One diner's comment about my plating changed my whole approach

I had a woman in her 60s at the bar last Saturday night who ordered the seared scallops. After she finished she waved me over and said, "Your food tastes like you care, but that plate looks like you're in a hurry." It stung because she was right. I had been rushing through plating to get food out faster during the rush. Her observation caught me off guard because nobody had ever called me out on presentation like that before. Now I take an extra 10 seconds per plate even when tickets are stacking up. Anyone else gotten feedback from a customer that stuck with you way longer than you expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke7110d ago

Used to think plating was just for the foodie crowd or places charging $50 a plate. Figured as long as the food tasted good, the rest didn't matter much. But that story about the scallops got me. Had a server pass along a comment from a customer once who said my plating made his meal "feel like an afterthought." Hit hard because I'd been grabbing whatever plate was closest and just tossing stuff on. Extra 10 seconds a plate sounds like nothing, but it changes how the whole meal feels to someone.

ryan_clark4010d ago

Is your plating game stepping up now? I had a buddy who worked at a diner and he said the same thing, he started wiping the plate edges and putting the sauce under the meat instead of on top, and people actually started complimenting his food.