Romancing Your Menu: The Guided Tour Words to Use and Lose, Part 3. By Bob Brown
You’ve mastered the greeting and beverage
sequence, and now you’re ready to inspire
guests with a guided tour of the menu. I’ve
developed a successful technique I call OPEN for
that purpose, and here’s how it goes:
O: Open with a benefit statement.
Guests often retreat to their BlackBerrys and
iPhones—and for good reason. Too many servers
drone on and on with robotic dissertations.
Open instead with, “Please allow me a few moments
to tell you about four great things.” This
reassures the audience that you will be brief and
offer helpful advice. Subliminally, you’re saying,
“Relax. Listen up, and I’ll provide interesting
information that’s not on the menu. My expert
advice will ensure a great experience.”
And don’t forget to stand across from the
leader/buyer. Fellow diners will follow with rapt
attention. Most importantly, the head honcho
will influence the buying decisions of the table.
P: Point guests to an exact location.
Direct guests to a specific part of the menu, and
they’ll follow and listen as a group. “Please look on
the upper right-hand side of the menu, first item
down under appetizers, the calamari.” Pause to ensure
everyone’s with you. Distractions of trying to
keep up can break the spell. When a guest is lost,
simply stop and use your open palm or pen to help
him get back on track.
E: Entice guests with a few well-chosen
words, then look for cues.
Captivate guests with short, appealing descriptions:
“A great appetizer to share is our calamari, lightly
dusted with seasoned flour and flash-fried, served
with our signature house marinara. It’s fabulous!”
This approach flushes out positive and negative cues.
And, if a guest likes your suggestion but fails to order,
backtrack and say, “By the way, I noticed you liked
the calamari—would you like to share an order?”
On the flip side, when a guest rejects a
recommendation, offer positive alternatives.
This approach provides insight into the likes and
dislikes of guests and helps you design a meal
plan for which you and your restaurant will be
handsomely rewarded.
N: Navigate through the menu until you’ve
designed a complete meal.
Guests can be confused by a menu. How’s it set
up? Where’s the Caesar salad? Any server will
tell you guests don’t read menus. When walking
guests through soups, salads, and entrées, you’re
not only pointing out the highlights but helping
them see how the menu works. Customize the
tour based on your unique menu.
For example, servers at J.Paul’s in Georgetown
in Washington, D. C., direct guests to the
raw bar selections located on the inside flap of
the menu. And, most importantly, suggesting
an item from each category subliminally suggests
a complete meal. Remember, guests order
exactly what you suggest 60 to 90 percent of the
time. Even if a guest orders just an appetizer and
entrée, you’re ahead of the game.
Tips to remember:
Avoid running off for drinks and saying,
“Look over the menu, and I’ll be right back to
take your order.” Without expert advice, guests
order out of habit and miss a menu’s hidden
treasures. Never leave a guest alone with the
menu for too long.
Offer specials after the tour. Front-loading can
tire the guest. Soften the approach: “And, by the
way, Chef José has also prepared a fresh filet of
sea bass marinated in lemon, sage, and thyme.”
Remember that the guided tour works for all
menus: cocktails, beer, wine, cordials, cognacs,
coffees, and desserts.
Bob Brown, president of Bob Brown Service Solutions,
www.bobbrownss.com, pioneered Marriott’s Service Excellence
Program and has worked with clients such as Disney,
Hilton, Morton’s of Chicago, Olive
Garden, and Red Lobster. He has appeared
on the Food Network, is author
of The Little Brown Book of Restaurant
Success and The Big Brown Book of
Managers’ Success, and has recently
released The Seven Keys of Beverage
Sales Success DVD Learning System,
www.bobbrownmedia.com. Copyright
Bob Brown 2010.>
