Switching to full service

I am interested to know if any one has changed from self service to full service and how how well did it go? Has anyone gone to to full service then changed back? Did you see an increase in sells or a decrease in sells as a full sevice? My customers now come in and order at the counter, we give them a glass and they sit down. We then bring the food out to them and they bus their own table. We are doing a remodeling job and I am thinking of adding full service. We have a nice patio but I think alot of people don’t use it because they don’t like haveing to comeing inside to refill their drinks.

Any advice? Do it or not? Reasons to change, Reasons not to change. Thanks for any help.

Well your biggest challenge is staffing. Increased cost and an increase in customer service.
Start out with a offering it only during dinner hours - 5pm -close so you don’t have to staff all day long.
this will keep your current customers happy and maybe some new ones will prefer the waiters.
Yes i am sure it will increase sales, but with increased sales there is a cost of labor as well.

I’m sure you’d get some excellent feedback from your current customers if you asked their opinion as well.

Hi,
If you have a liquor, or even just a beer and wine lic. your deck is a gold mine. I have no idea what they are looking at, but if it’s a back road, sidewalk or water, you need to have full service out there. With any change you should promote the heck out of it, maybe even do a full color menu mailing. Take full advantage of any change, change is good. Good luck man, post some remodel pics and updates.

                                                                                                   Willi