National Clothesline

About 15 years ago, Golomb Group member Arthur Weiss and his wife, Amy, were passing through New Orleans and suggested we go to dinner at Emeril’s new restaurant.

While I had eaten Emeril’s cooking on several occasions when he served as head chef of

Commander’s Palace, he had recently left there to open his first restaurant. At the time, few people had ever heard of him.

The food was excellent. The presentation was terrific. The service was superb. And, since this was his only restaurant at the time, we had the privilege of meeting Emeril himself.

Even then, he had all of the personality you see on television today. He allowed us to take dozens of photographs of him with our party.

While still a college student, my son, Daniel, worked as a waiter at Emeril’s in New Orleans. To gain some insight into how someone catapults to the top of their profession the way Emeril has, I began reading his “Service Training Manual.”

Here’s how it begins:

The restaurants of Chef Emeril Lagasse are comprised of people just like you who are dedicated to providing the best possible food service and ambiance to our guests. We believe, however, that service is the key ingredient that keeps the customers coming back.

We have tried to create a new style of service that is immediately recognizable to the guests. Service that goes beyond what a customer expects. Service that is enthusiastic yet unobtrusive, friendly yet professional, experienced but never snooty. We believe in hospitality and in making people feel special. We take care of our guests the way we would wish to be cared for if we went out for a dining experience.

The key to accomplishing our goal of providing the best possible service to the guests that dine with us is the teamwork that can be found in all our restaurants.

Everyone on the team, from the dishwasher to the cook to the server to the manager, all must be on the same page with regards to our standards. We believe in the team system of serving tables with precise duties for each of the team members. We believe in spelling out exactly how each and every aspect of service in our restaurants should be carried out. We believe in training that starts with this manual but never stops throughout your entire career with our restaurants.

One of our beliefs is that each and every day we need to try a little harder than the day before. The smallest details of service are the ones overlooked. There are no shortcuts to success.

Each meal starts with a pre-meal presentation, which is our chance to not only pass on specific information regarding our food, our wine and our guests, but it also gives us the opportunity to share with you, the knowledge and the beliefs of the company. We never rest on our laurels, but must each and every day work to improve our understanding, experience and knowledge in this vast, but wonderful world we have chosen to make our careers.

Many of the things that you will learn from us may be different from what you have learned in the past. Our procedures and techniques we use are proven to work and are what we consider to be the basis of Emeril’s style of service.

True hospitality is never forced or contrived: it’s from the heart. Treat every customer as you would want to be treated yourself. Treat the customers as if they are guests in your own home. Anticipate guests’ needs — go above and beyond, take pride in your service and smile from within. Learn to read the guest and the guest’s specific need for the specific experience.

It is important that you understand, first and foremost, you are a salesperson and that the success you enjoy is directly related to your ability to sell. (Have you ever explained this to your own counterpeople in the same way?) Use knowledge, descriptions and create excitement about the products you have to sell. You must know your product. Sell yourself. “Smile. It increases your face value.”

There is no sound sweeter to a person than his or her own name. A name recognition slip will be assigned to each table, providing you with one of many tools to help you remember your guest’s name. In the hospitality industry we don’t just feed stomachs, we feed egos. (Drycleaners feed egos, too!) Asking for a business card; sending a postcard not only helps you remember their name, but also helps you cultivate call parties. Never address your guests as “guys” or “you guys.”

Professional service found at the level at which we operate requires precise and constant communication. Never assume anything.

By communicating we mean with your team members, managers, the Chef, fellow employees and ultimately the guest. Communication, at a professional level, between staff members should never be heard by the guest and ultimately never disturb the guest dinning experience.

NEVER leave your station unattended. (Ditto for your counter.) Guests should be able to get attention at any given moment of their meal. (I made it a cardinal rule that the counterperson could not turn and walk away from the counter until the customer completely left the store. How many times have you had a customer find a discrepancy with their order or remember specific instructions just before they stepped out of the door?)

It is the responsibility of the entire team to keep the front-server in their station.

