Restaurant reviewer Richard Harden of Harden’s Guides tells the Academy of Food and Wine Service that the standard of a restaurant’s front-of-house service is as important as the quality of its food.
Q: Richard, you have been reviewing restaurants since the early 1990s – how has front-of-house service evolved in that time?
Richard Harden: I hope and believe that some native-born waiters are finally beginning to ‘get’ the whole service thing. In my view this is simply because, as in France, we at last are seeing people entering the business who have grown up seeing it from the customer’s side, and so they see it as a natural part of life. The whole equation of service with servility problem is therefore waning.
Q: Is it important for front-of-house staff to undergo formal training – and can you tell if a waiter has been properly trained?
RH: It all depends on the establishment. Nothing is worse, though, than grand and formal restaurants where the staff don’t know the rules – or the menu. Diners tend to [know these things], and find such establishments – and their staff – pretentious, and even ridiculous.
Q: Can you forgive bad service if the food is good – or vice versa?
RH: No. Of the two, it’s probably easier to excuse bad food, as people know that things can go wrong in kitchens, than bad service, which people will tend to assume is always so.
Q: Can waiting staff be too attentive?
RH: Absolutely. Staff who interrupt, or – worse – interrupt constantly are the bane of modern restaurant–going.
Q: Do restaurants pay enough attention to restaurant critics, review guides and other feedback – particularly with regard to service?
RH: It varies. Some people seem to assume that all criticism is malicious or unfounded – they want their heads examining. Of course, the sort of arrogance that leads to bad service is also likely to lead to an inability to accept well-meant criticism.
Q: What motivated you to become a restaurant reviewer – were you originally only focused on the quality of food or has front-of-house service always been an important part of your passion for dining out?
RH: We have always focused on the whole experience: there are many things that can make a restaurant a success or failure. The key is to try to work out what a restaurant is trying to achieve, and to assess it on that basis. The assumption underlying too many reviews, that it is only the food that matters, is ridiculous.
Q: Finally, can you specify three things that make up five star restaurant service?
RH: Empathy. Anticipation. Knowledge.
Want to dazzle guests and critics alike with top-notch service skills? Watch our five-star training video here [AFWS video: Preparing for formal service] and contact the Academy of Food and Wine Service today by calling 0208 661 4646.
