Guest Experience Standards
When guests enter our Café’s, we immediately want to make them feel welcome and glad that they came in. After all, “The Café is the People’s Parliament”. We need to continuously show them we are happy to have them come to our cafés. These are our service priorities:
The “Hello”
All customers should be greeted upon entering our cafés: eye contact, smile and a simple “Hi! Welcome to Balzac’s.” If a barista is busy (preparing another order, helping another customer, or handling a task), customers waiting in line or entering the café should always be acknowledged, “Hi there, I’ll be with you in just a moment.”
Recommended Selling
What else pairs better with a coffee than a fresh pastry or dessert? A great way to enhance the experience (while also increasing revenue and tips!) is to suggest an additional item or upgrade to their order. Always be specific with your suggestions, if asked if “they would like anything else”, they will likely say no. Here’s a few easy ways to include recommended selling during the ordering process:
Inform them of new or promotional menu items.
Recommend one of your favourite items to pair with a drink.
Suggest an add-on to their drink
(e.g. syrup or alt milk)
Pick an item of the week at your café to suggest to customers.
Stay informed on all Balzac’s products to answer any customer questions.
Making the Connection
Get to know your regulars! Making a connection with customers is crucial in building a positive relationship that can lead to repeat business. Here’s a few easy ways to make the connection:
- Remember regular customers’ names and their orders.
- Make conversation while they’re ordering or waiting for a drink; ask them if they have any plans for the day, share interesting facts about our coffee beans, and show a genuine interest in the conversation.
Put Yourself in the Customer’s Shoes
Envision yourself walking into the café for the first time as a customer – what would you want to see or experience?
Acknowledged and greeted warmly upon entering the café.
Café is clean with all tables bussed and surfaces wiped down.
Bathrooms are cleaned regularly and fully stocked.
Condiment stations are clean, fully stocked and not over crowded.
Pastries and grab and go are fully stocked, FIFO rotated and never left empty.
Just Say Yes
If a customer approaches you about an issue with an item that they ordered or an experience that they had, take their concern seriously and offer to remake or replace the item if needed. We should always aim to make their experience a good one and set the situation right; it’s much easier to replace a drink than to argue with a customer. As always, seek guidance from a manager or supervisor as situations arise.
The Hand-Off
Making the hand-off memorable at our cafés is a great opportunity to make a positive final impression and leave a lasting impact. Here’s a few tips on how you can do this in your café:
To personalize the experience, ask for names when taking orders, and use the customer’s name when calling out a drink.
Package all orders with care, including napkins and utensils if needed.
To avoid spills and burns, never hand a drink directly to a customer. Put it down on the counter.
If the customer ordered their items to stay, ask them how their drink was before they leave.
As they’re leaving, offer a warm goodbye and thank them again for coming into our cafe.
By following these examples, the experience becomes more than just a transaction – it’s another opportunity to make a connection and create a memorable experience that the customer is likely to remember and share with others
Test Your Knowledge
Complete the quiz below to record your completion of this module.