Your Front of House Can’t Sell What They’ve Never Tasted

For Hospitality Owners

Your Front of House Can’t Sell What They’ve Never Tasted

For years, Cheryl and Andy Cordier have travelled the country supporting hospitality one meal, one conversation, and one review at a time.

What started as a simple way to back local restaurants through Google Reviews has now passed 5.2 million views. The reason is straightforward: great reviews drive engagement, lift search rankings, and put more people through the door.

But after decades running successful hospitality businesses — and over 20 years in education and workforce development — we keep running into one problem owners can’t afford to ignore.

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The Question That Exposes It

Here’s what we ask Front of House staff:

Too often, the answer is:

• “I don’t know, I’ve never eaten from the menu.”
• Or worse: “We’re not allowed to eat the food here.”

Owners — what is going on?

You invest heavily in branding, advertising, social media, fit-outs, and campaigns just to get a customer seated. Then, at the exact moment your team should connect, recommend, and confidently upsell, they can’t advocate for your business. They’ve never experienced the product themselves.

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Run the Numbers

The objection is always cost. So let’s look at it properly.

If your food cost is 36% and a menu item sells for $35, the actual cost of that dish is around $12.60.

That’s it. $12.60 to turn a staff member into someone who can genuinely sell that dish.

When staff know the flavours, the textures, the presentation, and the story behind a dish, they sell with authenticity. Customers trust a genuine recommendation. That trust does three things:

1. Increases sales — confident upsells convert.
2. Improves the customer experience — people feel guided, not processed.
3. Builds loyalty — diners come back to a place that knows its own food.

The return on that small spend is enormous.

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Serve Your Team First

Feed your team. Train your team. Let them taste the menu.

Your Front of House staff should be your strongest ambassadors — not people forced to say “I don’t know.”

Investing in your team is investing in your revenue. Serve them first, and the payoff comes back tenfold.