this very topic. Panelists/Experts who can help you be better prepared to find the people you need. Visit Great Minds Sessions on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected] and I will be happy to send you the link to the Zoom meeting. The future can be bright. Let us help you make sure you are ready!! I look forward to seeing you online!