It's mindboggling that the below average level of service that is offered for Thailand's tourist gastronomic visitors in the F&B (Food and Beverage) industry is being generally accepted. Customers are getting tired from the very beginning of their experience when they are trying to make a reservation and the restaurant staff can't even communicate with them properly. This is the predominant reason behind why your reservation is often nowhere to be found when you arrive at your chosen dining establishment.
How can it happen that gourmet-level restaurants have staff that welcome guests with unclean uniforms looking totally unhygienic? In many hotels, restaurants and bars the poor first impression the staff provides continues as you walk through the door and approach your table to be seated.
A poorly groomed waiter who approaches your table with extremely weak language skills, is not well informed about the menu, cannot even explain why you might want the more highly priced entrée and generally behaves in an extremely unprofessional manner. The expected professionalism of this establishment is well below where it should be for anyone who chooses to dine there. This simply has to stop now!
There is only one way forward for any establishment to benefit financially from the gastronomic wave that is occurring right now in Thailand. It is extremely important that staff members are properly trained. Restaurateurs cannot allow themselves to have a "laissez-faire" management style. They must take charge. There needs to be a hands-on approach to be able to create and maintain the expected level of professionalism and service in hotels, restaurants and bars. They will need to ensure that staff members are trained properly. But, it doesn't stop there! They must provide a maintenance program to retain and continually improve within all staff the knowledge and competences required to perform at the high levels of service that visitors require and expect.
Patrons are sick and tired of paying good money for their so called "experience" when they always feel like they have been let down. Yet, there are some establishments that are successful, where service and food complement each other well. So, just what makes these places different and better? What these places have in common is that they provide training for their staff members on a continuous basis. These are the establishments that will survive and flourish with repeat clientele, as many other establishments, even those with good food and nice décor, will wither and die.
HoReCa proprietors and managers must understand: this is not rocket science! They have already invested money and time realising a dream, yet this dream will likely falter due to a lack of quality service. Several hospitality consulting and training specialist companies, such as Kingsmen Hospitality, are options to consider to help solve this quality service problem. They have been transforming establishments here in Thailand into award-winning venues through tailor-made staff-training and maintenance programs.
Every single front-of- house employee needs to go through training that includes: grooming, behavioural standards, service techniques, guest interactions, product knowledge, cultural understanding and basic hospitality-related language skills. By understanding and being able to implement training programs in these areas, hotel, restaurant and bar establishments will be more likely to achieve higher success rates. Higher success tends to instil a sense of dignity and pride among the staff, which, over time, will decrease staff turnover rates and improve efficiency, resulting in a more professional and motivated staff, as well as a positive knock-on effect in customer bookings and ratings.
By providing training to staff, operators are teaching them a trade about which they can be proud and improving the chances that they will succeed in having a rewarding hospitality career. Once the staff reaches a level of proficiency in the services that they perform, such that they meet or exceed visitors expectations in terms of skills and professionalism, the staff will develop a new type of synergy creating levels of service performance that HoReCa establishments can be proud of having achieved.
So why isn't training one of the highest priorities?
Excellent service (achieved only through exceptional training) should be the alpha and omega for front-of-house staff. Many hospitality proprietors and owners say that they wish to avoid incurring the extra expense of developing their front-of-house staff. This attitude is exceptionally short-sighted. The people hired are hotel, restaurant and bar ambassadors and represent the establishment at all times. Never forget that! Hospitality training is an investment for any business, not an extra expense.
The amount of time and money that is spent on staff will be returned many times over. Isn't it any establishment's mission to keep business alive and prosperous? Think about all of the daily headaches and reoccurring issues that come as a result of untrained staff. Now just imagine if these problems suddenly stopped happening. This can only be achieved through thorough, planned training.
As service professionals, we are in love with hospitality and service, and have spent over 40 years in the industry. Our mission is to train staff – to make service great again!
It is the highest honour in the hospitality profession, when staff can greet a guest and provide for them an experience that they will never forget – now that is a true art form. Starting now, today, hospitability professionals can turn all service staff into the service professionals and artists that they can be. And reap the rewards in profits and benefits for Thailand.
Author: Claus Enghave, COO & Co-Founder, Kingsmen Hospitality Services, a leading advisory and training organisation for the hospitality industry can be reached at cenghave@kingsmenhospitality.com
Series Editor: Christopher F. Bruton, Executive Director, Dataconsult Ltd, chris@dataconsult.co.th. Dataconsult's Thailand Regional Forum provides seminars and extensive documentation to update business on future trends in Thailand and in the Mekong Region.