An effective $ALES $TAR brings the menu to life for guests to intrigue, compel & ultimately sell them the food or drink before its prepared and comes out of the bar or kitchen.  This approach takes practice, technique and personality.“Theatre of the Mind” is one of the most successful tools waitstaff can use to enhance a guest’s experience, sell more product for the restaurant and increase the server’s gratuities.
Radio Stations use “Theatre of the Mind” to great effect… here, the concept entails creating and sustaining an idea that captures the listener’s imagination so that they truly believe what’s happening even though it’s a farce created in the studio.  For example, the DJ’s at Station WXRX have announced that they will play every record by every artist from A – Z.  They are going down into the dark basement archives of the station, 3 floors below ground to retrieve the records… you hear footsteps echoing down stairs, a creaky door opening followed by dust being blown off a few ancient discs… next thing you know, you are hearing an old phonograph being turned on, the turntable starts spinning and the record needle set down onto the old 45 RPM with a squeek in the worn out groove as the first song starts to play.

In this high-tech world, none of this actually happened, yet you believed it was true because you were listening to professional sound effects that brought the experience to life in your mind.

In a successful restaurant, $ALES $TAR Servers use Theatre of the Mindto make the food or drink sound so good, the guest can actually See It, Smell It & Taste It before it is actually delivered to the table.   This is accomplished by knowing the menu inside out and the practiced ability to describe something and bring it to life.  By “Rhapsodizing over the menu” and describing 2 choices in glowing detail, a guest will likely be first intrigued by the description and then sold by their desire for the item.  Here’s where a server’s personality comes into play…

Often times when guests are seated at their table, they are caught up in conversation.  To deliver a memorable dining experience through Theatre of the Mind, the server must first use their unique personality to immediately gain the guest’s attention in order to educate, entertain and suggest what the guests will enjoy.

A server’s personality is the key to gaining the guest’s attention in order to lead them on a captivating journey that is their dining experience.  Effective use of “Theatre of the Mind” increases a Server’s sales dramatically.