Having worked in two cities (Washington DC and Las Vegas) where the service industry is regarded as a life calling, I was surprised to encounter the lack of talent in NYC. I remember during one my interviews when I first arrived, the General Manager looked at my resume, seemed impressed by it (I had about ten years of managerial experience at the time) and then told me that I lacked New York experience. Startled at first, I replied that having served various Kings and Presidents I was confident that I could handle anything New York had to throw at me. Soon, however I discovered that "having New York experience," really had nothing to do with the quality of service.
The above mentioned GM did eventually offer me the job. Since the restaurant is a famous and trendy spot, I came prepared to work with sharks and just keep my head above water. After my first training shift I realized that I was one of only two sharks in the water. 90% of New York servers are not that by profession. They are actors, musicians, painters, sculptors, writers, basically artists of all sorts. Although, there are exceptions, many of these servers hate the job that feeds them. They don't know much about food, they have no clue about wine and often they are rude or completely disinterested in their customer's experience. All they care about is the 20% tip.
Before I get into solutions for building a successful New York team, there is an important distinction I have to make. Among these artists-servers there are two kinds: the young aspiring ones; and the bitter older ones. As an experienced manager, you can actually work with young artists-servers. They tend to have a lot of enthusiasm, are new to the city and are willing to learn and be shaped the way you think is right. They can actually prove to be really good. The more experienced, bitter kind, stay away from. Be careful though they can easily fool you. They know a lot about food and wine, they interview great, they can be very charming, but if you asked how do they see themselves, to one they'll all tell you that they are artists, although they've been waiting tables for 20-30 years.
The key is to have 2-3 real professionals because here in New York you can't escape the artist-server type. When it comes to hiring try to hire the young, enthusiatic artist if you are getting a good vibe and you think they are coachable. You have to know how to manage, motivate and stay on their backs, so that they can perform, have the customers leaving happy and the owners pockets filled. The more expererienced server-artists can be tricky. You have to be able to use their immense knowledge and experience for the benefit of the restaurant. The important thing is to keep them happy, usually that means they have to make money. If, on the other hand, you inherited a staff, the best initial approach is a new beginning. By that I mean everyone is starting fresh and you give everyone a chance to prove themselves. In some instances, firing someone (deserving) can be a great motivator.
Eventually, I was promoted to a manager at this trendy spot and on my staff I have both of the above mentioned artist-server type. I was also lucky in that I inherited several true pros. After about 6 months of managing, coaching and occasionally baby-sitting I am proud to say that we have a good, cohesive and happy staff. The result is obvious, our sales increased by $800 K in the last year. So, the true answer is good management, because they are your professionals, but about that next time.
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