5 Things Washing Dishes in My Family Restaurant Taught Me About Customer Service

By Paul Vaccaro

From washing dishes after school to waiting tables on the weekends, I basically grew up in my family’s Italian restaurant. And although I’m no longer tossing pizza dough in the evenings, many of the things I learned there have stuck with me: how to cook, how to carry four plates on one arm (which is helpful for the holidays), and what really good customer service means. Here are five things I learned about offering great service during my days at Vaccaro’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria:

1. Treat every customer the same

People from all walks of life patronized our restaurant. (Who doesn’t like pizza?) My family taught me that you need to treat everyone — whether it’s the mayor or the crazy lady from down the street — with the same amount of respect. They are all customers. And it only takes a moment to be polite! Today I lead Desk.com’s sales efforts, and we talk to a lot of small businesses, many of which have non-traditional organizational structures. The millennial who is answering the phones at the startup down the street may not look like a high roller, but he might just be your next big customer.

2. The customer is always right

I learned at the restaurant that every customer had different expectations, but whatever they were, their opinion was very black and white. If a customer didn’t like their pizza or their experience with us, they just didn’t like it. My father certainly wasn’t about to try to argue them into liking it. He took the time to understand their expectations and then bent over backwards to fix it and problems they had and make sure they didn’t happen again. What I took away from this is that it doesn’t matter what a customer’s expectations are — they are always right. At Desk.com we know that we are only as successful as the customers that use our products. Whether they only use our basic functionality or whether they are pushing the limits of our capabilities, I tell my team to do whatever it takes to make them happy, and to look at how we can improve our processes in the future.

3. You always represent your brand

I grew up in Willow Glen, a small community in San Jose, CA and my family’s name was on the door of our restaurant. My parents drilled into me that I wherever I went — school, soccer game, grocery store — I was representing our family, and our livelihood. Its the same in the business world. You are always an ambassador for your brand. It’s not just what you say at lunch or in the elevator. In today’s hyperconnected world, it’s also the pictures that you post on Facebook or the thoughts you share on Twitter that reflect on your company. My grandmother wouldn’t have been happy if our customers saw pictures of me at a wild party — and your customers might not either.

4. Every experience counts

In the restaurant business you’re only as good as your last meal. It doesn’t matter if someone had twenty great meals before at your restaurant. If you give them a bad one that’s what they’ll remember. And that’s what they’ll tell the other families at church or the little league game. It’s the same in the business world. Although most companies will make a misstep from time to time, it’s the way that you follow up that matters. If your service is fast and helpful, that’s what your customers will remember.

5. Great service is a team effort

I did it all at the restaurant — I was a dishwasher, busboy, server, cook. In each role I got to meet different people, with different backgrounds and different expectations about life. But as different as they all were, they all had to work together to provide a great experience to customers. If the food was burned or the glasses were dirty or you spilled a drink on a customer, their dinner would be ruined. It’s the same in the business world. Everyone on your team from sales to marketing to support needs to work together to provide an excellent customer experience.

Although my Dad has retired and Vaccaro’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria is closed, I often think about what I learned there about great service. If we hold ourselves to the highest standards, we will always deliver world class customer service.