Espresso - Michel Roux Jr. - How To Create 10/10 Service in Your Restaurant?

0:04One thing I want to talk about is is Silvano. he was the sort of he was the head of front of house he was the guy and a company director what was his genius like because I think it is a real like with cookery or cooking a dish like you taste it and it's kind of it's not okay everything is subjective but it's more objective than service because service is you know you've got a dish that's in your head that you want to create you know you can see Gordon and cooking it on boiling point it's kind of like i know that's going to taste pretty good service is kind of completely different i almost think i don't know this is what i'm i personally think and i could be wrong but it's like each back back to each person back back to each table but each table is almost their own little sort of theater and you don't know someone could be in a good mood they could be oh god yeah husband and wife could be having a massive barney you know the couple could be on a first date like the mood even though it's one dining room each table the the temperature of each table is very, very different.

1:05And like, I think there is a real supple art to understanding that. And I'd love to know how sort of Silvana, like what was his genius in terms of kind of getting all the beauty of the kitchen and making it effortless and smooth. Yeah. You know, front of house and service is key, isn't it? And a lot of chefs don't understand that and that they think it's all about the food. Yeah. It's not. It really isn't. And Silvano was a genius at that, being able to read the room. And exactly that. We had 23 tables, and there could be 23 different scenarios going on. Yes. And it could be 23 different backgrounds of each table.

1:52I mean, it could be royalty on one table sat next to the, I don't know, the taxi driver that's been saving up money for the last five years to come for dinner. So it's being able to read the room, which makes a great, great front of house. And Silvano had an absolutely incredible memory. He could remember a person's face and where they sat the last time. He could remember what they had for dinner and who they were with. And a real, real, real gift. I mean, he used to jot a few things down as well, using the old pencil and paper as well. But he was a genius at that. And even if he didn't remember exactly, he would be able to start the conversation and then it would.

2:42Wow. Yeah. So, yeah, incredible. Are there any, like, what would he sort of, how would he greet guests? Like, what would he do? Yeah. Yeah, so, I mean, always with a, and this is key, eye contact. And you greet the guests before they even, you know, have a chance to see you almost. And it's about body language, too. And, you know, how you. Yeah, how would he hold himself? Because I think, again, there's loads of lessons. People listen to this for, you know, they may be going into an investor meeting, right? There's people who have brands or businesses. And these lessons are very, like, the best three-star Michelin restaurant front of house.

3:27There's going to be loads of lessons that can be applied to sales meal things, getting investment for your bloody, getting your kid off swimming lessons. Like, these are human lessons. But I think we can take it from the restaurant and apply it. But, yeah, like, how would he sit? So it's confidence. Yes. You have to have confidence, confidence in yourself. and so the way you stand the way you dress and you know polished shoes gosh yeah the meetings before service you'd line them all up and beady eyed yeah shoes so you'd look down and go oh shit you know and very often he'd say look at your shoes now go and look at your boss's shoes Chef Michel Yeah, he might be in the kitchen, but his shoes are cleaner than yours.

4:16And I was stickler as well. I have always got pot of shoes but it's It's the it's it's the way you present yourself. You've got to be proud of what you do And you know if you're proud of what you do then you stand up straight stand up tall and and you you know you Connect and you talk with confidence And and that immediately makes your guests at ease You know that you're in a good place and you're in good hands, as it were. You're in a safe pair of hands. Yes. And, you know, that's what Silvano instilled, I think, in his team. And, you know, very much like my first boss as well. You know, I would have walked through brick wall for my first boss.

5:02Who was your first boss? Henri Elgoirche, where I did my... I wish I could say it like that.

5:12great name hailing from Brittany but because we absolutely adored him and as a team we would have done anything for him because he was such a great leader and he understood us and again you see he understood every individual of that team and he was the type of boss that you could go and knock on his office door and say right I need a chat chef What would you go and speak to him about sometimes, if you can remember? Gosh. Time off, needed time off because parents were coming over or time off because, I remember actually, because Gavroche got its third star, so I needed time off to come over and celebrate with Dad and Mum.

5:57He was very understanding. So it's important as a boss that you shouldn't be you know too detached that you have to be available yeah i mean people ask me now what do you miss of of legevroche what what because now it's shut you know i'm kind of fast forwarding now but yeah yeah there's no chronological yeah and you know do i do i miss it and etc i don't really really miss it but but there is that there are some things that i i do miss and that's that connection with the team uh and and being you know that father figure and um just that little small talk with with some of the team and you know you know how's your dad doing you know or uh how's things you know outside of work or your football team's you know shit and we have a bit a bit of a banter but it's about that connection and and then also what i miss is is seeing these youngsters coming into the kitchen, coming into the front of house.

7:06You know, they might be only teenagers, but they've got that look in their eye and that hunger. They want to do so well. And to see them achieving their dreams and helping them on their way. Thank you so much for listening to That Espresso. I hope you enjoyed your morning coffee and are ready for the day. Let's be having you, boy. and please do subscribe, follow the podcast, share this espresso on WhatsApp if you liked it and also there's a link to our newsletter in the show description. I spend 15 hours toiling and writing this bad boy. It's full of wonderful wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink.

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