Choosing an entrée isn’t always easy, especially at a restaurant with an extensive menu. Many diners find it helpful to ask their server, ‘What’s your favorite?’ or simply, ‘What should I order?’ However, restaurant professionals say those questions may not always lead to the best recommendation.
Asking the Right Questions
Instead, they recommend asking questions that help reveal what a restaurant does best and allow servers to tailor recommendations to your preferences. Two hospitality experts spoke with Fox News Digital about the best questions to ask before ordering.
Diners can get more useful recommendations by asking questions that go beyond a server’s personal preferences, said Stephanie Mell, owner of Alabama-based ChurchStreet Family Restaurant & Hospitality Group. ‘I always find it interesting when someone asks, ‘What’s your favorite thing on the menu?’ Because what I like isn’t necessarily what you’re going to like,’ Mell told Fox News Digital.
Mell recommends one of two simple questions to get a better recommendation: ‘What are you known for?’ or ‘What’s your specialty?’ ‘Those kinds of questions are great because they start a conversation,’ she noted. ‘Then we can learn more about what you’re in the mood for and help guide you from there.’
Robert Mahon, owner of Mahon Hospitality in New York and Dublin, told Fox News Digital that servers ‘know which dishes guests consistently love, what’s being executed particularly well that day and what fits different tastes.’ ‘Their goal is usually to help guests have a great experience, not just sell the most expensive item,’ he said.
Mell said that her servers don’t necessarily steer people toward their own personal favorites; rather, the focus is ‘the guest and the experience they’re looking for.’ ‘A good server is trained to understand every dish on the menu, how it’s prepared and who it’s best suited for. The recommendation should be based on what the guest wants, not what the server wants,’ she said.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