Napkin service enables us to provide personal attention to each guest even in the guest’s absence. Always open the napkin for a guest when they are seated at the table for the first time and upon subsequent returns to the table. When the guest leaves the table during the course of a meal, always refold the napkin and place it on the table. If a napkin is too soiled, always offer a fresh one. Note: Handle the napkin only by the corners. Provide black napkin service to our guests wearing dark clothing.

We always set our tables with the salt and pepper shakers separated. By placing salt and pepper shakers together after the initial drink order has been taken, the guest will not have their order taken more than once. Always remove the salt and pepper shakers after the dessert order has been taken.

These signals allow everyone working in the dining room to know the status of each table. (And all this time I thought the waiter was just being tidy.)

(I love the way he keeps calling them “guests” instead of, customers, clients or patrons. “Everyone is a guest in your house.”)

Continuing education for you and your guest is what will keep Emeril’s Restaurant in the forefront of the culinary world. We learn from our Chef, Sous Chefs, managers, wine representatives and industry media, and share the information with our guests and each other in order to help everyone better appreciate the efforts that go into each dish and wine selection.

We need to pass information on to our guests to inform them, always taking care not to belittle or patronize guests. Knowledge is power!

By eye contact, we mean not only eye contact with your guests, but all guests, team members, other teams, managers and the Chef. Guests have the right of way; runners have the right of way over staff. Keep traffic flow to the right. Eye contact as a way of communication helps consolidate your moves.

Always remember the 5 – 10 rule: When a guest is within five feet of you, verbally greet the guest, welcoming the guest to our restaurant or thanking the guest if he/she is on their way out. When a guest is within ten feet of you, make eye contact and a smile, showing that you acknowledge the guest.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER serve alone. By gang service we mean serving all the guests at the same time. The more that serve, the merrier. This is a memorable service point that earns a lot of attention and contributes to the dining experience. (Even as more and more restaurants use this technique, it still impresses me to see that kind of attention and teamwork.)

Always carry pens, lighter, wine opener, cigar cutter and waiter pad. These tools allow you to perform the necessary duties. (I find it incredulous when I call a business and the person answering the phone says “Wait a minute, while I find a pen.” Was it a surprise that someone called and asked them to take a message?)

However, the tools with which you will earn top-dollar are having a great work ethic and charming personality. Your knowledge of the menu, company history and particulars of the restaurant will also work as great tools to assist in a memorable dining experience.

We always strive to attain consistency in the style of service and a high level of attention to details. Always serve plates from the left and pick-up from the right. Cocktails/ beverages are served and picked up from the right. (If you don’t already, instruct counter personnel to hang orders being picked up with the open side of the hanger facing the counterperson. This makes it easier for customers to grab their clothes and go.) These details, among countless others, are what separate the professional from the amateur. Full hands in — full hands out. Take care of your house and it will take care of you. A clean house is a happy house.

Providing service after the sale demonstrates an authentic passion for service. You should continue to refill coffee and water, fold napkins, and pull chairs, etc., even after the bill is paid. Do not forget your postcards. Your postcards are your business cards. (How would you feel if you received a postcard from the waiter after a fine dining experience? How do you think your “guests” would feel if they received a postcard from you after visiting your “house?”)

The guest NEVER leaves the restaurant with an unanswered complaint.

A professional response to a complaint may be more memorable than if there had been no problem to begin with. A good start is an apology. (Suppose a customer NEVER left your store with an unresolved complaint. Would you have more customers?)

The message of leadership is important. It is the aspect of our company that will ensure the growth and success of our restaurants. The knowledge you bring with you, the knowledge you obtain from in-house training and hands on experience should be shared within so that we may promote from within. This is our desire and belief. (In other words, if you want to be promoted, if you want to be a manager, demonstrate that you have leadership capabilities first.)

Are you getting the idea that nothing should be left to chance? As you can see from the above “service manual,” even Emeril realizes that his food is only a small portion of what he sells. His main product, and yours, is service.