This is very often forgotten; when is it necessary to change and when is it not?

Consider your costumers point of view. A brand new customer. He’s looking for something but he’s not yet exactly sure what he wants. He sits down at the bar and orders a drink. The drink he buys could be of any variety; a Coke, maybe a Gin & Tonic, heck even a cocktail. And the customer observes your drink:

How it looks.
How it’s served.
What kind of glass it’s in.
What the color is.
How it smells.
How it tastes.
How it feels.
What kind of mood it sets.
And the quality of the garnish, if there is one.

The drink is just right! At that moment the customer realises he wants to be a part of your family. A regular at your home. You, the bartender, have served his needs perfectly.

A few days later the customer arrives again.

There is still a small doubt in his mind as to the service being as good as it was before. He longs for that perfect serve, the same wonderful feeling that he experienced before.

You, the bartender, are not working Tonight. Tonight is “John’s” shift. The customer orders the same thing the previous evening.

The drink does not arrive in the same glass as it did before. The customer is immediately suspicious if this is the same cocktail as he ordered last time.

Customer : “Bartender?”
John : “Yes, sir?”
Customer : “Is this the ***** I ordered ?”
John : “Yes that’s right. Is there anything wrong with it?”
Customer : “Last time I was here, I got it served in that glass.”

The customer points at the row of cubit glasses.
John : “Sometimes I use that type of glass. It just depends on what mood I’m in. It’s still the same ingredients. So don’t worry sir, just enjoy.”
Customer : “Alright then…”

It just doesn’t feel the same, Somehow it smells different, it’s not as cold even… He feels like he has been robbed of something.

The man pays silently and walks away, never to return. He thought he had found a place where he can enjoy being. This man likes changes, but he goes for different reasons and picks venues prior to that. That is his change, he might meet new people. But what he needs from each of these venues for his feeling to be meet is:

Consistency
Stability
Regularity
Reliability

I know we all have our differences in our techniques but in every workplace there needs to be the same constant presentation to build “Reliability” and “Stability” for our customers. I have found that a lot of places don’t put emphases on that point, both with drinks and food. We humans like stability, even though we venture out of our comfort zone from time to time. Of course as the seasons change so does our menus, but if the customer is accustomed to you, he will trust you to make those changes. The customer has seen in your action that you have become someone to trust, so he rewards you with loyalty.

I will remind you that we are manly talking about restaurants and bars.

Nightclubs have different standards as do the bartenders. Some run on inconsistency, but think about spillage as well but that is their standards.

So I ask you bartenders, chefs, bar managers and overall managers.
What is your standard?

Consistency