28 Nov Why great service will save your business

I recently celebrated a significant personal anniversary. We went interstate and treated ourselves to a couple of high-end dining experiences. These venues were well-known, similarly priced, and new to us.

Both restaurant fit-outs were beautifully maintained and exactly on point for their market and style.
The food in both was also very good. As an ex-chef, I’m probably pickier than most, but I also appreciate the challenge of producing a consistent product while still protecting a profit margin.

But here’s the thing: I will not be recommending Restaurant 1 (R1) to anyone.
Restaurant 2 (R2), however, will be spoken about effusively to anyone who asks—and probably to plenty who don’t. I’ll be raving about that experience for years.

What was the difference?

You already know: customer service—or the absence of it, in the case of R1.

At almost every market level, it’s the human experience that shapes a guest’s perception of value.

Think about supermarkets. The average quality of food and beverage products today is incredibly high. Even with cost-of-living pressures influencing what I purchase, I’m rarely disappointed by the product itself.

Dining out, on the other hand, is a discretionary spend. I’ve already decided to pay significantly more for what I’m going to eat and drink because I understand what it takes to put the whole show together. Yet have you noticed how often patrons—especially those who don’t work in hospitality—react with shock at the price point when they dine out?

If a guest is surprised by the bill and the service was merely average, or substandard, your business has a problem. That’s where great service earns its keep.

So, how do you ensure your guests walk away feeling they’ve received real value for money?

By investing relentlessly in the experience your people deliver.

Great service doesn’t mean formality, theatrics, or hovering. It means attentiveness, warmth, and the kind of thoughtful presence that makes guests feel genuinely seen. It means recognising that every table is spending their own money, for their own reasons, and they want to trust that you care as much about their experience as they do.

The difference between R1 and R2 wasn’t the food, décor, or reputation.
It was that in R2, we felt looked after. The team read the room, anticipated needs, communicated clearly, and worked seamlessly with one another.

In R1, we were simply another booking being processed.

And here’s the part too many business owners overlook: great service protects your margins.
Mediocre food with great service feels forgivable.
Great food with mediocre service feels like daylight robbery.

Customers will tolerate a dish that’s “fine.”
They will not tolerate being ignored, rushed, confused, or treated with indifference.

You know the old saying:

Great food gets you compliments.
Great service gets you loyalty.
And loyalty is the only thing that will keep your business afloat when times get tight.

Take-away: If you want more word-of-mouth, more repeat business, and stronger resilience in tough economic cycles, start by lifting your internal service culture. Hire better. Train better. Promote people who can lead by example. And above all, make customer experience the metric that matters.

Because in a world where most products are good and most prices feel high, it’s the human experience that determines whether your business merely survives—or truly thrives.