How you keep customers coming back is by giving them the type of service they want. If they like you, they are more likely to get that dessert or come back and get the expensive steak and ask for you. I will say that guests do appreciate when you go the extra mile and make that perfect pairing or suggestion. They DO tip more.
My choice as to whther to get a more expensive entree or add a dessert or any of those things has never been influenced by how I feel about the server. I might gain a better feeling about the restaurant with attentive waitstaff, or give up on one after horrid service*. If I'm debating between a couple things and the server talks up the more expensive, maybe. I'll certainly tip a higher percentage when someone's been helpufl/attentive/fun, but it doesn't usually influence my order. Sie's better off upselling to the people who'll let her.
*e.g. Dave and Buster's one evening when the only service our table got was from folk we managed to flag down who weren't our MIA waiter; we made a point to separately tip the bar and ask the manager whether tips were pooled as we wanted it to go to the people who actually helped us. It was particularly impressive as he was so MIA as to not ask us about dessert (several of us probably would have ordered one) nor enquire as to whether folk would like more [Alcoholic!] drinks (and the answer would have been yes.)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-08-16 05:51 pm (UTC)My choice as to whther to get a more expensive entree or add a dessert or any of those things has never been influenced by how I feel about the server. I might gain a better feeling about the restaurant with attentive waitstaff, or give up on one after horrid service*. If I'm debating between a couple things and the server talks up the more expensive, maybe. I'll certainly tip a higher percentage when someone's been helpufl/attentive/fun, but it doesn't usually influence my order. Sie's better off upselling to the people who'll let her.
*e.g. Dave and Buster's one evening when the only service our table got was from folk we managed to flag down who weren't our MIA waiter; we made a point to separately tip the bar and ask the manager whether tips were pooled as we wanted it to go to the people who actually helped us. It was particularly impressive as he was so MIA as to not ask us about dessert (several of us probably would have ordered one) nor enquire as to whether folk would like more [Alcoholic!] drinks (and the answer would have been yes.)