Column: Missoula's Dish

Check This Out

By Danielle Lattuga, 8-21-08

What I prefer to remember are the perfect details that linger in my senses: How the scallops were deliberately placed on the plate, off-center and angled away from each other.  How the Pinot Blanc played on my palate—balancing the rich buttery flavor of the scallop and curried mousse.  How our server took the time to arrange items on our table, so that we could share without clumsy reaches and glass tipping maneuvers.  Or even simply, how my sandwich was cut in perfect triangles and just plain flavorful. 

These elements of the dining experience, regardless of whether it’s a fancy dinner or a quick lunch should be the essence of a meal out, such that when the check (shouldn’t it be “bill”?) is delivered it is merely perceived as the final piece of tape that seals the package- a natural crescendo, not an awkward kiss. The ribbon on the package comes later.

Recently, I’ve begun to haunt an old favorite lunch place again.  And I am repeatedly struck with this notion of the check—mostly because the delivery often feels like a slap in the face, even though the creased piece of paper is casually slid onto the table, sometimes with an accompanying sentence, sometimes merely with a look.

At this particular joint, it is clear that the philosophy of service is more closely tied to “turn-em and burn-em” than “a deep dining experience,” which is acceptable, but shouldn’t displace the basic points of good service like:

“How does your food taste?”

“Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“We are appreciative of your business.”

The check often arrives shortly after your food is delivered, before you’ve even made progress on your meal, decided that it is satisfactory, or if you want that latte you’ve been pondering.  And while most people there for lunch need to leave as soon as they are done eating, there is a fine line between saying,

“We’ve delivered your food, we’re sure it’s fine, now pay-up and get out.” and

“We know you have a short lunch break, so we’ll get you out of here in a timely fashion.”

Every time they drop the check next to my nearly full plate, I marvel at how much less I am enjoying my meal because no one seems to care whether I do or not.

People take their money seriously and it is a lot easier to present them with a check when they feel that they’ve gotten what they’ve paid for. When the check is delivered without gathering any information about whether the customer is satisfied, opportunities fall from the table, like crumbs scattered by a busy busser with a bar rag: The customer doesn’t have the chance to provide feedback, feel valued or order something else.  The restaurant loses the chance to sell more product, learn from its mistakes or seduce the customer into a dozen more visits to that establishment.

I’m a big fan of “backwards planning.” This applies to all aspects of my life, whether I am writing a strategic plan or just making sure I get to work on time.  And in regard to service, it makes sense to apply this rule.  You always begin with your end point.  Then you work back through all the steps that get you there efficiently, gracefully and successfully. In the case of restaurant service, you work with a series of endpoints to achieve your ultimate goal: bringing people back, who will bring more people with them, who will bring all their friends, who will spread the word of your amazing food and service to all corners of the globe (that always gets me, shouldn’t it be all edges or curves or something?  Globes don’t have corners, duh). 

A chronic mistake that I see establishments make is assuming that the check is the end point, when in fact, the end point occurs when the customer walks out the door.  Often times, how the check is perceived can make the difference in whether that customer leaves the door open or closes it on your establishment once and for all. Therefore all elements leading up to that particular moment are critical in determining how it is received.  And all elements after it embody the polished sheen of silk ribbon tied neatly around a pretty little package.

Simply stated: Delivering good service trumps delivering the check, delivering the check should not sever further contact with the customer during their visit, and for Pete’s (Or Susie’s) sake, ask them if they want more water if their glass is empty and wave goodbye and thanks as they walk out the door. 

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.