Restaurant Basics is the only book on customer service written entirely from the guest's point of view (the only perspective that really counts!) It is a summary of about 1000 pet peeves -- little lapses in service that, while minor in themselves, add up to cause your guests to become disenchanted and take their business elsewhere. In today's competitive marketplace, unless you consistently have more business than you can handle, you can't afford to let anyone get away!

DUST JACKET COPY:
Details, details, details ... "monumentally magnificent trivialities" as famed hotelier James Nassikas calls them, on which the success of your business hinges. Is there a spot on the table cloth? Is it to dark to read the menu? Is there confusion over which guest ordered which dish?

Is the butter so hard it tears the bread? Are hot dishes lukewarm by the time they reach the table? Minor inconveniences such as these can ruin a guest's evening -- and your business.

Restaurant Basics is the ultimate handbook for the restaurateur who believes in attending to the seemingly trivial details that can loom large in the minds of dissatisfied diners. It asks you to take a look at your restaurant from your guest's point of view, from the most obvious outward appearances through every step of the dining experience. And while Bill Marvin writes with a very light and witty touch, he can be at least as picky as your most demanding patron.

Unlike picky guests, though, Restaurant Basics offers common sense solutions that will help you avoid disaster and keep your customers coming back again and again. As the author reminds us, satisfied customers tip better and are friendlier and the word-of-mouth advertising they provide, free of charge, can guarantee the success of your business.

Restaurant Basics is important reading for owners, managers, trainers and staff members. The material is sensibly organized so that every member of your team can easily identify which are the items most relevant to what they do.

COMMENTS FROM THE PROS:
Here is what some industry professionals are saying about Restaurant Basics:

"I LOVE IT!! Restaurant Basics is crammed full of the detail that is part of the everyday responsibility of every restaurateur. It's must reading for seasoned operators as well as beginners in this era of customer focus/service excellence. It's real food for thought."
-- Michael E. Hurst, Owner 15th Street Fisheries, Fort Lauderdale, FL

"It covers the world of restaurateuring from the customer's point of view. I liked that."
-- Don Smith ("The Coach"), Professor Hilton School of Hospitality Management, Houston, Texas

"Marvin's book is fun, easy to read and extremely well-focused. I have used his list to establish definitive front-of-the-house operating guidelines for clients. It has significantly improved awareness of guest needs by managers and table servers alike."
-- Bill Main, Co-Owner The Shore Bird, Princeton-by-the-Sea, CA

"How customers interact with the restaurant is absolutely vital ... TO THE CUSTOMER. We can have the greatest systems in the world and fail if we forget the key points in this book."
-- Stephen G. Miller, President Miller Resource Group, Grafton, MA

"In our times of increased mechanization of the service industry, Bill Marvin's book comes as a breath of fresh air. To him service still means human attention. And guest gratification translates not only into gaining prestige but increasing bottom-line profits as well."
-- Kenneth R. Burley, Foodservice Consultant Maryville, TN