Peter Avis of Babylon Restaurant at the Roof Gardens, AFWS UK Restaurant Manager of the Year for 2009, answers our questions on how to deal with mistakes
Q: What should you do if you find someone has double-booked and there is nowhere for the guests to eat?
Peter Avis: You really have to think on your feet and find a solution in order to accommodate your guests. There was an instance when I had to move guests to the lounge area to have coffee so we could reset the table for other guests who were waiting.
Luckily the people we asked to invite to the lounge to have coffee were receptive and happily moved. It is important to do this in a very calm manner, and ensure the guests who are waiting for their table are still able to enjoy their time in the lounge area.
Q: How should you compensate that?
PA: Offering a couple of complimentary glasses of champagne normally proves to work! If the guests have waited too long then I might decide to over-compensate and offer them their meal for free, but hopefully it should never really get to that stage.
Q: What should you do if you spill soup or a drink on a customer?
PA: Immediately apologise and do all you can to get the stain from the garment – offer to arrange dry cleaning if necessary.
Q: If there are mistakes when taking food orders how should you apologise?
PA: By being honest and then ensuring they get what they actually wanted. I find guests are generally very understanding when you deal with it in the appropriate way.
Q: What’s the difference between customer service done in Las Vegas and in the UK?
PA: Customer service in the UK and the USA have the same principle, which is to look after the guests and to make them feel special. I think we are progressing a lot with service here in the UK and English people are looking for a higher quality of service more and more.
Q: What did you learn to do in Las Vegas that wasn’t being done in UK venues where you worked – and have you introduced these skills?
PA: They had a huge emphasis on training and developing teams at the MGM Grand hotel. This is something that has stayed with me, and having the support of Virgin Limited Edition I am able to implement quality training courses and training sessions here at Babylon for the team.
Learn how to think on your feet like a pro – contact the Academy of Food and Wine Service on on 0208 661 4646 or click here for more details on AFWS training.
