Cora Griffith, a waitress for the Or-Chard Café at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, Wisconsin, is superb in her role, appreciated by first-time customers, famous with her regular customers, and revered by her coworkers. Cora loves her work — and it shows. Comfortable in a role that she believes is the right one for her, Cora follows nine rules of success:
- Treat Customers Like Family. First-time customers are not allowed to feel like strangers. Cheerful and proactive, Cora smiles, chats, and includes everyone at the table in the conversation. She is as respectful to children as she is to adults, and makes it a point to learn and use everyone’s name.
“I want people to feel like they’re sitting down to dinner right at my house. I want them to feel they’re welcome, that they can get comfortable, and that they can relax. I don’t just serve people, I pamper them.”
- Listen First. Cora has developed her listening skills to the point that she rarely writes down customers’ orders. She listens carefully and provides a customized service: “Are they in a hurry? Or do they have a special diet or like their selection cooked in a certain way?”
- Anticipate Customers’ Wants. She refills beverages and brings extra bread and butter in a timely manner. One regular customer, for example, who likes honey with her coffee, gets it without having to ask. “I don’t want my customers to have to ask for anything, so I always try to anticipate what they might need.”
- Simple Things Make the Difference. She manages the details of her service, monitoring the cleanliness of the utensils and their correct placement. The fold for napkins must be just right. She inspects each plate in the kitchen before taking it to the table. She provides crayons for small children to draw pictures while waiting for the meal. “It’s the little things that please the customer,” she says.
- Work Smart. Cora scans all her tables at once, looking for opportunities to combine tasks. “You don’t just do one thing at a time,” she advises. “And never go from the kitchen to the dining room empty-handed. Take coffee or iced tea or water with you.” When she refills one glass of water, she refills others. When clearing one plate, she clears others. “You have to be organized, and you have to keep in touch with the big picture.”
- Keep Learning. Cora makes it an ongoing effort to improve existing skills and learn new ones.
- Success Is Where You Find It. Cora is content with her work. She finds satisfaction in pleasing her customers, and she enjoys helping other people enjoy. Her positive attitude is a positive force in the restaurant. She is hard to ignore. “If customers come to the restaurant in a bad mood, I’ll try to cheer them up before they leave.” Her definition of success: “To be happy in life.”
- All for One, One for All. Cora has been working with many of the same coworkers for more than eight years. The team supports one another on the crazy days when suddenly 300 people come to the restaurant for breakfast at the same time. Everyone pitches in and helps. The wait staff cover for one another, the managers bus the tables, and the chefs garnish the plates. “We are like a little family,” Cora says. “We know each other very well and we help each other out. If we have a crazy day, I’ll go in the kitchen towards the end of the shift and say, ‘Man, I’m just proud of us. We really worked hard today.’”
- Take Pride in Your Work. Cora believes in the importance of her work and in the need to do it well. “I don’t think of myself as ‘just a waitress’ … I’ve chosen to be a waitress. I’m doing this to my full potential, and I give it my best. I tell anyone who’s starting out: ‘Take pride in what you do.’ You’re never just ‘anything,’ no matter what you do. You give it your all…and you do it with pride.”
Cora Griffith is a success story. She is loyal to her employer and dedicated to her customers and coworkers. A perfectionist who seeks continuous improvement, Cora’s enthusiasm for her work and unflagging spirit creates an energy that radiates through the restaurant. She is proud of being a waitress, proud of ‘touching lives.’ Says Cora: “I have always wanted to do my best. However, the owners really are the ones who taught me how important it is to take care of the customer and gave me the freedom to do it. The company always has listened to my concerns and followed up. Had I not worked for the Orchard Café, I would have been a good waitress, but I would not have been the same waitress.”