Dining Experience: Light-heartedness and Spontaneity in Service

There are many factors that contribute to a superior dining experience – the ambience, the food and presentation, the staff and the service.

I am always delighted with impressive service, or something that is unexpectedly good. In particular, I really enjoy service that is uplifting and spontaneous. In fact, where appropriate, the right dosage of humour is also much appreciated.

At Origin restaurant at Shangri-la Hotel Singapore, while the waiter Mohamed was pouring water into our glasses, I shared that he reminded me of the actor in this Netflix TV series “How to Get Away with Murder”. He smiled and responded instinctively with, “Oh no, is he a villain or a good guy?”

Service Bank: 💖

Reflective thoughts: How would your team members respond to an unexpected comment? Try this fun exercise with your team. Make some crazy-sounding remarks like “I wish squirrels were pink” or more ordinary like, “I think you look like my sister/brother”, and hear their spontaneous response.

(Hopefully it is more than just an awkward smile or a bewildered “huh?”)