“My Guests Never Complain”: The Secret Language of Plates
A few months ago, I was eating at a restaurant that seemed to have everything going for it. It was nestled at the very walkable corner of a lively town square (something that’s thankfully more common here in Atlanta than in many places). The parking was easy, the lot was gorgeous - full of southern greenery and charm. The crown jewel was a beautiful, enormous patio that surrounded the building and was just slightly elevated - providing a great view overlooking the town square. It is still maybe the most inviting restaurant I’ve ever seen, and I was drawn in.
Getting seated wasn’t the most straightforward experience, and oof, the menu was… it was a little all over the place. But I was still captivated by the location and ignoring every red flag flying my way. Drawing my attention even more was the inclusion of one of my favorite dishes: pork belly. I ignored the rest of the confused menu, my decision made.
The dish came and it looked different than I’m used to or was expecting. But I welcome new food experiences, especially when headlined by one of my favorites. I took one bite and recoiled. The sauce was sour and pungent, fighting hard against the herbed crust of the meat. The fat on the pork was white and floppy, bringing none of its signature crunch. I set my fork aside in disappointment and waited for my family to finish their meals, looking longingly at an ice cream shop across the square.
The server finally reappeared towards the end of the meal to collect our plates. He gave a customary “how was everything” and I nodded at him as I handed him my almost-full plate.
I run a restaurant consulting company. I know better than most how crucial feedback is for restaurant success. And in that moment, I just didn’t. I didn’t want to prolong my negative experience. I didn’t want to speak to a manager who I was pretty sure would argue with me given the overall state of service. I didn’t want to talk about whether I wanted something else or to have the item removed from my bill. I just wanted to go. So I paid for my $30 bite, and I left. And I’ll never be back.
If you were to ask the manager how my experience was, there’s a decent chance they’d repeat the refrain I’ve heard from dozens of managers of empty restaurants: “he didn’t complain”. The truth is, most people don’t want to complain. They don’t want to be seen as difficult, they don’t want to have to carry the extra load of being the center of attention as a resolution is begrudgingly found, they’re happy to have paid not for a quality meal, but for the knowledge that they can ignore your restaurant going forward. You cannot rely on your guests to speak to you. But you can rely on your plates.
The Secret Language of Plates
Are you watching? Really watching, when plates come back from tables? If you are, you know they have so much to tell. For each scenario below, I want you to take 5 seconds and think about what that plate is telling you as it comes back to the kitchen. Then scroll down for my thoughts.
A cheeseburger on an otherwise empty plate with a single bite taken out of it. The patty appears cooked medium rare.
Spaghetti and meatballs with about 1/4 of the pasta and half of a meatball remaining.
Chicken Caesar entree salad with all of the chicken eaten, and a small pile of lettuce leaves intentionally stacked to the side.
Steak with mushroom sauce plate comes back empty, save for almost artful streaks in what little remains of the sauce.
Appetizer vegetarian nachos, almost exactly half-eaten.
What are these plates trying to tell us? First, don’t get ahead of yourself. Each plate is a data point, not a conclusion in and of itself. See what I mean below:
This is a telltale sign of unhappiness with the cook. It’s likely the customer even ordered the burger medium rare, but were still a little grossed out when it came time to actually eat it. People generally like their burgers more well done than their steaks (and food safety rules agree with them), so this is a common one.
No one part of the dish is isolated and even some meat remains - this tells me the portion is too large for the person who ordered it. This is where the data collection comes in. It’s always possible the guest just wasn’t particularly hungry. But if all night, every night, that dish is coming back to be boxed or thrown out with a significant portion remaining, it’s probably time to rethink it.
This one is great because the guest left the evidence tagged and bagged for you. Take a look at those leaves they set aside. I’d be willing to bet they’re starting to wilt. My wife can pick out a wilted leaf edge at 40 meters, and I know she’s not the only one. This message from the plate is a gift for you. Check the salad station, check the lettuce in storage, it might be time to update your rotation procedures.
Streaks left in the sauce tell me only one thing: “I’m too polite to lick this plate, but barely.” This guest loved their dish. They wanted more of it, so they soaked up every morsel they could. This is a guest to be coddled. You’ve already got them on the line, reel them in. Make sure they know their enthusiasm is enjoyed and incentivize them to come back.
This one is the most ambiguous and it’s best combined with other data points. When were these appetizers ordered? When did they go out? When did the entrees go out? How many were at the table? How often is this dish coming back like this? My top suspects would be that either this dish is too big for an appetizer portion (a very common problem with nachos) or that the entrees came out much too quickly and didn’t give the guests time to enjoy the appetizer. Watch out for additional data points before you decide and make adjustments.
Now you can see that plates are trying to tell us a lot. But they’re plates. There’s a lot of ambiguity in their communication. Much better to get it from the source: the guest themselves. But as I said, most people don’t like to complain, so here’s how you can solicit that feedback directly.
Check in often: if there’s something wrong with my dish, my desire to inform someone goes down by the second. The last thing I want is to be the only one at the table with no food, and holding up the whole group when everyone is finished. Check in early, check in often, but be sure not to smother.
Ask specific questions: go ask a table “how is everything?”. What’d they say? “Good”, right? Trash question, trash answer. “Is your steak cooked how you like ma’am?”, “Is the tofu spicy enough for you sir?”, “Got all the ketchup you need, little one?” these are the questions that get actionable answers. But even with this solicitation, you have to be vigilant for non-committal answers. When we ask these questions we’re looking for enthusiasm. A “good” should prompt just as much as a response out of you as a complaint. People don’t tell their friends about restaurants where the food is “good”.
Thank people for negative feedback: a lot of people feel bad about complaining. They don’t like expressing negativity, they don’t like inconveniencing people who have hard jobs, and they don’t want to make a scene. If someone musters up the gumption to give you negative feedback, that’s a gift, and you should accept it as such: with gratitude. They’ve given you the gift of opportunity. Without the feedback that person would likely have never come back and you’d have never known why. With the feedback, you have the opportunity to set things right, and to turn a ghost into a regular. A gift if I’ve ever heard one. “Thank you so much for telling me!”
Involve them in the resolution: people love free stuff, it’s true. But people like being right more. Guests can tell when you’re comping them to get them to shut up and when you’re comping them because you believe it’s warranted by the situation. Rather than jumping straight for that easy resolution, involve the guest. We ask throughout the whole experience how we can serve them best, why stop here? “Thank you for telling me your steak was undercooked! I wouldn’t want you eating that. If you’d like, I can have the kitchen quickly get a new one a little more well done for you, or I can make some suggestions about other dishes if you’d prefer. And let me bring you another drink on the house while you’re waiting.” From there if you want to comp them, bring some coupons, deliver a free dessert, that’s great, but guests will always feel happier that you think they’re right in their complaint than they will about saving a couple bucks.
What plates have you seen that speak clearly to you? What did these plates say to you? I’m curious what you’re seeing and how you’re thinking about it. Email me and let me know, I read every one.