Good service can save a bad meal, says restaurant guru and author Jim Sullivan. But a good meal can't save bad service. And good service means more than the waiter returning to the table to mumble, robotically, dispassionately: Uh, is everything OK?

        Serving customers, often anticipating their needs before they ask, is critical to the survival of a restaurant — especially during these tenuous economic times. Yet many restaurants don't spend enough energy training their employees to serve.

        The Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association brought Mr. Sullivan to Cincinnati Tuesday to preach service and sales to more than 400 restaurant managers and workers. The former partner in a Colorado restaurant chain, Mr. Sullivan's clients include Disney, Marriott and Applebees. His latest book is Mind Your Own Business: People, Performance, Profits (Lebhar-Friedman; $16.95).

        Before his seminar, Mr. Sullivan paused to answer a few questions about how customers can spot and reward good service — and how to best complain about bad service.

        Question: How big a problem is customer service in restaurants?

Author Jim Sullivan spoke to the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association. (Dick Swaim photo) | ZOOM |

        Answer: It's a big problem because it's mostly inconsistent. ... Guests' expectations are so low right now and their experiences have been so indifferent, I think restaurants can blow customers away with good service.

        Q: Can you spot good service before you order?

        A: Cleanliness is your first clue. How clean is the glass on the door? Are there papers in the foyer? Also, do the host or servers wait for you to approach them, or do they approach you first?

        Q: Can customers do anything to get better service?

        A: Patronize restaurants that you know deliver good service.

        Q: How much should customers tip servers?

        A: I think hospitality is worth paying for, not because the server is paid a low minimum wage but because the service has enhanced the dining experience. We pay for the experience to go to an amusement park or movie theater, why not pay more for a good dining experience? I tip about 20 percent. Fifteen percent is a little low, but 17 or 18 percent is acceptable, I think.

        Q: If I get poor service in a restaurant, should I tip the waiter a smaller amount or even nothing?

        A: A better way to let management know there was a problem is to write a note on your credit card bill asking the manager to call you. This way, the server can't “lose” your complaint (which is possible with a comment card). The server has to turn in the bill and the restaurant's accountant will then alert the manager to your note. ... You can also complain directly to the manager. A complaint is the greatest gift you can give to the restaurant.

        Q: Why?

        A: Because it shows the customer cares enough to make the effort, and because it gives the manager the chance to turn the situation around, to convince the customer to give the restaurant a second chance. ... If the situation isn't corrected, we know, based on statistics, that something like 282 other people will hear about the customer's bad experience. And even then, the story will be exaggerated.

        Q: As an anonymous customer, what was your best, most memorable restaurant experience?

        A: It was in a restaurant called Bern's Steak House in Tampa, Fla. When I walked in, everyone was focused on me and my needs. I looked around and everyone was smiling and laughing. I also had a great experience with a 17-year-old kid in a Burger King drive-through. He checked my order, and then read it back to me to assure me what I ordered was in the bag.

        Q: How about your worst experience?

        A: It was in a national restaurant chain in Boulder, Colo., where they were known for a chicken fajita salad. I asked the server whether the chicken was served cold or warm, and she said: I don't know, sir. I'm not a flesh-eater. I looked at her and thought: Then couldn't you just go back to the kitchen and ask for the cave-man?

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