Etiquette and Eating Habits

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How does etiquette knowledge in the hospitality industry comfort guests?

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Knowledge of etiquette in the hospitality industry is crucial to helping guests feel comfortable. Knowing how to treat guests with courtesy and respect makes them feel safe. Feeling safe allows guests to relax and get comfortable in an unfamiliar setting.

Etiquette pertains to generally accepted standards of good behavior. It is, basically, treating people with kindness. Without etiquette, it would be difficult for any business to thrive, particularly in the hospitality industry, where treating people well is of paramount importance. Good etiquette requires making the guests feel important, not just to make a quick sale, but to form a long-term relationship.

The rules of etiquette impose guidelines and restrictions that can make interactions seamless. There are several ways to make guests in the hospitality industry feel at ease. For instance, call guests by their names. Answer their questions with courtesy. Always greet them with a smile. Provide loyalty-based rewards to frequent customers. Excellent customer service always affects the bottom line in the hospitality industry.

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Guests have many expectations that hospitality staff are expected to anticipate and fulfill. These expectations include a desire to participate in familiar social interactions, which means that hospitality staff should in some ways reflect the level of propriety that the guest demonstrates. Unfortunately, this is complicated by the fact that different guests will all have different standards for what the proper way to act is.

Still, formal etiquette has roots in certain kinds of upper-class socialization, and so for guests who project that sort of image of themselves, it is reasonable to assume that they might respond well to formal etiquette. Being able to anticipate the kind of interactions a guest desires and being able to provide those kind of interactions is key to making a guest feel comfortable in a space and is a core skill for working in hospitality.

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Etiquette describes the social behaviors and rules followed by society. It is always changing and evolving based on societal norms and cultural shifts, and it can be different in various cultures around the world. For example, what may be considered proper manners in one region or country may not be in another.

For those who work in the hospitality industry, it is important to be aware of and follow the proper rules of etiquette in order to best serve the customer and make them feel not only content and comfortable but respected and considered. In particular, knowing various societal and social variances is a huge help in performing the necessary skills to service all types of customers.

Therefore, awareness, sensitivity, and understanding of cultural differences is crucial for those who work in the hospitality industry. In addition, it is important to be aware of the ever-evolving nature of rules of etiquette. The bottom line is that good behavior and manners never go out of style.

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When guests arrive at a hotel or a restaurant or an event, they will expect and want to be treated with courtesy and respect.  This is where a good grounding in proper etiquette is important for workers in the hospitality industry. 

In this context, etiquette does not really refer to things like knowing which fork to use at the dinner table.  Instead, it refers to a knowledge of the cultural norms that govern interactions between people.  For example, workers in the hospitality industry need to know the proper way to greet their customers.  If they are not formal enough for a given situation, they will make the guests feel uncomfortable.  The guests may not feel that they are being treated respectfully or that the service is up to proper standards.  On the other hand, excessive formality (for a given situation) can also leave guests uncomfortable.  It can make them feel that they are in a situation where the staff is not friendly and welcoming.

The staff of any business in the hospitality industry must understand how to act with the proper level of politeness for various types of guests in various different situations.  By doing so, they will be able to give the guests the sort of experience that they expect and with which they will be comfortable.

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