Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to review your restaurant customer service. In these days of high stress, tough economic times, and decreased human interaction because of new technologies, paying strict attention to the “attitude and mechanics” of the restaurant dining service experience will truly set your business apart from the competitors— and keep it that way especially when there is expansion. 

 
Your restaurant has an excellent theme and location. And as you already know, the basic idea of organic and eco-friendly is something you can truly run far with. Aside from my constructive criticisms, I believe all staff were putting an honest effort into trying hard to do their jobs well and please customers. Though there was room for much improvement.
 
In my review, I always try to be as petty and picky as possible, so as to catch everything.
I have offered some solutions in certain instances, but you can always delete items that you feel may not apply. Sometimes the old adage “if it aint broke don’t fix it” really does reign true in the restaurant business.

Greeting:

We were greeted cheerfully by the Hostess and seated efficiently.
(Nice and interesting décor-great use of plants). The noise level (music as well) was rather high.

Table Approach:
We were greeted cheerfully, timely by the Waitress and she asked us if it was our  first visit.
She did mention the menu items that were 86′d.
 
Drink order:
I asked the Waitress to describe a $14 glass of Cabernet, but was not given an enticing wine description to make a sale. The response was: “It is a new wine and the description on the wine list is very good.”  The chance to upsell was somewhat lost at this moment.
 
My assistant asked about the ingredients in the Organic Vanilla Milkshake and the
response was: ” Vanilla Ice Cream and Milk”

 **The word “Organic” ice cream and milk could have been emphasized since organic menu items are a major highlight and selling point of your restaurant. This happened again when we asked about a salad dressing.
 
Dinner Order:
The waitress took our order, but did not mention specials.
 We asked for a Ceaser salad to be split. The food runner brought out the salad,
and asked us if we were splitting the appetizer. He subsequently brought out 2 small plates, but the plates were piping hot.

 **The split should have been entered on the order going into the kitchen to facilitate.
 
App-Caesar Salad:
 
The lettuce was cut into thin strips instead of torn into small pieces making the salad hard to pick up with a fork. The Caesar dressing was a bit watery,  heavy on the lemon with no anchovy flavor. The cheese was powdered (hard to swallow) instead of freshly grated cheese. The croutons were stale, a few croutons were actually dark green in color. In the future 1 or 2 big croutons can be placed at the side of the bowl, instead of mixed directly into the salad.
 
Entrees:
 
The entrees arrived before we finished the appetizer.
When the entrees were served, the runner placed the food items down correctly.
But, he did not announce each item that was being served such as “elk burger or buffalo burger”.

The “game” burgers are the major highlight of your restaurant and accentuating the type of meat enhances the dining experience.  Also, after serving the entrees, the food runner did not say “enjoy your dinner” —or something similar to that effect.  We had asked for bacon on the side, but did not receive it (was not entered on the ticket).
 
When we ordered the bacon again, it went to the wrong table first, and then it came to our table.
Since the bacon is a quality bacon, the word Applewood could have been emphasized.
Again, using descriptive adjectives when serving food to customers truly enhances the dining experience. We also noticed food being delivered to the wrong table a few times elsewhere in the dining room.

The Burger meat was high quality. Though, my assistants Burger (Medium) was over cooked a bit, and my Burger (Medium Rare) was Very Rare. My Burger had very little blue cheese on it where it could barely be tasted. It seemed the Burgers could be a bit flatter and wider where it is easier to get the temperature exact and easier to handle and eat. I noticed for myself and other tables, that after the Burger was cut in half the second half would always topple over to the side and fall apart.
 
The waitress came over and took my plate away without asking. Oddly, it took quite a while for my assistant’s entree to be cleared off the table as a line of new customers were waiting to be seated. We noticed this at other tables as well.
 
The waitress offered dessert, and we declined.
 
The waitress brought the check in a timely manner, and it was returned by a
runner or busser who did not say “thank you.”  
 
**********************************************************************
 
Other restaurant issues:
 
Wine price: I believe the $14 price is bit too high in relation to the rest of the menu throwing things off balance a bit. There is excellent room for Wine growth and sales (especially for the new restaurants in Manhattan), but it must be done in a most careful and subtle manner. 
 
Uniforms: We liked the waitress uniforms very much, but black pants as opposed to dungarees may be a better choice for the waiters.  Black pants look cleaner and are easier to keep clean as well.
 
Menu look: The menu background color was a dark red/purple and the print was dark and a bit hard to read.
 
Scheduling: Just to reiterate from our past conversation, on the busier shifts, you may want to place an extra waitress or runner onto the schedule for 3-4 hours during the busiest time and give half a tip cut to that employee.
 
Note: It might be better to add an extra waitress as opposed to a runner for the short shift because the counter/kitchen may be too crowded to add an extra runner. This is your call.

Steps of Restaurant Service Issues: 

It is better for the waitress to deliver the drinks as opposed to the busser, so she can subsequently take a food order after serving drinks to the table–while at the table.   
It is better for the food runner to deliver dessert as opposed to the busser. The food runners are always going back and forth from the kitchen area and obviously have a much better handle on serving the food. Therefore, the food will be served more efficiently with more balance and consistency. And, the bussers will be more efficient as they will have fewer restaurant service tasks to focus on. They will not be thrown off balance by having to get involved in the kitchen— unless the food get heavily backed up. Again, this is your callas restaurant owner. 

About the Author:

Richard Saporito is the Founder of Topserve Restaurant Consulting, author of “How To Improve Dining Room Service.” If you’d like to improve your restaurants’ reputation and increase sales, contact Richard today for a Free Initial Restaurant Consultation by calling (888) 276-4808 or visiting his Contact Page.

                                                       WAITER TRAINING DVD!!
                                Culinary Institute of America, Cornell University, NY
                       Highest Quality  Waiter Training DVD (Exceeding Expectations)
                                              $97 -  Order Now -  (888) 276-4808 

Improve Your Service Reputation and Increase Sales Immediately!
How to Improve Dining Room Service