FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE
1. The Food Service industry
1.4. customer service
Good customer service is often characterised by:
1. meeting/exceeding customer expectations
2. knowing the benefits/features of the services and products on offer
3. being able to listen actively
4. being friendly and polite
5. being able to adapt methods of communication to meet the individual needs of a range of
customers, for example those with language or learning difficulties, health issues, different
age groups and cultural differences
6. avoiding the use of jargon
7. forming professional relationships with customers
8. achieving customer satisfaction.
The benefits to the operation include:
- increased sales
- fewer complaints
- attracting new customers through increased reputation
- increases in repeat business and customer loyalty.
For individuals working in food and beverage service the benefits of providing good customer
service include:
- recognition – by management for promotion and monetary reward
- achieving job satisfaction, which leads to increased motivation and loyalty.
Defining the customer service of an operation
In order the meet the customer’s expectations and to enhance their meal experience, a
foodservice operation will determine the level of customer service that the customer should
expect within that operation.
Customer service in foodservice operations is a combination of five characteristics:
1 Service level: the intensity of or limitations in the personal attention given to customers.
2 Service availability: for example, the opening times and variations in the menu and
beverage list on offer.
3 Level of standards: for example, the quality of the food and beverage items provided,
decor, standard of equipment used and level of staffing professionalism.
4 Service reliability: the extent to which the product is intended to be consistent and its
consistency in practice.
5 Service flexibility: the extent to which alternatives are available, and to which there can be
variations in the standard products that are offered.
A foodservice operation will determine the customer service specification of the operation by
taking account of these five customer service factors.
Use of resources
Although a foodservice operation is designed to provide customer service, it must also be
efficient in its use of resources. The three resources used in foodservice operations are:
1 Materials: food, beverages and short use equipment (such as paper napkins)
2 Labour: staffing costs
3 Facilities: premises and plant and equipment.
The management team must always take into account the effect that the level of business has
on the ability of the operation, in order to maintain the customer service requirement, while at
the same time ensuring productivity in all of the resources being used.
Customer service specification
Within foodservice operations the level of service in a specific operation may be defined as follows:
1 Technical specification: refers to the food and beverage items on offer, the portion size or
measure, the cooking method, the degree of cooking, the method of presentation, the cover,
accompaniments and the cleanliness of items, etc.
2 Service specification: refers to two aspects: first, the procedures for service and second,
the way in which the procedures are carried out. Procedures include meeting and greeting,
order taking, seeking customer comments, dealing with complaints, payment and the
special needs of customers. The method in which the service is carried out includes paying
attention to the level of staff attentiveness, their tone of voice and body language, etc.
Operations will usually have written statements of both technical and service specification
(often called a customer service specification). These may also be detailed in staff manuals that
outline expected standards of performance.
Level of service and standards of service
There can be confusion when referring to the levels of service and the standards of service.
l Level of service can range from being limited to complex, with high levels of personal attention.
l Standards of service are a measure of the ability of the operation to deliver the service level.
Thus an operation might offer low levels of service, such as a fast-food operation, but may do
this at a very high standard. Equally, an operation may offer a high level of service, such as a
full service restaurant, but may do so with low standards.