Exceptional customer service even more important with today's economy

As the 2009 Southwest Foodservice Expo kicks off, I have to admire the comment from Mark Brezinski, the owner of Bengal Coast Restaurant concerning the restaurant industry.

"We're in a business where you have to create reasons for people to come in," Brezinski said in the Monday edition of the Dallas Morning News.Even when the economy is rolling along, restaurant owners have to constantly stress the importance of customer service.

As a longtime restaurant manager, I believe training on customer service starts on the first day and continues every time there's a chance to coach someone. Shift managers can encourage exceptional performance and customer care with their own performance.

By welcoming guests and helping their staff when there's a rush, a restaurant manager can demostrate to his staff the importance of exceptional customer service. When it comes to monitoring the performance of shift leaders and managers, it's important for general managers and restaurant owners to manage high expectations for their leaders on this area.

Restaurant patrons are questioning the need to eat as much as they did two years ago, so a focus on providing customer service is even more important.