Bivalve Bites ~The Significance of Server Training
Bivalve Bites: Easily digestible oyster aquaculture news
When oyster farming first became a “thing” in Southern states, many diners had no idea what to expect from the list of named and branded oysters now on the menu at their favorite restaurant. And when they asked questions, often, their server was no closer to having a clue than they were. Today, the oyster farming industry has learned that aquaculture-educated servers can be huge allies. It’s why Oyster South has always encouraged restaurants and chefs who serve Southern farmed oysters to train their servers on their ins and outs, their differences and vast diversity. OS has even held some server training sessions in the past.
Now, with the help of new grant funds, those training courses will resume in full force. OS asked Dr. Bill Walton, Acuff Professor of Marine Science and Shellfish Aquaculture Program Coordinator at Virginia Institute of Marine Science and OS board member, to train us on what this training entails and why it’s important.
OS: What do you mean by “server training”?
Bill: Whether it’s a shucker, bar tender or server at the table, we’re giving them tools to explain how and why oysters differ so they can then explain their spot’s oyster menu to customers in a more compelling way.
OS: Why is it important that servers do that?
Bill: It’s about them being able to educate and excite the customer to drive sales. I remember this mattress company when I was a kid that had the slogan, “An educated consumer is our best customer.” That applies to oysters too. And I’ll explain more with a story: I was at an oyster bar in Washington D.C. with Jim Gossen [OS board member and serious oyster aficionado]. I was looking over the oyster list and noticed farms I’d never heard of, so I did what a lot of people do when faced with a long menu of whatever, wine, etc. and asked the server for recommendations. She was great. She started walking us through everything on the menu and got really technical, talking about parts per thousand.
At that point, I considered her the local expert, so I gave her recommendations and suggestions a lot of weight. Compare that to the scenario where I go somewhere and ask the same questions and get either an “I don’t know” or a very generic answer. That’s not going to encourage me to pursue new options. And if I’m someone who doesn’t know much about oysters at all, I might not order any of them. I might opt for the shrimp cocktail instead.
OS executive director Beth Walton leading a past server training session.
OS: What does the training entail?
Bill: We’re focusing on teaching servers the ability to look at any list of oysters and understand how they differ and then how to pass that info along to the diner. We’re providing some pretty basic knowledge and a framework they can then build on. We’re not trying to have them memorize the descriptions of any specific oyster but giving them guidance on what to look for in terms of telling the different oysters apart. The training sessions are free thanks to the grant, and they are very flexible and adaptable to each individual restaurant. We can do a pretty good job in 10 minutes, but when there is more time, we can go into more detail, open up some oysters to taste and take their questions, which are always great. We have materials to leave with them, including a quick reference card sized to fit in a server book or apron pocket and that’s printed on heavy paper. And we leave them with ways to contact us with questions down the road.
“People ask me all the time: What’s the best oyster, but I can’t answer that. The best oyster is the oyster you like best. My favorite oyster is the oyster I am enjoying at that moment. I just love that this industry is in a place where there is such craftsmanship and art combined that there isn’t a place where there isn’t a blue-ribbon oyster. And that’s what we want to do with these server trainings, highlight the diversity in the industry.”
OS: How does training their servers benefit restaurant owners?
Bill: It helps them on several levels. We started the server training really to benefit the farmers. The customer is there in the restaurant ready to spend money on food, so that’s where the server can now influence the decision. We wanted to help servers sell the various farms’ distinct “merrior” and their brand by being able to explain and promote what makes them all unique.
But it is also good for the restaurants and even the servers. We think that if you can confidently explain why these six or 12 different oyster brands are unique, you can sell more oysters than you would have otherwise. We think will want to taste those differences, so they’ll order more. So, the server upsells, and perhaps, gets a bigger tip. The customer feels informed and makes a choice that makes them happy, so they’re satisfied and had a great experience. And the restaurant just had a bigger ticket from that table.
We believe this is the case, but with this next round of training made possible with this grant, we’re going to be evaluating results to see if this is true, if sales really do go up after server training. We want to be able to point to proven market and non-market benefits.
There’s also an intangible benefit. One chef said she couldn’t say for sure her oyster sales went up after our server training, but she could see that her servers were more engaged and invested in their work, and that’s important in the restaurant business as those servers create the experiences that bring customers back.
OS: So where are y’all headed to train next?
Bill: We were limited in the past, before we had this grant funding. But we’re excited that now we’ll be in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia and be able to conduct multiple dozens of trainings in those states. We’ll also hit six “foodie” cities away from the coast, places where we believe there is a real interest in knowing more about farmed oysters, places like Denver, New York City and more.