Assumptive service is the enemy of great service. Too often, people in our industry, as well as other industries, make assumptions that get them into major trouble. Service Station: Post Holiday Blues Once again, service consultant Eric Weiss steps in to help you pep up your staff, following the holiday season's rigors. Service No-Nos Eric Weiss, president and founder of Service Arts, lists half a dozen phrases that should never pass your servers’ lips. “These inappropriate or insulting forms of address or phrases are reaching epidemic proportions in restaurants and hotels,” says Weiss, and “have no place in the practice of hospitality.” Service Station: A Waiter Is Not a Sherpa The late great humorist Nora Ephron summed up a major diner complaint when she titled an essay “No I Don’t Want Another Bottle of Pellegrino.” Aggressive refilling of water glasses and the consequent startling bottled water charges on tabs is one of half a dozen sticky situations, from escorting guests to tables to clearing the plates, service guru Eric Weiss discusses in this article. Service Station: Discretion Advised Remember the scene from Pretty Woman where Héctor Elizondo as the Beverly Hills hotel manager helps hooker Julia Roberts turn from sin to Cinderella? He epitomized a sense of discretion when he called Richard Gere telling him his "niece" had arrived. Though we may not realize it, discretion is one of the crucial elements that distinguishes excellent service. Whether it's at the front desk, in the dining room or in the guest’s room, it rules. Just because we have information about guests or fellow employees' private lives, doesn't necessarily mean we have to share it publicly. Service Station: What the Waiter Said “Guess you didn’t like that!” a server says to a guest who has cleaned his plate. Or “Boy, you really scarfed down that bread pudding, didn't you?” Inappropriate remarks and other snafus are addressed by Eric Weiss. Service Station: Holiday Hospitality Once again, service consultant Eric Weiss steps in to help you guide your team through holiday hordes, making sure each and every guest receives undiminished personal attention.

“From the moment guests enter the dining room to the time a waiter clears plates and brings the check, one inappropriate word or gesture can turn them off. Rather than find yourself trying to recover a badly handled situation, train staff in advance to tactfully anticipate customers' needs throughout the course of their meal.” Eric Weiss, Food Arts Magazine, Service Station: A Waiter Is Not a Sherpa

Service Station: Assumptive Service

Service Station: Stars of the Northern California Hospitality World Timing is key whether in life or in hospitality. Understanding that promises need to be delivered and delivered in a timely manner is certainly one of the key components of excellent service.

Service Station: To Sell or Not to Sell How can we in fact, with integrity, coach our guests to buy and reach the financial goals we have set for ourselves? For me, it’s all about establishing credibility as quickly as possible.

Service Station: Credibility in the Hospitality World, Part II It’s a question I ask myself frequently: “How do I establish credibility?” Some of the touchstones were discussed in last month’s “Service Station,” and this month, we touch on several more.

Service Station: Components of Successful Hospitality and Building Credibility They couldn’t have been more different. Four assignments, four locations, four unique challenges—a Philadelphia hotel restaurant about to open, a 4,000 acre resort in the hinterlands of New Jersey, an iconic California spa/resort, and an established dude ranch high in the mountains of Big Sky, Montana. Each property has its own service opportunities where I was brought in to help.