Black and Whites Magazine



	Greetings my fellow restaurateurs! In honor of my first article in Black and Whites, I would like to start off with a little something that every server needs to have an understanding of in this divine business, and that is Psychology. You don’t need to have a B.S. degree in this particular subject matter to use it (but a little BS goes a long way). A basic idea and awareness of how psychology and the restaurant world intertwine will make your shifts run smoother and your checking		account fatter. Whether your forte is acting, accounting, art or you don’t have a clue about what you want to be when you grow up, psychology is beneficial in every profession. Social Psychology: Selling product to consumers (i.e. selling food and delivering drinks to a group of strangers in order to squeeze some cash out of them to pay this month’s rent) is the name of the game. Waiting tables is one of the easiest


	By Mary Margaret Ambler
	sales positions because the hardest part of the sell is establishing a need. In a restaurant, the consumer has already established a need and a willingness to buy. It’s up to you as the salesperson to quickly assess the buyer, overcome objections, and close the deal. On the approach, you have 5 – 10 seconds to assess the group dynamics. Understanding how people		behave in the company of others, who the group consists of, and the purpose of the event is critical. Is the table a family? This might be the once a year, let’s get together and go out to eat just to prove we all still love each other (because Mom made us). Drinks may be in order or may just be desperately needed to get through a meal with that jerk of a brother-in-law. Is the table a group of Jurassic-period women (aka blue hairs) who are coming in for some

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The Psyhcology of Selling - Page 50-51

Issue 1, November 2005 • © 2005, Black and Whites Magazine • BlackandWhitesMag.com