Page 45 - MENU May June 2017

When a Guest’s Phone Usage Impedes Service
“Phones are an interesting subject matter. They can be a dis- traction and an obstacle for our servers. Say a patron is on their phone and the restaurant is busy, the server has other tables needing their attention. "I'll be just a minute" turns into ten minutes later, they are still on the phone and the server has yet to take the order. Fortunately, for us at Smoke 'N Water, because of our location, Parksville, BC, phones are not nearly the distrac- tion that I imagine they are in many restaurants in downtown Toronto or Vancouver. Phone usage can impede service for the table, and patrons at nearby tables are forced to listen to the conversation. Nevertheless, phones are here to stay—just wish I had invested in the technology 30 years ago!”
DAVID JONES
SMOKE ‘N WATER
A Marketing Opportunity
“I see almost everyone, patrons, young and old, using cell phones these days—it doesn’t bother me, they are distracted, but we have an app for our restaurant for people to use on their phones. So, I try to nd a way to do a little marketing of my own when I see them with their phone out.”
STEVE PURTELLE
ACOUSTIC GRILL
No Cell-Phones, No Problems
“Concerning sta cellphone use, since we have a casual work- force, when all my sta comes in for their shifts, I have a basket. All of their cell phones are turned o and go into the basket. Un- til they are on break, they don’t get their cell phone back. I keep a close eye on that—I have a zero-tolerance policy for that.”
PATRICIA (PAT) SPENCER
SAVOIR FAIRE CATERING
Strange but True
“We usually leave the etiquette of phone usage to the customer depending on the kind of restaurant we operate...We have built- in phone chargers and plugs in most of our bars now along with extra chargers behind the bar. It is a service thing...One has to be very careful in imposing your rules on a guest or you will not have that guest. Phones are a reality today and it is very common to see a couple at the table both on their phones texting. Strange but true.
The younger generation are always taking pictures and circulat- ing images. We have a full-time social media person now that is constantly sending pictures of our food, specials, etc. Phones are a marketing opportunity and if you are not engaging the youth you will lose that market share.” m
KEVIN MURPHY
MURPHY HOSPITALITY GROUP