Customer and Staff Satisfaction: There is No Greater Challenge Than to have Someone Relying Upon You, No Greater Satisfaction Than to Vindicate His Expectation (Industry Spotlight) (Interview‪)‬

Customer satisfaction is a restaurant's bottom line. If an establishment's service does not meet a guest's expectations, a dazzling location or exceptional cuisine will not rectify the situation. The individual responsible for maintaining customer and staff satisfaction is the dining room manager. His job is a daunting one: to ensure a restaurant's success by keeping everyone happy. What keeps a customer coming back? How do you pacify a dissatisfied customer? How do you manage the sometimes complicated relationship between the front and back of the house? These are just a few of the questions Art Culinaire asked two of the restaurant industry's well seasoned dining room directors. The first is Felix Meana, an el Bulli alumnus now working with Jose Andres. The second is Pierre Grall, former dining room manager for Alain Ducasse's Essex House who now oversees the din`ing room at a renowned Relais & Chateaux property. Through years of on-the-job learning and eye-opening experiences they both understand what it takes to keep everyone in the restaurant content. Here they offer invaluable advice, insight and suggestions to help a restaurant deliver satisfaction ... and meet its bottom line.