There's a Manpower Shortage So Cut Your Waiter Some Slack
By Tim Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Waitrr.
The next time you’re dining out, please cut your waiter some slack. There’s a good chance the restaurant is short-staffed, and they’ve already had to deal with a bunch of irrationally grumpy people today.
In many markets around the world, it has always been difficult to recruit and retain good waiters, and the situation has gotten worse over the last two years.
Being a waiter is a tough job, made tougher by COVID-19
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a waiter, then I’m sure you would have realised that the pay isn’t great, the hours are poor, and you’d be dealing with members of the public (i.e. drunk idiots). Well, now you can add to the list: risking exposing yourself to COVID-19, while dealing with people who don’t agree with, or don’t understand, any COVID-19 restrictions in place.
By automating the ordering taking and payment processes, Waitrr reduces some of the burdens placed on staff. It also reduces the time that customers spend waiting to order and pay, so they can have a more pleasant experience dining out with their friends. Even so, we sometimes witness customers being rude to waiters when their unrealistically high expectations aren’t being met.
The next time you’re feeling frustrated about the service you’re receiving in a particular restaurant, pause and take a breath. If you can spot an easy way to give feedback to the managers then do so – otherwise, let it go and move on.
"Our front-of-house team members are crying with joy."
This is a quote from one of our recent restaurant partners when she answered my question about how staff members have responded to the introduction of Waitrr
As I mentioned above, restaurants around the world are experiencing manpower shortages. For this particular restaurant, the outlet was suffering as they simply couldn’t recruit enough floor staff to provide the level of service expected of their restaurant.
Before adopting Waitrr, they had inexperienced staff members dealing with irate customers, who were disappointed with the service at the outlet. The situation was so bad that they chose to close sections of the restaurant instead of disappointing guests.
Restaurant guests enjoying dining out again.
Now with Waitrr, guests can order and pay on their mobile phones (without downloading an app). This has freed up staff capacity to care for the needs of the guests. The restaurant is now serving food and drinks to all of their tables, and the restaurant can once again delight in operating a full establishment.
Want to use Waitrr at your restaurant cafe or bar? Please feel free to contact us.
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